Aug 3, 2004 : Blue Cross Gets Break for Data Center

📅 August 3, 2004 - Insurance company Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida is negotiating with Clay County for incentives that will help it build a 70,000 square foot data center facility on 15 acres of land in Oak Leaf Plantation, according to the Business Journal of Jacksonville.

Christy Fitzgerald, chairwoman of the Clay County Commission, reportedly said the commission voted on July 27 to offer Blue Cross a 75 percent rebate on certain taxes. Fitzgerald said incentives are normally offered only when at least 100 jobs are created. But Blue Cross received the rebate despite the fact its proposed facility will only employ 35 people because their salaries are expected to be almost 200 percent higher than the average in Clay County.
The data center is estimated to cost $7 million and will be completed in late 2005.
Mark Wright, a spokesperson for Blue Cross, said the site was selected because of its relatively isolated location and distance from main traffic arteries. He added that the proposed site's inland position would shield it from hurricane flooding and its distance from highways would ensure avoidance of disasters such as chemical spills from trucks.