Economic Incentives Offered to Amazon Can't be Kept Secret Per Florida Statute

Rendering of proposed NeoCity campus

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The Orlando Economic Partnership is not releasing the economic incentive portion of the proposal it submitted to Amazon to nab the second North American headquarters known as HQ2. It also won't release the economic incentive information from Duke Energy.

OEP says Duke Energy is an "active player in the on-going competitive project" so the OEP won't release their economic incentive information.

The OEP cites section 288.075 of Florida Statutes as the reason for not sharing the general economic incentive portion of the proposal. Below is the portion of Section 288.075 that pertains to this issue.

  1. "If a private corporation, partnership, or person requests in writing before an economic incentive agreement is signed that an economic development agency maintain the confidentiality of information concerning plans, intentions, or interests of such private corporation, partnership, or person to locate, relocate, or expand any of its business activities in this state, the information is confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution for 12 months after the date an economic development agency receives a request for confidentiality or until the information is otherwise disclosed, whichever occurs first.
The Daily City has asked the City and the Orlando Economic Partnership to send us proof that Amazon sent in a "request in writing" asking for confidentiality. The City responded to our request with a letter from Braden Cross, Vice President of Amazon Corporate LLC. This letter indeed requests in writing for confidentiality of Amazon's information... not that of Orlando Economic Partnership or the City's.



The Orlando Economic Partnership did however share 142 pages of "in-depth content on regional assets with projections on population and talent growth." Readers can access each section of the OEP Amazon proposal here:
  1. Regional 
  2. Downtown Orland - Urban infill in the heart of downtown and Creative Village
  3. Lake Nona and Sunbridge - 100+ acre site
  4. NeoCity - 100+ buildable acres
  5. Tupperware - 120 acres at Osceola Corporate Center