Florida company is bringing another new industrial park to the Bradenton area
BY JAMES A. JONES JR.
Once rare in Manatee County, state-of-the-art industrial space has been a hot commodity in recent years in the Bradenton area and across central Florida. Barron Collier Companies and Imminent Ventures announced this week they have begun construction of the Manatee County Logistics Center. It will be a 563,451-square-foot Class-A industrial park on the southwest corner of U.S. 301 and 44th Avenue East.
It’s also Barron Collier Companies’ first planned industrial development.
The campus-style project will feature tilt-wall construction, 32-foot clear heights and 54-foot column spacing.
Among other recent Class A projects completed, under construction or planned include:
▪ The Palmetto Industrial Park, a 427,000-square-foot-development on 40 acres at 830 17th St. E. Palmetto
▪ Benderson Development’s 2 million-square-foot Florida International Trade Port in Ellenton
▪ Harrod Properties’ Gatewood Corporate Center half million square feet of industrial flex space at Lakewood Ranch
▪ 301 Corporate Center at 5807 24th St. E. with two 208,000-square foot buildings on 16 acres, just west of U.S. 301
▪ SRQ Logistics Center south of Tallevast could have 1.5 million square-feet of industrial space when completed.
COLLIER HISTORY
Barron Collier Companies was founded by Barron Gift Collier Sr., who made his fortune in streetcar advertising. Collier County and Barron Collier High School in Naples are named for him.
When Barron Collier died at age 66 in 1939, he was the largest landowner in the state of Florida.
After his first visit to Florida in 1911, Collier purchased Useppa Island for $100,000, and eventually acquired over 1.3 million acres of land in Florida.
“He brought the first telephone service, first railroad, first newspapers, and first bus company to this area. And, he constructed the Tamiami Trail through the Everglades from the Lee County to the Dade County line,” the Barron Collier Companies website says.
“Over the years, the Barron Collier Companies has grown from a land holding company to one of the largest diversified companies in Southwest Florida, with business ventures including extensive agricultural operations, commercial and residential real estate development, and oil exploration and mineral management,” the company website says.