Vertical construction is underway at the Southeast Toyota Distributors auto processing center at the Blount Island Marine Terminal, the Jacksonville Port Authority announced July 23.
Completion of the 340,000-square-foot facility is expected in summer 2025.
When complete, Southeast Toyota Distributors will relocate operations from its 50-acre facility at JaxPort’s Talleyrand Marine Terminal and an adjacent 23-acre private facility into the single 88-acre property at Blount Island, the news release said.
Combining operations at Blount Island creates operational efficiencies and additional space for Southeast Toyota Distributors to accommodate more vehicles.
J.E. Dunn Construction is the contractor for the project.
Southeast Toyota Distributors said in April 2022 it would move its auto processing operations from the Talleyrand Marine Terminal to a new $36 million facility at JaxPort’s Blount Island terminal.
The $145 million public-private partnership modernizes the company’s operations, incorporating additional on-site rail connections and truck loading areas, according to the release. The total project is funded by a combination of Southeast Toyota Distributors funding and a $19.78 million grant from the Florida Department of Transportation to assist with terminal development.
“We are in the midst of the largest investment in our history,” Eric Carter, group vice president of operations, Southeast Toyota Distributors, said in the release.
“With Toyota’s continued development and success within our five-state footprint, this new facility will expand our vehicle processing capacity while increasing our agility and capacity to receive vehicles by both rail and sea. Designed with efficiency in mind, this new facility will address capacity and logistical needs to better enhance the prompt dealer service that Southeast Toyota Distributors strives to continue providing to our dealer partners.”
“This public-private partnership, supported by our partners at FDOT, provides quality jobs for our community while enhancing our position as the global gateway for Toyotas bound for the growing Southeast U.S. market,” JaxPort CEO Eric Green said in the release.
Southeast Toyota Distributors has been operating at JaxPort for more than 50 years and is one of the port’s longest-standing tenants, the release said. The company processes Toyota vehicles manufactured in North America and Japan at JaxPort for distribution across the Southeast U.S.
In 2023, Southeast Toyota Distributors moved more than 120,000 vehicles through JaxPort. The company’s Jacksonville operations support more than 800 jobs, including processing, parts and distribution, and technical support and training, according to the release.