HENDRY COUNTY, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott announced that Florida Fuel Connection (FFC) will establish a petroleum product logistics and distribution facility in Hendry County, near the city of LaBelle. The project will create nearly 300 construction jobs over a 14 month period and 50 full-time jobs, with a capital investment of more than $300 million. FFC projects to add a second facility in South Florida in 2017.

Governor Scott said, “We are excited to announce that Florida Fuel Connection has chosen Hendry County as the best place to launch their business and create new jobs. Over the past four years, we have worked hard to create a pro-business environment that encourages growth and innovation so companies like Florida Fuel Connection can succeed. We will keep working to make Florida the number one state in the nation for businesses to grow and create jobs for our families.”

When complete, the Hendry County and South Florida facilities will receive and distribute petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel.

“Florida’s rail infrastructure, unique location and pro-business climate made it a strong candidate for this project,” said John H. Armbrust, CEO of Florida Fuel Connection. “We used a comprehensive process to determine the most efficient, cost effective, safe and reliable infrastructure system to meet the expectations of Florida’s petroleum product suppliers and end-users. The Hendry and South Florida locations provide us with the necessary resources to build these logistics facilities, and will allow us to meet customer fuel demands more efficiently and safely than ever before.”

Florida’s expansive and multi-modal infrastructure is among the best in the nation. With nearly 3,000 miles of freight rail track and 12,000 miles of highway, the state has an unmatched ability to get products and services where they need to go. In addition to nearly 20 million residents, the state’s infrastructure supports more than 95 million visitors annually.

Enterprise Florida president & CEO Bill Johnson said, “Florida’s highly developed infrastructure will support Florida Fuel Connection’s demanding transportation requirements. This announcement furthers Florida’s status as an important logistics and distribution hub. We are thankful for Florida Fuel Connection’s commitment to the state, and look forward to watching this project develop and expand.”

Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Jesse Panuccio said, “Florida is swiftly becoming a global trade hub and businesses that specialize in logistics and distribution, like Florida Fuel Connection, thrive here.  The company’s new Florida facility will bring more jobs for Florida’s families and is proof that the pro-growth, low-tax policies of the Scott Administration are working.”

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Florida Fuel Connections (FFC) is incorporated in the state of Florida and supported by strategic infrastructure partners. For more information contact John Lawrence, Director Business Development at 561.685.2329 or Tel:561.429.5760; Fax: 561.429.5780 or email info@FloridaFuelConnection.com or visit http://www.floridafuelconnection.com/.

Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) is a partnership between Florida’s businesses and government leaders and is the principal economic development organization for Florida. EFI facilitates job growth for Florida businesses through recruitment and retention, international trade and exporting, promotion of sporting events, and capital funding programs to assist small and minority businesses.

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