AUBURNDALE, Fla. (AP) — An Auburndale orange juice processing plant is expanding with up to a $580,000 assist from Florida taxpayers.
The $99 million project by Coca-Cola Refreshments is expected to add 60 permanent jobs.
Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday hailed the expansion as a testament to Florida’s pro-business environment.
The plant, though, also is in close proximity to Florida-grown fruit that goes into the Simply Orange products it produces. The facility also uses juice from Brazil.
Simply Orange is a chilled product made entirely from fresh juice rather than frozen concentrate.
The state paved the way for the project by granting Polk County $400,000 for road infrastructure serving the plant. Coca-Cola also is getting up to $180,000 in state and local tax rebates.
The plant currently has 361 full-time employees.
Source: Associated Press
