Amazon will temporarily close a warehouse in Florida, according to a warning notice filed by the company. The closure is intended to convert the facility into a different type of distribution center, a process that will take two years, the company said.
Amazon initially announced the decision on March 5, followed by a notice on April 17 stating that 616 employees at its TMB8 facility (27505 SW 132nd Ave., Homestead) would be affected by layoffs effective July 2. The company said all affected employees will be eligible for rehire once the renovations are complete.
“Our goal is to keep our employees at this Amazon facility,” Amazon spokesperson Amber Plunkett said in a statement to USA TODAY. “More than 300 employees at the Homestead facility have accepted reassignments to work at other Amazon facilities, most of which are in Miami-Dade County, and our human resources team will continue to work with our employees to transfer them to other locations that best suit their preferences.”
Employees at the facility have the opportunity to transfer to eight other locations in Florida, four of which are in Miami, as well as locations in Hialeah, Opa-locka, Miramar and Pembroke Park. Employees can also be transferred to 30 other Amazon facilities “in and around” South Florida, according to the company, which is offering a relocation bonus to employees who move more than 50 miles from the Homestead location.
A new delivery station in Homestead is scheduled to begin operations this summer, according to Amazon. Employees can also be transferred there after opening.
“For those who are unwilling to transfer, we are providing transition support,” Plunkett said. “Approximately 1,000 employees will continue to be employed when the facility reopens in mid-to-late 2028, at which time employees will have the option to return.”
Amazon built the facility on land it purchased from Miami-Dade County, and the company was able to purchase the site without a bid for $22 million. The purchase was approved under Florida economic development laws in exchange for a promised 325 jobs on site with an average annual salary of $32,000, the Miami Herald reported.
Under the 2020 agreement, Miami-Dade County could fine the company for closing it, including an $8,000 penalty for each job lost, for a total of $2.6 million. County commissioners advanced legislation on April 15 directing Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s administration to take “all necessary actions” to enforce the terms of the agreement.
