Kroger Archives | South Lake Tablet

Kroger Signs Termination Agreement: Lake County Statement

Michelle Delaney — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 04:38:40 +0000

Kroger has signed a termination agreement with Lake County. Under the agreement, the company must reimburse the County $460,714.53 by Dec. 31, 2025, representing incentive and impact fee rebates received for tax years 2022–2024. Kroger will also forgo its 2025 incentive and rebate payments.

Kroger recently announced it will close its Groveland distribution facility on Feb. 1, 2026, eliminating more than 900 jobs. Because the company will not meet its 10-year operating commitment that began in 2022, the County initiated the termination agreement.

Once the funds are returned, the Board of County Commissioners will determine how they will be used.

Ocado, which also operates at the Groveland facility and has received an economic development incentive, is currently reviewing a termination agreement.

Lake County has no further comment at this time.

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“We Will Rise Together”: Commissioner Sean Parks Responds to Kroger/Ocado Shutdown

Michelle Delaney — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 16:12:21 +0000

Kroger’s unexpected announcement that it will cease operations at its Groveland facility has cast a somber shadow over the community, leaving more than 1,000 employees facing uncertainty just weeks before the holidays. The timing of the shutdown has been especially difficult for families across Lake County who are now left grappling with the news. In response to the closure, Lake County Commissioner Sean Parks has issued the following statement addressing the impact and outlining the county’s efforts to support affected workers.

A message from Sean Parks, Lake County Commissioner

Like many of you, I’m disappointed and frustrated by yesterday’s turn of events. I am heartbroken that Kroger/Ocado is ceasing operations at their Groveland facility. My deepest sympathies go out to the 1,200 or so employees and their families who learned this news just weeks before the holidays.

These are our neighbors, friends, and community members, and they deserve our full support and prayers as they navigate this difficult transition.

Since the moment we received the news yesterday morning, the Lake County Office of Economic Development and LEAD have been treating this event with the urgency and seriousness of a natural disaster. We have been working feverishly to mobilize resources, meet with impacted individuals, and implement job placement and retraining efforts. Our top priority is helping affected workers transition smoothly into new careers. Huge thanks to CareerSource Central Florida, who helps with job matching and workforce training solutions.

There are questions being asked, and understandably so.

Let me address one of the biggest – Economic incentives. Lake County’s economic development incentives are not giveaways—they are performance-based contracts with a 10-year term.

Here’s how they work. Kroger/Ocado paid their full property and tangible taxes each year—just like any other business in Lake County. Only after they demonstrated that they had met the required job creation, wage, and capital investment thresholds for that year did they become eligible to receive a grant. These grants function as partial reimbursements and are reviewed and awarded on a year-by-year basis, based strictly on performance.

Unlike, say, a college football coach who gets paid regardless of wins or losses, Kroger/Ocado had to meet strict yearly job creation and wage standards to receive a grant. And they did. For three consecutive years, they hired and retained hundreds of full-time employees at or above 115% of Lake County’s average wage. In doing so, they earned approximately $1.3 million in performance grants.

Because this was a 10-year agreement based on annual job performance, and they are exiting early, we will obviously not be issuing any future payments under the contract. Not a single dollar was paid without them first hitting clear job and wage goals.

We built in legal protections and are already taking steps to recover funds tied to their exit. That said, I view the company’s sudden exit as a breach of contract. I support exploring avenues to recoup past payments, and we will do so responsibly and with accountability in mind.

Some have asked if the incentives were a waste. Nationally renowned UCF Economist Dr. Sean Snaith has said that “incentives, when tied to performance and accountability, are not corporate giveaways, but rather tools for leveling the playing field.” Economic development is competitive, and without incentives, communities like ours would be left behind. Kroger/Ocado chose Lake County over other major regions and cities in the Southeast – the incentives helped close the deal.

Despite this setback, let me be clear, Lake County remains one of the best places in Florida to do business. Our strategic location, skilled workforce, business friendly environment, and unmatched quality of life—from our lakes and trails to our outdoor lifestyle—make this a community where both families and businesses thrive.

And it should be remembered that the high-tech, state-of-the-art facility in Groveland still stands. I wouldn’t be surprised if other advanced logistics or tech-driven companies are soon interested in filling that space. We’re ready to work with them.

I am an eternal optimist but I know it will take time for people to pick up the pieces and find a new career or new job.

We will support affected families. We will hold partners accountable. And we will continue building a resilient, dynamic Lake County economy.

“Greatness in a community isn’t defined by avoiding hardship, but by how we rise together through it. Lake County has done it before—and we’ll do it again.”

To learn more, visit KROGERANNOUNCEMENT

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Kroger Gives $10,000 To Faith Neighborhood Center To Establish A School Market At Windy Hill Middle

Michelle Delaney — Wed, 24 Jul 2019 23:39:58 +0000

Along with the promise of higher-paying jobs, Kroger’s entry into Central Florida will also help hungry students and families at Windy Hill Middle School in Clermont.

At the groundbreaking for its customer fulfillment center in Groveland today, Kroger representatives presented a $10,000 check to FAITH (Feed and Instruct the Hungry) Neighborhood Center to establish a school market at Windy Hill Middle. The campus-based pantry will provide free food to students and their families.

To eliminate any stigma for students who pick up food from the market, distribution will not be based on financial need. Instead, food will be available to any student who wants it.

The school has partnered with the center, a community food pantry in Groveland that purchases food items through the Second Harvest food bank and receives other items from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for distribution to seniors, veterans, unemployed residents, lower-wage earners, homeless families and others with a need.

Now, with support from Kroger, the center will also make food available to Windy Hill.

“It’s an amazing thing for a school to take on extra work, but they decided they were going to do something – they were going to serve,” said Patricia Kry, executive director of the center. “And they are doing it very well.”

The school received praise from Tim McGurk, a regional director of corporate affairs for Kroger, a supermarket chain that is partnering with Ocado, a British online grocery company, to create a high-tech fulfillment center where robots will help fill orders for delivery to customers. McGurk visited FAITH Neighborhood Center earlier in the week with Windy Hill staff and discussed plans for the school market.

Historically, he said, Kroger has spread its philanthropic efforts across many causes. Now, the company has narrowed its focus to hunger. “We are doing it all around an effort called ‘Zero Hunger, Zero Waste,’ ” he said. “It’s our company’s commitment. The goal is to eliminate hunger and to make sure all of our facilities are at zero waste by 2025. But we can’t do it alone. It takes all kinds of important partnerships like this one. One of our first actions in Florida is connecting with the community and doing something in support of our purpose, which is to feed the human spirit.”

That’s where the school market comes in. It is the brainchild of Michael Tarquine, who leads chorus and musical theater instruction at Windy Hill. For him, the most important thing is that children who need food can get it with no questions asked. The market will have regular hours of operation so any student can go in and get something – even if it’s just a snack before class.

But there’s an academic benefit as well – and some life lessons.

Students in the school’s culinary program can earn certifications working in the market. But that’s not the only benefit for those students and others who volunteer.

“They will be facilitating, stocking, managing and getting a better sense of how the things they are learning in school aren’t just for academics, but can be applied to make the whole world a better place,” Tarquine said.

The school did a beta test around the end of last school year as students prepared to take standardized tests. “We did a change drive, purchased a few snacks and did a small market,” Principal William Roberts said. “The line grew every day. Every single day. So, we know this will do well.”

The boost from Kroger will help tremendously, he said.

“It is an unbelievable blessing,” Roberts added. “We can’t say thank you enough. We are the largest middle school in the district and we serve a population that comes to us with disadvantages. We are trying to build equity and level that playing field for them. The impact this will have on our community, I just cannot put into words.”

Kry agreed. “This is going to be an incredible relationship,” she said.

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