MarineMax strikes lease deal with airport that will create 300 jobs

MarineMax Inc., one of the nation’s leading boat and yacht retailers, has reached an agreement to lease 9.5 acres of St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport property for a project that will create more than 300 jobs and generate millions of dollars of revenue over the 50-year span of the deal.

The Pinellas County County Commission on Tuesday approved the deal, according to a news release. In 2021, the county requested economic development proposals for the land, and Clearwater-based MarineMax (NYSE: HZO) was the sole respondent. Its plan, which was developed in conjunction with local companies Intrepid Powerboats and Wannemacher Jensen Architects, calls for the construction of 132,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing building; a 400-vehicle parking garage; a travel lift well for hauling out and launching yachts; and a waterside docking facility.