Collier County Officials Approve Incentives

Southwest Florida wants Safire Aircraft to move into its neighborhood. Collier County commissioners on Tuesday approved more than $1 million in local incentives they hope will give them a leg up in a competition to win over Miami-based jet maker Safire Aircraft Co. They are part of a larger inducement package for Safire that could cost the state and county more than $10.4 million.

As part of its approval of incentives for Safire on Tuesday, the commission designated the Immokalee Regional Airport, also known as the Florida Tradeport, a "brownfield," an area with perceived or actual environmental contamination. The designation will allow Safire to qualify for an additional tax refund bonus of $2,500 for each job it creates through Florida's Qualified Target Industry incentive program. In total, the company could qualify for as much as $6.65 million in state tax relief through the program.

Twenty percent, or $1.33 million, would come from Collier County as a local match if the company chooses the Immokalee airport and that's what commissioners approved on Tuesday. The match for the QTI program will come from the county's general fund.

In becoming a brownfield, the Immokalee Regional Airport has joined the ranks of downtown Jacksonville, Clearwater and Pompano Beach, which have the same designation. There are several brownfields in Lee County.

Despite its negative connotation, the label comes with a variety of benefits. It qualifies local governments for state and federal money for redevelopment and cleanup. Benefits for businesses include a $2,500 bonus tax refund for each new job created, voluntary cleanup tax credits and cleanup liability protection, low-interest loans for environmental assessment and cleanup, expedited permitting and sales tax exemptions on building materials.

Tammie Nemecek, executive director of the Economic Development Council of Collier County, said the commission's vote Tuesday was an important one because it signals how serious the county is about luring Safire to Collier County. She indicated the package could give the county an edge over competitors that have yet to approve incentives for the manufacturer.

Safire has expressed interest in locating an assembly plant at the Immokalee Regional Airport, which has the potential to create more than 700 new jobs in Collier County. But the company is considering other sites in Florida and other states.

"We will indicate to the company and notify them that everything has been approved by the Board of County Commissioners," Nemecek told The Naples Daily News after the commission's approval. "The next step would be for them to come back to us and request that we move on to the next step, which will be some sort of land negotiations."

A land lease is the only part of the deal that's missing. The lease still has to be negotiated by the Collier County Airport Authority, which runs the Immokalee airport. And that will only happen if Safire decides to pursue Immokalee as a location for its assembly plant. Safire is expected to come up with a short list of sites for its plant soon. 

FMI: www.safireaircraft.com