Hillsborough County commissioners approve $6.25M subsidy for Bass Pro Shops

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Posted: 02/20/2013

By: WFTS Staff

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY - Hillsborough County commissioners have approved spending $6.25 million to bring a Bass Pro Shops store to the Brandon area.

The vote was 6-1 with Commissioner Kevin Beckner casting the only "no" vote.

The county had originally asked for $8.25 million, but some business owners had argued against the subsidy, saying they didn't get money from the county to get their businesses started.

But others maintained that thousands of local paychecks could be created on the Brandon property, sandwiched in between I-75 and Falkenberg Road just south of Adamo Drive.

"I would argue that economic development opportunities of this magnitude don’t come around often,” said Chairman Ken Hagan back in December.

"This project generates over 1700 constructions jobs annually for five years. The permanent impact includes over 1500," he continued.

Hagan went on to say the project would pay for itself within five years and generate hundreds of thousands in property tax revenue for the county.