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More than 70 new high-wage jobs coming to Clay County

Clay Today
Posted 4/19/17

ORANGE PARK – An idle building on Wells Road is soon to undergo a remodeling job as the U.S. Navy consolidates multiple civilian engineering jobs under one roof.

Fleet Readiness Center Southeast …

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More than 70 new high-wage jobs coming to Clay County


Posted

ORANGE PARK – An idle building on Wells Road is soon to undergo a remodeling job as the U.S. Navy consolidates multiple civilian engineering jobs under one roof.

Fleet Readiness Center Southeast is consolidating several offices on and near Naval Air Station Jacksonville to a single location at 680 Wells Rd. in Orange Park.

FRCSE is moving into the 18,000 square foot building that formerly houses Fortis College before it expanded to the old Staple’s location on Blanding Boulevard in the Big Lots plaza.

Adams Interiors, a Clay County-based commercial contractor, is scheduled to complete the interior renovations by August this year. The average wage of these new Clay County jobs is $95,000 a year, nearly three times the current average wage of jobs in Clay, which is $36,000.

FRCSE is the largest industrial employer in Northeast Florida with 3,000 civilian personnel and 1,000 military personnel.

The Clay County Economic Development Corp. has assisted FRCSE officials with locating a new location that met their needs and was near NAS Jacksonville.

Clay EDC was initially introduced to FRCSE by Clay Chamber President Doug Conkey in the summer of 2016. The EDC worked with FRCSE for several months to find the right real estate option that fit their specific criteria.

Clay County’s economy will benefit greatly from this consolidation, especially restaurants and other retailers in the Wells Road area, according to an EDC news release. Many of FRCSE employees are already Clay County residents. Initially the new FRCSE office will have 70 engineers and logisticians, but that number will quickly grow to nearly 100 high-wage employees.

“Established in 1940, the facilities at FRCSE have turned out almost every type of Navy aircraft - fighter and attack planes, patrol, antisubmarine, reconnaissance, transport, trainer, special configuration and helicopters. The overall workload for FRCSE has expanded to include the rework of engines, components, and ground support equipment, plus other support functions vital to the Fleet,” according to the FRCSE website.