 |
 |
 |
 |
Week of November 9, 2000 |
 |
Calendar of Events |
|
FYI Miami |
|
Filming in Miami |
|
|
|
Front Page |
|
About Miami Today |
|
Put Your Message in Miami Today |
|
Contact Miami Today |
|
Job Opportunities |
|
Research Our Files |
|
The Online Archive |
|
Order Reprints |
|
Two firms seeking tax breaks for job-creation plans Miami-Dade County commissioners will be asked Tuesday to recommend state tax incentives for two companies that plan to create a total of 133 jobs here.MDEK Inc., based in New York, would manufacture electric vehicles similar to golf carts in Miami-Dade County. The vehicles generally are used by security guards and the handicapped. Hot Jobs.Com Ltd., an Internet recruitment company, would establish a regional headquarters here. The Beacon Council, Miami-Dade County's economic development organization, is recommending the incentive packages. The county has approved 37 other companies for participation in the program, called the Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund. Among companies that have moved to the county or expanded here under the program are Federal Express, Next Link, Atlas Air, Volkswagen and Precision Response Corp. MDEK would create 73 direct and 55 indirect jobs and invest $450,000 in the county. Each direct job would pay an average of $33,280. The payroll is expected to grow to about $12 million within five years. Hot Jobs.Com would create 60 direct jobs here and 30 indirect jobs and invest $400,000 in opening operations here. The direct jobs would pay an average of $38,000. The payroll is expected to grow to $12.6 million within six years. Neither company has pinned down a site for its Miami-Dade County operations, said Dana Fernety, a Beacon Council vice president. Significantly, he noted, MDEK is looking only within the county's north central enterprise zone — so designated because of the large number of disadvantaged workers within its borders. Companies locating within enterprise zones are eligible for potential governmental incentives beyond the Qualified Target Industry funds. The area MDEK is looking at runs from the Miami River to Northwest 81st Street within the City of Miami, from Biscayne Boulevard west to Northwest 27th Avenue. But the zone also includes Opa-locka and a significant portion of Hialeah as well as a piece of unincorporated Miami-Dade County surrounding Miami International Airport. The Beacon Council has been working to build up the under-developed areas in the enterprise zones, Mr. Fernety said. He said Hot Jobs, now working in temporary office space, is targeting a permanent home in Coral Gables. Hot Jobs could be important to the community, Mr. Fernety said, both because it is one of the career-type dot-coms and because the One Community One Goal job-creation program has specifically targeted information technology and telecommunications jobs. The Beacon Council began working with MDEK as a result of a council mission to New York, Mr. Fernety said. Hot Jobs, on the other hand, came from a member's referral. "That's how many of these things come to us," he said. "Our members are some of our best sources of business." Qualified Target Industry grants are given to help Florida compete with other states in attracting jobs. Hot Jobs would be eligible for tax refunds of $90,000 under the program if it meets its projection of 60 jobs. MDEK would be eligible for $80,300. The county would provide a maximum of $16,060 to MDEK and $18,000 to Hot Jobs.
|
Top