PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — An Amazon fulfillment center in St. Lucie County, Florida, will temporarily close on September 17, with approximately 850 employees expected to face unemployment this fall.

Amazon told WPTV that the fulfillment center located south of Midway Road at 7600 LTC Parkway will be closed for two years.

Moline Salterz, from the St. Lucie County Economic Development Council (EDC), said, "We should be able to help a significant portion of these employees."

The company and Salterz stated that Amazon will invest $200 million to transform the site into a new fulfillment center.

Employees learned about the closure this week.

Salterz said, "They have four months, which is a good amount of time to make adjustments and look for other opportunities."

Salterz indicated that Amazon will provide employees with four weeks of severance pay and assistance with health benefits.

She added that the EDC and other agencies are helping affected personnel find temporary employment in other positions.

Salterz said, "Fortunately, we do have several new businesses opening in St. Lucie in the coming months. There are also some businesses in Fort Pierce that can absorb some of the employees."

Amazon stated that employees can transfer to any of the 30 Amazon facilities in southern Florida.

The company issued the following statement:

"When the fulfillment center reopens in mid to late 2028, it will employ about 1,000 people, and all employees from the site will have the option to return."

Salterz said, "Obviously, two years is a long time, but they are very welcome to come back."

Amazon stated that orders will be fulfilled elsewhere, and customers will not be affected.

Source: Google Alerts
Original link: https://www.wptv.com/news/local-news/our-community/port-st-lucie/amazon-facility-temporarily-closing-for-2-years-in-st-lucie-county-potentially-impacting-850-employees