JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – City officials are looking to secure an expansion from a manufacturing company that could bring at least $10 million in new investment and roughly 100 to 120 full‑time jobs to Northwest Jacksonville.
Working under the name “Project Underground”, the company, which already employs more than 140 people in Jacksonville and operates facilities in Tennessee and western U.S., is considering a local expansion to support existing and new product lines. Most of the projected jobs would be production roles with average wages above $40,000 a year.
According to project documents, the potential investment would go toward an existing industrial facility in a “Level 1 Economically Distressed Area,” where the unemployment rate is about 12.8% and more than twice the county average.
City staff says the project would help increase job opportunities and increase the tax base. Staff reports estimate a 3.8‑to‑1 return on investment from the deal.
But the company proposing the project has other options. Officials say it is weighing other sites in Georgia and Tennessee where real estate costs are lower and competing incentives may be larger. City documents said the firm is willing to pay more in freight to ship from Jacksonville but could consolidate production in the areas it does not select, which would risk job losses locally.
To keep the expansion in Jacksonville, the Office of Economic Development is asking to propose a five‑year Recaptured Enhanced Value grant. The REV grant would cover 50% of the city’s millage rate up to $275,000.
The proposal goes before the Mayor’s Budget Review Committee on Monday at 2 p.m. with potential city council introduction in December.
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