TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — A $28 million deal is heading to Tallahassee International Airport with hopes of creating jobs while pumping in more money into the local economy.
"The opening of the passenger processing facility we're anticipating that it will create 158 jobs" said Cristina Paredes.
Cristina Paredes is the Director of Tallahassee Leon County Office of Economic Vitality.
Parades told ABC 27 the new international processing facility should have a $53.4 million economic impact.
That's according to an impact survey held by the Office of Economic Vitality.
Paredes said this additional income could be a game changer for Tallahassee.
"This particular facility has a ripple effect across our community" said Paredes.
This international processing facility has been in the works since 2008.
David Pollard is the Director of Aviation at Tallahassee International Airport.
Pollard told ABC 27 the facility will bring a real international port of entry to the city.
"Once we complete the facility we get customs here into this community" said Pollard.
Pollard said this airport can serve as an economic generator but that can only happen when the facility is up and running meeting the U.S. Customs and Border Protection technical design standards.
"There's a lot going on not just building the facility but also doing the security integration" said Pollard.
This processing facility will serve as a global gateway for businesses and build international relationships around the world.
The International Process Facility will have a groundbreaking May 17th.
The project is expected to be completed and ready for service in 2024.
