Amazon set to open Lee County facility in February

A technology giant has committed to Southwest Florida, as Amazon has chosen Lee County as the location for its newest distribution center.

CareerSource says Amazon will open its doors to the new distribution center Wednesday, Feb. 27 on Bavaria Road in Lee County.

“If it’s a gift, it means you get to give it to someone sooner,” Jennifer Buehl said.

Buehl said she’ll take advantage of the faster delivery times right away.

“Getting it sooner means it’s better,” Buehl said. “You have your merchandise that you want really bad quicker.”

Packages will come by truckloads to the new location north of Southwest International Airport. At the facility, workers will sort out customer shipments and get them on delivery trucks.

The distribution center was originally scheduled to open Fall 2018. Amazon already had 450 workers hired at that time, and 325 people continue to pursue the job offer since the delay has ended.

Janeth Castrejon of CareerSource isn’t surprised.

“I think it’s a game changer because of the salary itself, for part-time with benefits, at 15 an hour in Southwest Florida is very attractive,” Castrejon said.

Employees will have the advantage of choosing their own schedule.

“By having more jobs, you’re going to have more people in the area, more people to visit,” Buehl. “It’s going to help out the way around.”