Florida Phosphate's Economic Impact
The phosphate industry is a major
contributor to Florida's economy through employment, taxes and
charitable contributions. Providing thousands of jobs to
Floridians, the industry also provides an important export for the
Port of Tampa. According to
Enterprise Florida, Inc., fertilizer was one of the state's leading
export commodities with a 2010 value of $2 billion. The Port
of Tampa attributed approximately 67,000 jobs and approximately
$5.8 billion in total economic contributions to phosphate and
related chemical industries in a 2006 report.As
an individual company, Mosaic Fertilizer LLC has its own economic
impact on Florida, specifically in the central Florida counties of
Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee and Polk. During the 2010-2011 fiscal
year we employed more than 3,000 employees in those counties, with
a combined total payroll of more than $281 million. Our
Florida operations invested more than $177 million in capital
expenditures and reclaimed 5,145 acres at a cost of $36
million.
Mosaic paid more than $17 million in
county tangible and real estate taxes, more than $7 million in
state and local sales taxes, and more than $30 million in severance
taxes last year. In fact, Florida's phosphate companies
have paid more than $1.95 billion in severance
taxes since 1971.
One of Mosaic's core values is
to create enriched communities wherever we maintain operations. In
support of this commitment, Mosaic and our employees are
contributing over $3.4 million to United Way agencies serving in
our operating areas this year - more than $2.1 million in Florida
alone.