Amazon Coming to Fort Myers

The fastest-growing city in the nation just received yet another boost, and this delivery comes courtesy of Amazon. A new Amazon fulfillment center is headed to the Fort Myers area early next year, and already hundreds of new jobs are being filled. The company needs nearly 450 workers for its new center located near Daniels Parkway and Treeline Avenue. That’s yet another boost for Lee County, which already boasts low unemployment numbers and boasts the lowest jobless rate of any county in the entire five-county area. Statewide, Lee joins every other county in the state with a lower jobless rate than just a year ago. State leaders point to the more than 1.5 million jobs they say have been created since late 2010 as even further evidence that companies are attracted to the offerings of Florida. When it comes specifically to Southwest Florida, proponents say it’s yet another indication that the region is transforming from more of a seasonal destination with the need for mostly seasonal workers, to a growing, year-round workforce with a strengthening economy. Lee County gained more than 10,000 new jobs over the past year, with some of the highest growth numbers over the year tied to the construction industry. Construction employment across the county is reportedly up more than 14-percent. In addition, a majority of the new jobs added over the past couple of months are said to be in leisure and hospitality. Some reports suggest the Amazon jobs pay around $15 per hour with full benefits. Many of those new jobs in Fort Myers are in tracking, shipping and delivery. Amazon is moving into an already existing warehouse, close to the airport and close to Florida Gulf Coast University. Until the new center opens the closest distribution centers to Fort Myers reside in Tampa and Miami.

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