Virgin Voyages will make its headquarters in Plantation,
Florida, a suburb immediately west of Fort Lauderdale.
The new cruise line expects to hire about 300 people there,
according to an announcement from Florida Gov. Rick Scott and the state's
business development agency, Enterprise Florida.
"As a top tourism destination, the gateway to Latin
America and one of the most business-friendly states, Florida is the best place
for Virgin Voyages' new headquarters," Scott said in a statement.
Virgin is expected to take an initial 60,000 square feet of
office space and make a $15.9 million investment "in the local community,"
according to an announcement.
Virgin's first ships are scheduled for delivery in 2020.
If Virgin hires the 300
people over the next few years, it will qualify for a $900,000 tax abatement,
said Bob Swindell, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance. He said 10%
of the tax relief would come from the city of Plantation, 10% from Broward
County and the balance from Florida over the next seven years, under the
state's Qualified Targeted Industry program.
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This story was updated with the potential tax break Virgin Voyages will get for establishing headquarters in Plantation and the correct name of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance.