Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on Amazon.com:

BY Mike Salinero

Tribune staff

Published: June 19, 2013

TAMPA – Hillsborough County commissioners voted unanimously today to give about $225,000 in financial incentives to Amazon.com to locate an assembly and distribution center in the Ruskin area.

The money will be the county’s share of the state’s Qualified Target Industry incentive program, which calls for the local government to pay 20 percent of the total incentive package.

Commissioner Sandy Murman said Amazon will “fuel our competiveness in the region” and “really give us that longer value we need.”

“This is our time. We’re going to be No. 1,” an ecstatic Murman said.

Commission Chairman Ken Hagan said the warehouse, which would create 1,000 jobs, would provide a needed economic boost for the depressed south county area.

“We’re going to energize the South Shore community that has been in desperate need of development,” Hagan said.

The commission will meet July 18 to consider a property tax break for Amazon that would lower the company’s taxes by half, to $910,000 a year for seven years.

Gov. Rick Scott announced last week he had reached a deal to bring the online retail giant to Florida where it seeks to invest $300 million and create 3,000 jobs. Hillsborough is in the running for one of Amazon’s warehouse sites. About a third of the 1,000 jobs are expected to pay well above Florida’s average wage.