Daytona Beach, FL - Could Amazon be setting up a large distribution center soon in Daytona Beach?
If so, no one from the web commerce giant or the city is willing to go on the record about it.
Both sides would not say one way or the other when WNDB News reached out to confirm various media reports about that nearly $14 million project.
"We don’t have anything to share at this time," stated Amazon spokesperson Shone Jemmott. "We can certainly let you know if that changes."
City of Daytona Beach spokesperson Susan Cerbone admitted to hearing "rumors" about such a project but she wouldn't go any further than that.
"I can’t confirm anything," Cerbone added. "All I have is a recent building permit issued for a 68,000 [square-foot] distribution center and Amazon’s name is not mentioned anywhere on it."
That permit - filed by The Conlan Company on behalf of owner JI Mason Avenue 319 LLC - shows it would be at 2400 Mason Avenue. That's near the recently built Trader Joe's distribution center on the east side of Interstate 95.
Both those companies are based in Jacksonville, according to the permit application.
Volusia County officials haven't responded to our request for comment. Neither has VanTrust Real Estate LLC, the Kansas City-based real estate company reportedly involved in the project.
VanTrust recently purchased 20 acres of land in the area from Consolidated-Tomoka Land Company for around $2.4 million.
Amazon opened a fulfillment center near Lake Nona in Orlando last August, spending over $130 million to construct that over two million-square-foot facility. Company officials estimated around 1,500 full-time jobs created as a result of that project.
The web giant has nine other fulfillment facilities throughout Florida and has utilized VanTrust and Conlan in the past when creating distribution centers.
