AutoZone on the rise

The second occupant at the Ocala/Marion County Commerce Park is moving full speed ahead.

Walls and steel trusses have started going up as The Korte Company and Edwards Construction work on the $49 million, 440,000-square-foot AutoZone distribution center at the park, which is north of U.S. 27 and just east of Interstate 75.

The FedEx facility already is up and running at the park. Chewy.com's distribution center will be coming next.

AutoZone will create about 192 full-time jobs in its facility, which will sit on 60 acres at the park. Lakeland, Sebring, Daytona Beach and other Florida cities were in the running to be the location of this center, which is the 10th of its kind for AutoZone.

This facility will serve the 290 AutoZone retail stores throughout Florida and Puerto Rico and will receive supplies from more than 400 vendors, corporate officials said last year.

Marion County and the city of Ocala each agreed to pay $144,000 as a local match to help draw down state financial incentives for AutoZone. The state is paying $1.152 million.

The county and city each agreed to pay AutoZone $3.75 million over 30 years. The city will provide electrical service at reduced rates for the first five years after the plant opens, and pay (or forgive) another $500,000-plus in application and permit fees related to construction.

For its part, AutoZone has agreed to create at least 192 full-time jobs with an average annual wage of $38,000.