Fort Richey redevelopment, trade-zone activity cited as drivers of job growth

Speaker 1 described economic development highlights including 66 ribbon cuttings, ongoing work activating Foreign Trade Zone 255, and redevelopment of the former Fort Richey military site. The transcript reported SJ Incorporation is building a 35,000-square-foot medical device component production facility at Fort Richey, described as the largest commercial investment at that site to date and expected to create approximately 300 full‑time jobs over the next four years.

The county said its business and economic development department facilitated dozens of projects with more than $1.56 billion in capital investment over the prior 24 months and is tracking 43 projects with an anticipated nearly $700 million in investment that could yield an estimated 900 new full‑time jobs. The transcript attributes these figures to county economic staff; specific project financing details and incentive terms were not included in the address.