by Joe Potter
On July 13, Zephyrhills City Council voted to offer incentives to Monin Inc., a French owned company, to build a new $111 million production and distribution plant on 70 acres within the Zephyrhills Airport Industrial Park. Monin, which already has a facility in Clearwater, Florida, spent about a year evaluating the move before choosing Zephyrhills, according to one of its executives who spoke during the meeting. The planned site will be near where a National Guard Armory is currently being developed.
In exchange for Zephyrhills’ incentives totaling $3,289,372, Monin agreed to create 100 new full-time positions with average annual wages of at least $46,760. The package also includes the waiver or reimbursement of up to $252,750 in transportation impact fees and $435,060 in permit fees, along with a job creation cash grant tied to City property taxes—50% for the first five years and 25% for years six through 10. Officials expect the project to generate $109 million in local tax revenue during construction, with about $260,000 annually afterward.
Monin’s executives also suggested the company could expand beyond the initial plans, potentially developing as much as one million square feet of space over time. Factors behind the decision included the presence of major nearby food and beverage operations, including Zephyrhills Bottled Water and Bauducco Foods. Duke Energy and the Pasco Economic Development Council (Pasco EDC) were also cited as key contributors, and Monin reportedly plans to support U.S. growth over the next 10 to 20 years.
OTHER BUSINESS: The City Council approved a resolution adopting a cost-based building permit fee schedule designed to recover reasonable expenses tied to permit administration, plan review, inspections, certificate issuance, record keeping, and related technology services, while also keeping the process transparent and consistent for applicants.
The council also adopted a resolution establishing stormwater utility assessment rates, setting the fee at $85 for the first year and $110 for years two through six, to be implemented using a non-ad valorem uniform collection method. As a result of this resolution, the City’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget was adjusted, including reducing the property acquisition budget from $300,000 to $250,000 across the six years covering fiscal years 2027 through 2032.
Under the City’s fiscal calendar, each year begins October 1 and ends September 30 of the following year, with the first scheduled project at 7251 16th Street expected to occur earliest in fiscal year 2027. A new street sweeper is planned for fiscal year 2028; the first year of the 14th Avenue Stormwater Improvements is proposed for fiscal year 2029, the second year for fiscal year 2030, and construction of connections between the 14th Avenue Stormwater Improvements and 11th and 12th Streets is planned for fiscal years 2031 and 2032, respectively.♥
