Chiquita Moving HQ to South Florida with No Incentives
Broward County, FL has been courting Chiquita Brands International on and off for 10 years. The move has finally become a reality as Chiquita said on Thursday it will be moving its headquarters from Charlotte to Broward County and is also relocating its Fresh Express division to the Orlando, FL area. The company will occupy 20K SF in the Design Center of the Americas, a complex in Dania Beach that has both office space and design studios. Previous negotiation with Chiquita had fallen through due to their request for $20M in public incentives; the new deal has no such requirements. Chiquita moved to Charlotte in 2012 after being promised $23M in incentives. The company has since been taken private in a $1.3B deal and decided to leave Charlotte, agreeing to repay the incentives it had received. The new HQ is nearby Chiquita’s shipping and research facility and Port Everglades. Chiquita imports bananas from Central and South America and has annual revenue greater than $3B. [BIZ]
