At the April 11, 2018 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a $239,620  incentive package for Barrette Outdoor Living. Barrette is a national manufacturing  company that plans to build a 100,000-square-foot, $6.5 million distribution  facility adjacent to its existing 210,000-square-foot manufacturing location  at 2401 Corporate Blvd. within the Brooksville – Tampa Bay Regional Airport  & Technology Center. Barrette currently employs 247 at the Brooksville  facility and intends to hire 43 new, full-time workers with an average  annual wage of $37,506 by December 2019.

“Existing business expansions are just as important for economic development as new companies  moving in,” County Administrator Leonard Sossamon said. “Barrette’s expansion  will increase the ad valorem tax base by $60,000 and bring new jobs to  our community.”

As part of the agreement, Barrett will lease  an additional 4.6 acres to construct the new facility and partner with  Hernando County departments to improve drainage along Corporate Boulevard.

The following incentives will be payable over fiscal years 2020 through 2026 once Barrette’s performance measures are met and appropriate  documentation is submitted:

Job Creation Incentive – $129,000

Impact & Building Permit Fee Mitigation – $110,620

Rapid Response Permitting – Barrette will be assigned a Rapid Response Permitting Team  to expedite the review process

Barrette is the North American leader in wood, vinyl and aluminum fencing as well as the new Resalite  Core Technology, aluminum, steel and vinyl railing, outdoor storage buildings,  plastic lattice and many more Outdoor Living products. Headquartered in  Cleveland, Ohio, and with more than 1,100 employees, Barrette manufactures  and distributes more than 6,000 different items across the United States  and Canada to specialty retailers, home centers and lumberyards.

The mission of the Office of Economic Development is to attract, retain  and expand businesses that will make our community prosper. Hernando County  offers an extraordinary mix of logistics and livability in the northern  Tampa Bay region of Brooksville, Spring Hill and Weeki Wachee. Our diverse  economy includes building, manufacturing, agriculture, retail trade services  and tourism, as well as government, education and health care. Property  taxes are very reasonable, our work force is able and the pro-business  climate is as sunny as our weather.