New Shovel-Ready Business Park Prepared through the Site Readiness Process
A connection the Central Florida Development Council (CFDC) made five years ago has led to the creation of the Frostproof Business Park, a property owned by Ben Hill Griffin Inc. (BHG).
Competitiveness and shovel-ready sites continue to be a topic of increased importance. Speed to market and mitigation of risk drive decisions. Sites that have been studied, engineered, permited, and more often rise to the top during site selection.
Emery Smith is Vice President of Citrus Marketing and Industry Relations for Ben Hill Griffin. He has been involved with CFDC since 2020. Fast forward a bit, Smith was recently elected as the Vice Chair of the CFDC Board of Directors. Following an informal conversation with fellow CFDC member, Duke Energy, and learning more about tools available to land owners, Smith began the process of further understanding a section of property which led to the preparation of the Frostproof Business Park for potential buyers.
“This wasn’t something we were trying to get done overnight, and we’re now there, five or so years later,” Smith said. “It’s been slow and steady – we wanted to get it done correctly, not fast.”
The site is 225 acres located at Scenic Highway & T.S. Wilson Road in Frostproof. Now, it is officially listed. The listing includes information to aid in a company’s due diligence. In 2024, BHG formalized a leasing and sales agreement with The Ruthvens, a fellow CFDC investor whom they’ve worked with in the past.
“We are proud to work with Ben Hill Griffin, a trusted partner we’ve collaborated with for many years,” Brandon Clark, President of The Ruthvens, stated. “We strongly believe in this project and are excited about its potential to transform the area into a thriving business hub while creating valuable jobs. With its strategic advantages, including rail access, heavy power, water, and gas infrastructure, as well as a strong nearby labor force, this site is primed for long-term success.”
A Chance Meeting
CFDC President & CEO Sean Malott said this is the perfect example of how the agency works with companies in the area.
“Our goal is to make connections just like the one that occurred here, meaningful ones that lead to success for everyone in the end,” he said. “You never know where chance meetings will go. We’re delighted when they have a positive outcome.”
“We’ve come full circle – from ‘Keep us in mind’ to having formal information we have provided to the CFDC so if they get a lead, we can say we’d like to be included in a response to that lead,” Smith said.
Making the Connection
The connection started at a meeting.
“We had talked about the fact that our company has property in Frostproof that could be developed over time. That it could possibly be a business location for someone and a center for job creation,” Smith said. The site is located close to State Road 60 and U.S. highways 17, 27 and 98, with 800,000 people and a hefty talent pipeline within an hour’s drive.
It was a “keep it in mind” conversation that eventually led to connecting Smith with Marc Hoenstine, director of economic development for Duke Energy Florida’s 35-county service area, which includes Polk. Hoenstine oversees Duke’s site readiness, business recruitment and economic development plans. Its design is to attract high-skill, high-wage jobs to the six states in which it operates.
Site Development Put Into Motion
Hoenstine visited the Business Park with Smith. “On the spot he said, ‘We’re going to do this spot. It’s got good attributes. It’s near the Ferguson Distribution Center and the Lowe’s Flatbed Distribution Center, with rail. The relationships made in the CFDC led to being introduced to somebody who said, ‘Let’s do more with this site.’”
That started the process of Duke Energy going through their approvals, including having consultants do a “site visit” virtually and an overview online in the early days of the COVID pandemic.
“We presented the finished results to the Frostproof City Council in October 2020. In 2021, Hoenstine said: ‘Hey, we can also do some other work on your behalf, or fund it, if you’d like to do additional studies for the property to have more due diligence work done. Duke funded a natural resource assessment and Phase 1 site assessment, which gave us more information we can share with prospective users of the property.”
Grants for the Business Park
In late 2022, Duke approached BHG again opening the door to a competitivie grant process for additional site readiness support.
BHG filled out the application, got bids and had a more in-depth site plan and a geo-tech study done, giving it more marketing information so it would develop a website for the business park. “They’re willing to do quite a bit to help you develop a site,” Smith said.
Potential Site Plan Renderings
Maximized Rail Site Plan:
The Maximized Rail site plan offers up to 10 custom-built spaces, ranging from 130,000 to 942,500 square feet. Six of these buildings feature direct rail access, with tracks leading right to the doors, streamlining logistics effortlessly.
- Fully customizable
- 130,000 to 942,500 SF
- Six buildings with direct rail access
- IOS available on site
- Rear-load or cross-dock
- Dock high and drive-in access
- 30′ to 40′ clear height
- ESFR wet sprinklers
- 3ph, 480v, 2,000Amps + (25 MW capacity)
Individual User Site Plan:
The Individual User site plan includes up to 11 custom-built warehouses, ranging from 89,250 to 942,500 square feet. These buildings will have limited access to the railways, providing essential connectivity where needed.
- Fully customizable
- 89,250 to 942,500 SF
- Direct rail access available
- IOS available on site
- Rear-load or cross-dock
- Dock high and drive-in access
- 30′ to 40′ clear height
- ESFR wet sprinklers
- 3ph, 480v, 2,000Amps + (25 MW capacity)
Bulk Distribution Site Plan:
The Bulk Distribution site plan offers 4 custom-built warehouses, each ranging in size from 725,000 to 2,015,000 square feet. Among these, 3 warehouses are equipped to accommodate rail access, enhancing their operational flexibility and efficiency.
- Fully customizable
- 725,000 to 2,015,000 SF
- Three buildings with direct rail access
- IOS available on site
- Rear-load or cross-dock
- Dock high and drive-in access
- 30′ to 40′ clear height
- ESFR wet sprinklers
- 3ph, 480v, 2,000Amps + (25 MW capacity)
Potential Buyers
Smith said the site readiness process pointed to companies that require rail as the best possible users of the property, including manufacturing, industrial and distribution. “Rail is so limited in other sites like Miami, Tampa and Orlando. They are either full or if you could put in additional rail the likelihood of getting more cars in is difficult.”
Getting more rail users on the site “would benefit the rail company by keeping it viable for them, and that helps neighboring companies who use rail,” he said. “And the location is good. It’s not so crowded so trucks could still come in.”
An industrial user is evaluating a piece of property within the park, said Smith, adding that BHG is also working with the railway that goes through the site — Regional Rail (formerly Florida Midland). Again, this was another connection that started with the CFDC. Through Hoenstine, Smith met someone at Midland. And, through the CFDC, he met someone at Kimley-Horn, Lakeland-based engineering consultants who provided the in-depth site layout.
“It was a good opportunity for us to involve other CFDC members in the overall project. We will continue to do so,” Smith said. “We would like to see some kind of project that might be a build-to-suit our company and other companies could be involved in from design to construction.”
For more information about the site, visit https://www.frostproofbusinesspark.com/ or reach out to Alex Delannoy, SIOR at 863-250-2502 or adelannoy@ruthvens.com.
The CFDC is eager to learn more about your business and help you find the right opportunities, connections and resources for your business to succeed. Reach out to our team and connect to new opportunities at bizdev@cfdc.org.
