Great things are happening in Tampa Bay
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FOREIGN-TRADE ZONES
Zone of the Month – FTZ No. 79 in Tampa Bay, Florida
Featured this month is FTZ No. 79 in Tampa Bay, Florida. In 1982, the City of Tampa initially received federal authorization for zone activity. In 1989, the City of Tampa sponsored the formation of the Foreign-Trade Zone No. 79 Board, Inc., a non-profit corporation, to administer and promote the Zone Project. NAFTZ member Torrey Chambliss serves as the Administrator of FTZ No. 79.
FTZ No. 79 is one of 20 FTZs in the State of Florida, and currently has seven active zone operators, with one zone operator having production activity authorization. According to the 2011 Annual Report of the Foreign-Trade Zones Board, FTZ No. 79 ranked third among Florida FTZs and 24th nationally for merchandise received by warehouse/distribution operations. Commodities from the petroleum industry accounted for the majority of the zone’s activity in 2011.
On June 10, 2013, the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Board approved FTZ No. 79’s Alternative Site Framework application. Upon approval of the ASF application, FTZ No. 79 expanded its ASF service area to include both Hillsborough County and Polk County. Torrey Chambliss considers the move to the Alternative Site Framework to be a positive step forward for the Tampa Bay community.
“One of the goals for FTZ No. 79 is to become more responsive to the needs of the import/export business community in the Tampa Bay Region,” explains Chambliss. “Switching to the Alternative Site Framework helps to attain that goal. Additionally, working collaboratively with regional partners and economic drivers such as the Tampa Port Authority, Tampa International Airport, and the Tampa Hillsborough EDC, the transition to the ASF will prove to be both an important economic development tool for the community and a vital asset to individual businesses based in the Tampa Bay area.”