Business giant Amazon is working to open a same-day fulfillment center in Tamarac's industrial zone soon. It will specialize in delivering items within about five hours of a person ordering a product.
"Multiple Amazon employees near the facility will receive alerts when the packages are ready for pickup," said Tamarac Mayor Michelle J. Gomez, about the plans. "Then the Amazon employee will show up to the facility, retrieve the package and deliver [it] to its destination."
The warehouse will be in the northernmost building in Tamarac Business Center, in Tamarac Commerce Park.
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Gomez said so far, the biggest questions from residents have been concerns about traffic in the area.
So the city and developer are working together to put in a roundabout to calm traffic and get rid of speeding. Something she said has been "needed in that area."
The mayor said she is excited about the economic development prospects that an Amazon facility could bring to the city.
"Amazon will be creating approximately 100 new full time jobs with the minimum starting wage of $15 per hour, plus full comprehensive benefits," Gomez said. "And I believe that they will be, if they haven't already done so, be looking to hire people within the city of Tamarac for the jobs that they are filling first."
"It just helps increase our economy. And then it also does help with our commercial tax base, which will give us some more resources to be able to keep providing excellent levels of service."
Certain costs for municipalities are increasing year over year, like the cost of police and fire services for BSO contract cities. Tamarac was one of the contract cities that attended a meeting about BSO and its costs earlier this month. Those cities plan to meet again.
As Amazon continues to expand its presence in South Florida, a 2019 investigation by Reveal From The Center For Investigative Reporting found that the rate of serious injuries for workers at Amazon fulfillment centers was more than twice the national average in 2018.
Gomez was hopeful about things going well at the new center, but deferred to the company for an answer on those allegations.
When asked in an email Monday, a spokesperson for Amazon did not disclose when the new center will open, and was not open to a call for further questions.
"My understanding is that it is targeting late July, which since we're already in late July, it probably will be a little bit later in the summer," Gomez said. "I just know it's opening soon, so I'm looking forward to it."
