Legislation was filed Wednesday for the unidentified Project Liberty, an international IT company that wants to create at least 198 full-time jobs in Jacksonville.
Liberty, which a legislative fact sheet says has a presence in Jacksonville, seeks $990,000 in city and state incentives to create the jobs by year-end 2021 at an average annual salary of $69,000, plus benefits.
The requested qualified Target Industry Tax Refund comprises $198,000 from the city and $792,000 from the state. The refund would be made after employees are hired and salaries are verified by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
The six-year payout would begin in 2020. The refund is $5,000 per job
The bill, Resolution 2019-377, seeks a fast track through City Council, which means it would be passed in two readings rather than three.
It was introduced by council President Aaron Bowman at the request of Mayor Lenny Curry.
The resolution authorizes the city to execute the development agreement.
The legislative fact sheet says Liberty designs software for large corporations and is considering expanding its existing operations in Jacksonville.
The summary also says the incentives would be a factor in the company’s decision. It says Jacksonville is competing against other cities in the Midwest for the proposed expansion.
A previous summary estimated a capital investment of $1.7 million for real estate improvements, IT equipment, furniture and other expenses.