Home Depot to open distribution warehouse in Plant City

PLANT CITY, Fla. - Plant City is bringing Home Depot to town.

After promising a seven-year tax exemption to the Fortune 100 home improvement store, the company agreed Monday to build an 800,000-square-foot distribution warehouse in the Hillsborough County location.

That warehouse, to be built at the intersection of Wiggins and Rice Roads, will help supply two dozen Home Depot stores in the area.

Along with the distribution center will come150 jobs, the company says, with an average salary of $32,000. City officials say those 150 jobs could become 350 within several years.

The tax exemption starts in 2021.

Right now, the city isn't making any tax revenue on that property, but they'll take in taxes for half of the improvements for the next seven years.

"This is a win for all of Tampa Bay," said Mayor Rick Lott. "I truly believe what we do in Plant City helps Lakeland. What Lakeland does helps Plant City and so forth throughout Hillsborough County."

This is the fourth time in five years the city has offered this tax exemption to a business.