Nearly 500 Amazon employees in Port St. Lucie, Florida, are preparing to lose their jobs as the company gets ready to shut down its local fulfilment center this week. Amazon, however, says the site is being redeveloped and is expected to reopen as a new fulfilment operation in 2028.
The company’s PBI3 facility at 7600 LTC Pkwy is scheduled to stop operations on September 17, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, filing submitted to Florida officials.
The filing identifies 494 employees who are expected to be separated from Amazon. The separations are scheduled for Sept. 17 and Dec. 17. Amazon notified employees about the planned closure around June 18, according to the notice.
For the workers, the announcement creates an immediate employment dilemma. Some may choose to remain with Amazon by transferring to another facility, while others will have to look for jobs elsewhere. Those who stay in the area and do not transfer could face a wait until the planned reopening in 2028 before they have an opportunity to return to the Port St. Lucie site.
Warehouse employees account for most of the positions listed in the WARN filing. Of the 494 affected workers, 466 hold the FC Associate I classification, an entry-level role at the fulfilment center.
The list also includes operations managers, human resources workers, a safety specialist, an IT support associate and employees in other positions.
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The affected employees are not union members, and the WARN filing says they do not have seniority-based rights that would allow them to displace other workers and retain employment.
Amazon said workers will continue receiving pay until their individual separation dates as long as they do not voluntarily leave before then. Information about benefits and severance will be provided to employees separately, the company said.
The closure has already pushed affected workers to consider other employment options.
The St. Lucie Economic Development Council said Amazon’s facility generally employs between 850 and 1,000 people, with staffing levels changing based on the season.
Ahead of the closure, CareerSource Research Coast and the EDC began holding weekly job fairs aimed at helping Amazon employees connect with other employers in the region.
Those efforts resulted in some workers moving into jobs with companies such as Costco, Cheney Brothers and ImportMex. According to the EDC, the employment assistance helped bring the number of workers ultimately named in the WARN notice down to 494.
Amazon’s characterization of the closure differs from the picture presented by the WARN filing.
The company says the facility is not disappearing from Port St. Lucie permanently. Instead, Amazon plans to convert the site into another type of fulfilment center as part of a larger investment in the region.
Amazon spokesperson Amber Plunkett said:
“The Treasure Coast is a great place to live and work, and we’re proud of our partnerships across St. Lucie County. These investments and improvements reflect our long-term confidence in the region.”
Plunkett said Amazon is regularly reviewing its fulfillment network and described the Port St. Lucie project as part of that process.
“We’re always evaluating our network to make sure it fits our business needs and to improve the experience for our employees, customers, partners, and drivers. As part of that effort, we occasionally convert existing facilities to a new type of facility – which is what we plan to do here later this year. When these renovations are done, Port St. Lucie will be home to a new fulfilment center that will create long-term benefits for our customers, employees, and the community for many years to come.”
For employees, Amazon says there will be opportunities to remain with the company during the transition.
“Our goal is to keep all of our employees based at this facility with Amazon. Our HR team will work with everyone to offer transfers to another location that fits their preferences—we have 30 facilities across South Florida. For those who prefer not to transfer, we’ll be providing transition support. When this facility reopens in mid-to-late 2028, it will employ approximately 1,000 people, and everyone from the site will have the option to return at that time.”
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Amazon said the redevelopment represents a $200 million investment in South Florida.
The company also said fulfilment work will be moved to other nearby facilities while the Port St. Lucie location is closed, with no expected impact on customers.
One point remains unclear in the numbers provided by Amazon and those contained in the WARN filing.
Amazon said it is working to transfer approximately 850 employees to nearby facilities. The WARN notice, meanwhile, lists 494 employees facing separation. The information provided by the company does not explain the difference between the two figures.
Workers can request transfers to two nearby Amazon facilities or explore opportunities at any of the company’s approximately 30 locations across South Florida.
Employees who move more than 50 miles from Port St. Lucie for a transfer may also qualify for relocation bonuses, Amazon said.
The company has also said that workers affected by the shutdown will have the option to apply for rehire when the new Port St. Lucie fulfilment center opens.
That leaves employees who do not transfer facing a period of uncertainty between the current shutdown and the facility’s projected reopening in mid-to-late 2028.
For St. Lucie County officials, the impact is likely to reach beyond the Amazon workforce itself.
County Commissioner Cathy Townsend described the situation bluntly.
“This is bad. It’s devastating,” Townsend said.