Mosaic to move headquarters to Tampa area

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Mosaic is one of the largest employers in the area, providing more than 3,000 jobs, and 150 of its employees, currently living in Minnesota, are adding themselves to the Bay Area's ranks.

The phosphate mining and fertilizer company has decided to relocate its corporate headquarters from suburban Minneapolis to the Bay Area.

Mayor Bob Buckhorn says more will follow.

"In boardrooms all over the country, folks are sitting back saying, 'Wow, if Mosaic is doing that, maybe we should take a look at it as well,'" Buckhorn said.

Mosaic is a Fortune 500 company. Spokesperson Ben Pratt says he expects the move to take place by the end of the year.

"We haven't had any specific discussions about real estate yet," says Pratt.

He says there were no tax incentives to prompt the move. Pratt says they decided to move to Hillsborough County to be closer to their business and to achieve more efficiency.

The company already has offices in the Fishhawk area of Hillsborough County.  

One of the strikes against Tampa with pro sports and others has been the small number of major corporate headquarters here. Mosaic becomes the first Fortune 500 company to leave another city and come to the Tampa area.

Homegrown 500's in the area include Publix, Tech Data, Jabil, and Raymond James.

With only 150 jobs, the Mosaic move isn't expected to be a game-changer for employment here, but Buckhorn believes it can add momentum to efforts to bring more corporate boardrooms to the Tampa area.