Hendry back in focus

As Florida's economy continues to recover, there's renewed focus on inland counties where land is cheaper and it's less congested.

Consider Hendry County, on the eastern border of Lee County. Together with Glades County, the predominantly agricultural area in south-central Florida could see a wave of commercial development that gets pushed out of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Fort Myers and Naples.

Already, Florida Fuel Connection recently announced plans to invest $300 million in Hendry County to build a new facility that will distribute petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel. The facility near the city of LaBelle will take 14 months to build.

The aviation fuel is important because Hendry will be home to Airglades International Airport, the state's first private airport. Airglades could open a runway by 2018, says Mark Morton, director of strategic real estate and business development for U.S. Sugar Corp. and vice chairman of the Hendry County Economic Development Council.

Plans for the cargo airport include a 1 million-square-foot facility that will accommodate perishable freight such as flowers, vegetables and fish. Speaking at a recent Real Estate Investment Society event in Fort Myers, Morton says produce could be delivered by air from South America and be on trucks within three hours. That compares to eight hours in congested Miami. “Miami's crumbs are our loaves of bread,” Morton joked.

Morton ticks off Hendry's other advantages: plentiful water, power, labor, zoned land, housing and rail connection. The county is targeting business such as aviation, distribution, clean technology and manufacturing. He says the location, within a 212-hour drive from the state's population centers at the crossroads of State Road 80 and U.S. 27, is another advantage.

“Over time, things are going to start to come our way,” Morton says. “It all comes down to the supply chain.”

Already Morton says industrial developers from Miami have been discussing opportunities, given Miami's residential boom pushed out commercial users. “We're talking to a lot of them right now,” he says.