WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Although it's been fully operational for a few months, rail giant CSX held its grand opening celebration Thursday for the new state of the art rail hub in Winter Haven.
The CSX Intermodal Logistics Center uses three massive cranes that whisper in the air to move containers from rail cars to trucks and trucks to rail cars.
"It knows where the container is and where it needs to be," said Michael Ward, CSX CEO. "The operator hits a button so it moves the crane to where it needs to be and so the operator can place the container either on a truck or on a rail car."
The facility spans more than 300 acres. Now that it's fully operational, the focus shifts to the nearly 1,000 acres that surround it.
CSX is now working to develop the area into 8 million square feet of warehouses that will be mostly be distribution centers.
At one time even retail giant Amazon showed interest.
"We will be insetting somewhere north of $400 million over the next six to seven years out here," said Michael Mullen, project advisor.
Of course that means jobs. Lots of jobs.
The company expects the project will create 1,800 direct jobs and 8,500 or more indirect jobs.
"We're using all local contractors so we are going to be putting local contractors to work. Then there will be the permanent jobs the real-estate tax base that we will create," Mullen said.