With Amazon ditching plans to base half of its second headquarters (HQ2) in Queens, U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., is calling on the company to take a look at the Panhandle and the Big Bend.
Dunn wrote Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the matter on Friday, noting that “Amazon’s HQ2 will bring 25,000 jobs and economic opportunity to a new city” and hoping Florida can benefit from New York’s loss.
The sophomore congressman showcased Tallahassee and his home base of Panama City as possible sites for HQ2 and insisted the area was recovering from Hurricane Michael which devastated the region back in October.
“I believe that you would find competitively priced real estate located in close proximity to major airports, railroad lines, interstates, or deep water ports like the port of Panama City an excellent choice for HQ2. Furthermore, Verizon has recently announced a $25 million investment to make Panama City one of two 5G capable cities east of the Mississippi, and the only 5G mobile city in the country. I am sure you will agree the people that I represent are among the most hard working and resilient in the United States,” Dunn wrote Bezos.
In January 2018, Amazon narrowed the list of contenders for its HQ2 locations to 20 cities. Only one of them–Miami–was in Florida.
Kevin Derby can be reached at Kevin.Derby@floridadaily.com.
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