Tesla sets sights on St. Pete facility for new 100,000 square foot service center

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Tesla Motors has its sights set on Pinellas County for a new 100,000 square foot service center. The company plans to renovate the Kane's Furniture Liquidation Center building on North 34th Street, and the new facility would bring dozens of tech jobs to the area.

Right now, the electric car market is booming. In 2010, there were only about 17,000 electric vehicles on the roads. Now, there's more than 7 million thanks to Tesla the world's largest EV marker. The company now wants Pinellas County to be part of that growth. 

"Tesla that kind of name brand coming into Lealman is a big deal for the economics for the jobs and quite frankly just for the morale of the community," Pinellas County Commissioner Charlie Justice said.

Last Wednesday, the Pinellas County Board of Adjustment and Appeals approved plans for Tesla to turn the 100,000 square foot Kane's Furniture Liquidation Center into a sales, service, and delivery center for Tesla. The company is currently under contract to purchase the 4.2 acre site located at 4601 34th Street North in St. Pete. 

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According to plans submitted to the county, Tesla will renovate the Kane’s Furniture building to include a 3,000 square foot showroom along with 40,000 square feet dedicated to service and repairs and another 52,000 square feet for indoor vehicle storage.

"The kind of high-tech jobs that we're talking about and the kind of opportunities for employees and residents in the area to maybe get connected with that type of technology. That's where it would really, really be special," Justice said.

The company plans to employ more than 50 on-site software service automotive technicians. A position with high wages that requires extensive software training. It's exactly the type of jobs Pinellas County Commissioner Charlie Justice said they've been trying to bring the Lealman area for years. 

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"It will help with people buying homes there. It will help with supporting local shops and restaurants in the area. It's going to be a big deal for Lealman and Pinellas County," Justice said.

The sale of site is expected to go through next month, but as of right now, there's no timeline from Tesla for when they plan to open the facility.