TAVARES, Fla. – In a significant meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Lake County commissioners are set to explore strategies to reclaim over a million dollars in economic incentives previously awarded to Kroger. This follows the announcement of the impending closure of the company’s delivery fulfillment center.
The financial incentives, totaling more than $1.3 million, were provided to Kroger and its collaborator, Ocado, a delivery services firm, as part of a decade-long commitment to operate a fulfillment center in Groveland.
[WATCH: Kroger ending delivery in Florida, closing Lake County fulfillment center]
However, as reported last month, Kroger and Ocado plan to shut down the facility prematurely, a move that will result in the loss of approximately 1,400 jobs.
Lake County aims to recoup over $460,000 from Kroger and upwards of $870,000 from Ocado.
“The agreement was supposed to last 10 years, but we’re only in year three or four,” noted Lake County Commissioner Sean Parks. “We will exhaust every option to recover the full amount of incentives because this situation is quite frustrating, and it definitely angers me.”
[WATCH: Lake County wants incentive dollars back amid Kroger facility shutdown]
The county also wants to try to reallocate some $400,000 in budgeted incentive grant money to Careersource Florida to help people affected by the facility’s closure.
The meeting will take place Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the Lake County administration building in Tavares.
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