City breaks ground on $28 million international processing facility at airport
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Community members, City of Tallahassee leaders, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration and other partners gathered to break ground for building an International Processing Facility at Tallahassee International Airport.
The project, which will take two years to be completed, has a price tag of $28 million. It is expected to be a major economic driver for Northwest Florida and is a milestone in the process to designate a Foreign Trade Zone Tallahassee’s airport.
“Today, we broke ground on a project that will have far reaching impacts across the globe and closer to home,” said Mayor John Dailey. “This major investment by the city improves the economic competitiveness of Tallahassee and our entire region.
“Construction of the international processing facility will have an immediate impact, and the following Foreign Trade Zone designation will spur longer-term economic benefits with the creation of more than 1,600 jobs and estimated annual economic impact of more than $300 million.”
The International Processing Facility is a key project in the city’s five-year strategic plan to enable capacity for continued growth and increase the airport’s annual economic impact to $1 billion. By prioritizing projects like this, the airport is on track to reach the city’s goals of serving 1 million passengers and processing 22 million pounds of cargo annually, with 100 additional acres of land leased to businesses by 2024.
“Passenger traffic at TLH is increasing to near record levels, and investments in the future can be seen throughout the terminal and across airport property,” said City of Tallahassee Director of Aviation David Pollard. “Planning for the International Processing Facility began in 2014, and we broke ground today thanks to the dedication and forward-thinking of many stakeholders at the local, state and federal level.”
Upon completion of this facility, Tallahassee will become Northwest Florida’s connection to global markets, further positioning itself as a competitive, innovative and sustainable economic hub. The facility will allow the airport to accommodate international flights and give the ability for goods to be shipped to and received from worldwide destinations.
