Lake County commissioners have made a decisive move to terminate their economic incentive agreements with Kroger and its partner Ocado, following the companies' announcement to close the Groveland delivery fulfillment center. The commissioners have also initiated plans to reallocate the incentive funds previously earmarked for the facility, according to a report by ClickOrlando.
In a bid to recoup the incentive money, Lake County is pursuing over $460,000 from Kroger and more than $870,000 from Ocado, a total sum that exceeds $1.3 million initially provided in support of the facility. The abrupt closure of the Groveland center will result in the layoff of approximately 1,400 workers. Amid this situation, the county commissioners have aligned on redirecting around $400,000 of incentive grant funds to aid these workers through CareerSource Florida, Lake Technical College, Lake-Sumter State College, and other relevant educational entities, ClickOrlando reported. An additional 10% of these funds have been set aside for local road projects, reflecting the county's commitment to maintaining infrastructural integrity in the face of economic upheaval.
Lake County officials feel the early termination of the Kroger facility breaches the decade-long agreement neither party foresaw ending so soon. "It was a 10-year deal, and we were only in year three or four of this deal," Lake County Commissioner Sean Parks stated, emphasized his frustration and the county's resolve to recover the funds, "But we will explore every avenue, pursue every avenue to try to get all of the incentives back because, yeah, it’s angering and it angers me for sure," he said, per ClickOrlando report.
Further discussions were planned to unfold in the Lake County Administration Building, where the commissioners aimed to outline their strategy to retrieve the incentives. They announced intentions to "take every legal avenue possible," as highlighted by Commissioner Parks in a statement reported by FOX 35 Orlando. The meeting would not only focus on the recoupment but also deliberate on whether the remaining funds allocated for Kroger should be channeled to CareerSource Florida to assist the now jobless employees.
