Publix Super Markets Inc.’s proposed St. Johns County central fill facility will be its second.
Lakeland-based Publix says its only other central fill facility is in Orlando. It serves Publix pharmacies in Florida and Georgia.
“A new central fill facility in St. Johns County will allow us to serve additional Publix Pharmacies,” Publix Media Relations Manager Hannah Herring said March 5.
“Our central fill facilities support our retail pharmacies so that those teams can focus on providing clinical services to their patients.”
Asked the strategy for choosing St. Johns County, Herring said:
“While we don’t discuss strategy, as you might imagine we look for easy accessibility to highways as well as proximity to our distribution centers when determining where to grow.”
The St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners approved an economic development incentive grant rebate Feb. 6 for Publix to establish a pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing facility.
Publix plans to open the $145 million project by the end of 2026 at a 168,480-square-foot building it bought in January in Legend Point Logistics Crossing, east of Interstate 95 at northwest U.S. 1 North and County Road 210 West.
The “Central Fill” pharmaceutical manufacturing operation will process up to 500,000 orders per week and eventually reach 1 million per week, according to the grant application.
Workers at the facility will assemble made-to-order prescription packages that are dispensed at Publix pharmacies after raw materials are unpacked and processed into salable form.
“Not only will this facility allow us to continue to keep up with the growing demand for much needed prescription medication, but will allow our in-store pharmacies to become a ‘concierge’ that is able to direct our customers to the services they need,” the grant application says.
It says that will allow Publix’s staff to spend time to provide immunizations, general health screenings, educate patients and local prescribers, help identify financial assistance programs for customers, and provide additional health care services more efficiently.
It calls the project “a vital part of Publix’s current pharmacy operation.”
Publix is investing $6 million in real property for the land, $22 million in real property for the building, $29 million in other taxable improvements and $88 million in new tangible assets for the facility.
The legislation indicates the multiyear incentive is $5,821,779 with the first grant payment during fiscal 2028.
The grant will reimburse up to 100% of the general county portion of ad valorem taxes on capital improvements through 2034. It also will reimburse the taxes on new tangible personal property.
The project will create 115 jobs by year-end 2026 and expand to a workforce of 400 by the end of 2034, Publix said.