Camp
Blanding
Orange Park
Middleburg
Historical
Museum
JACKSONVILLE AND NORTHEAST FLORIDA SPONSORED SECTION 9
Clay County
St. Johns River
17
16
Keystone
Heights
Airport
CLAY
Green Cove
Springs
Keystone Heights
Clay County
Historical
and Railroad
Museum
Black
Heritage
Museum
Low labor costs
and top-rated
schools make
Clay County
an attractive
business
destination.
Ready for a Growth Surge
The Florida DOT says Clay County residents are anxious
for completion of the First Coast Expressway for
good reason: The county is expecting another growth
surge in the next quarter-century.
Clay is projected to grow from below 200,000 residents
in 2010 to nearly 300,000 by 2040, with two communities
projected to triple in size: Green Cove Springs
and Penney Farms/Lake Asbury.
The new expressway will connect Clay commuters to
jobs in Duval and St. Johns counties, but also ease the
commute into Clay as the county attracts more business.
Clay’s unique advantages, including its location along
the St. Johns River and its military history, enhance
its efforts to target industries such as manufacturing,
marine and aviation.
Population 209,524
Labor Force 100,545
Total Households 75,091
Per Capita Income $28,365
Retail Spending $1.6 bil.
Piers on the St. Johns River
Camp Blanding Joint Training Center,
training base for the Florida National Guard Eagle Harbor Golf Course in Orange Park
For example, Reynolds Park is a 1,700-acre industrial
park in Green Cove Springs that originally served as a
naval air station during World War II. The park’s access
to the river, rail lines and a private air strip makes it
attractive to a wide range of industries.
Laura Pavlus, interim executive director of Clay’s
Economic Development Corp., says the county has other
advantages.
“When we survey business owners across our industry
sectors about why they choose Clay, they consistently
respond that the cost of doing business in Clay
is significantly lower across the board,” Pavlus says.
“Space, utilities, transportation, insurance, material and
employment costs are significantly less than national
and state averages.”
TERESANNE COSSETTA RUSSELL (MAP)