PERRY, Fla. (WTXL) — Taylor County's board of county commissioners met Tuesday afternoon for a special meeting regarding the closure of Georgia-Pacific's Foley Cellulose Mill. Watch the video above to hear from concerned citizens and see what's next.
Congressman Neal Dunn also released a new statement about the situation late Tuesday after issuing a list of demands to Georgia-Pacific regarding the Perry Foley Cellulose mill closure announcement. That listed included:
- Extend health benefits, pay, and severance for at least six months.
- Organize food banks for at least six months.
- Provide paid leave for employees to access job fairs.
- Provide and pay for access to job training resources.
- Donate the building to the County after the closure.
Congressman Dunn said, “All of these things are completely reasonable given the circumstances. Florida Senator Corey Simon and Florida Representative Jason Shoaf are working with me to ensure that our constituents are cared for, just as we did in the days following Hurricane Idalia. Make no mistake, moving forward, my eyes will be on Koch Industries and Georgia-Pacific to guarantee that they actively support their employees in Florida’s Second Congressional District.”
Georgia-Pacific made the closure announcement Monday. County leaders added a special meeting for noon on Tuesday. During Tuesday's meeting CareerSource North Florida announced they will be working with Taylor County to help the 500+ people impacted by the closure.
At least 40 people could be seen in the meeting room Tuesday afternoon.
According to North Florida Economic Development Partnership, Georgia-Pacific is the largest employer in Taylor County. GP Cellulose acquired the Taylor County site in 2013. While no official closure date has been announced, in a news release issued Monday, GP said, "Georgia-Pacific thanks its employees at Foley for their hard work and commitment and will work with them to provide access to local support agencies and job placement resources, including available opportunities within Georgia-Pacific or other Koch companies."
ABC 27's Kendall Brandt is in Perry working to learn more about what's next.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
