- August 17, 2026
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Lakeland-based Saddle Creek Logistics Services is laying off 178 employees at its Plant City facility on County Line Road.
The company, one of Polk County’s top employers, notified state officials of its plans in an Aug. 14 letter saying it was permanently reducing the number of employees at the facility. The letter, which was sent to meet federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act requirements, did not give a reason for the layoffs.
A spokesperson did not respond to an email or call Monday asking for any details on why the cuts were being made; how many employees, if any, would remain at the Plant City location; what, if any, benefits the affected employees will receive; and if there are any cuts planned at the company’s other facilities.
Saddle Creek Logistics did say in the letter that the cuts are effective Oct. 15. It also provided a list of the affected jobs, the majority of which — 128 — are forklift operators.
Among the other positions being cut are 11 customer service representatives and 11 members of the lead warehouse team as well as seven distribution supervisors, five quality associates and four product handling coordinators.
The job cuts come just about six weeks after the Lakeland third-party logistics provider named Grady Martin its new CEO July 1. Martin had served as Saddle Creek Logistics’ chief operating officer before taking on the top job.
Saddle Creek Logistics Services offers warehousing, fulfillment and transportation logistics solutions. The Central Florida Development Council, which bills itself as Polk County’s economic partnership, lists the company as one of Polk’s top employers with 939 employees.
The company operates 52 locations across the country totaling 33 million square feet, according to its website. Of those, seven are in Florida.
The 771 S. County Line Road facility is 1.2 million square feet.
The letter to state officials was dated Aug. 14. The job cuts appeared on the state’s WARN database Monday, Aug. 17.
