Florida
Power & Light Company's special discounted economic development
rate will help Cheney Brothers Inc., launch a $100 million
distribution center in Charlotte County that will eventually employ
about 300 people when it's fully operational.
Juno
Beach, FL (June 28, 2012) -- Florida
Power & Light Company's special discounted
economic development rate will help Cheney Brothers Inc., one of the
largest food service distributors in the Southeastern United States,
launch a $100 million distribution center in Charlotte County that
will eventually employ about 300 people when it's fully operational.
Cheney
Brothers is in the process of purchasing 35 acres right off
Interstate 75 in Punta Gorda, for the new facility, which will serve
customers from Marco Island through the Tampa Bay area.
“We
need all the help from all the partners we can get, whether it’s
our customer partners or our vendor partners, like Florida Power &
Light,” said Bill Foley, President of Cheney Brothers, which is
headquartered in Riviera Beach, Fla.
Businesses
in FPL’s service territory already benefit from electric bills that
are among the very lowest in the state and well below the national
average. FPL’s economic development rates provide an additional
benefit to new or expanding businesses that expand their electric
demand by at least 350 kilowatts and create at least 10 new jobs.
“We're
pleased to play a role in Cheney Brothers’ expansion,” said Lynn
Pitts, FPL Director of Economic Development. “FPL's economic
development rate provides an incentive to companies that agree to
move to Florida or expand their operations here and create new jobs
for Floridians.”
“The
discount we get from Florida Power & Light is essential,” Foley
said. “Along with fuel, our electric bill is probably our next
biggest expense that we have at Cheney Brothers. So that discount
helps us out initially and in the long-run also.”
The
economic development rate is designed to be an incentive that will
encourage new investment and job creation in Florida. Eligible
business customers receive a declining discount on their standard
base energy and demand charges over four to five years. Visit
http://www.PoweringFlorida.com
or contact FPL’s Office of Economic Development at
PoweringFlorida@FPL.com
for details.
Media
Contact:
FPL
Media Line
Florida
Power & Light Company
700
Universe Blvd.
Juno
Beach, FL 33408
305-552-3888
For
more on this story, including video and photos, visit:
http://www.fpl.com/newsroom
