After being devastated by Hurricane Idalia this month, Perry, a small town in Taylor County in the Big Bend, was hit again this week as Georgia-Pacific announced plans to close its Foley Cellulose mill.
“Various factors influenced this difficult decision. Ultimately, GP does not believe that the mill can competitively serve its customers in the long term despite the significant investments and commitment by GP Cellulose since the site was acquired in 2013. This is a strategic decision that was made prior to Hurricane Idalia and is not a reflection of the hard work and effort of the Foley team,” Georgia-Pacific announced. “All the approximately 525 jobs at the mill will be impacted by this closure. Production will continue for a limited time as the site works to fulfill as many customer commitments as possible. The mill plans a safe and orderly shutdown.
“Georgia-Pacific’s focus in the coming weeks and months is to continue to safely operate while supporting our employees during the transition,” the company added. “Georgia-Pacific thanks its employees at Foley for their hard work and commitment and will work with them to provide access to local support agencies and job placement resources, including available opportunities within Georgia-Pacific or other Koch companies.”
U.S.Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., who represents the area in Congress, criticized Georgia-Pacific’s decision.
“Today’s Georgia-Pacific announcement is extremely disappointing. This closure impacts thousands of my constituents following a devastating hurricane, a time when communities need reliability and stability the most,” said Dunn. “What’s even more concerning is that Georgia-Pacific neglected to give local leaders ample notice so we can support Taylor County through this difficult time. They ought to be ashamed.
“I’ve known Koch Industries and Georgia-Pacific to be leaders in business with family values, but none of this displays ‘leadership’ or ‘family values’ to me. I will continue to press Koch Industries and Georgia-Pacific to get the answers and support the people of Florida’s Second Congressional District deserve,” Dunn added.
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