http://www.pascocountyfl.net/DocumentCenter/Home/View/3733
18 replies (most recent on top)
http://tbo.com/news/business/raymond-james-no-immediate-plan-to-develop-pasco-property-20141014/
Now, STFU. Delayed. Officially. No plans except to reconsider it over time. Just like T.Rowe.
This has been "going to happen" since 2011. When they actually put an RJ name plate on a building and move a body there, then there will be proof.
See this article from a couple weeks ago, even T-Rowe Price pulled out after all the articles and "evidence" pointed toward a move. Articles published, plans submitted, committments made, PR statements to the media, and it still didn't happen with T-Rowe.
May 4th, 2014:
"Pasco economy copes with lack of action at T. Rowe Price, Raymond James projects"
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/economicdevelopment/pasco-economy-copes-with-lack-of-action-at-t-rowe-price-raymond-james/2178434
May 5th, 2014: "T. Rowe Price scraps building plan"
http://suncoastnews.com/su/list/news-pasco/t-rowe-price-scraps-wesley-chapel-building-plan-20140505/
I would only ask that you wait 6-10 months and you will soon see a very similar result from RJ.
I'll take what I see them doing. Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see. I'll take 50% over 0% any day. Actions speak louder than mere words. Hiding the wiregrass project releases the same week of the layoff speaks volumes about their actions and intentions.
What's worse is there will always be a few kids who really believe the bunny disappears when the magician does nothing, but says "tada!!!". Just because you think something and have absolutely no evidence at all, especially doesn't mean you should believe it. Do you actually have any evidence of any kind at all that nothing is going to happen with the wiregrass plans? If not, you should shut up as you are looking pretty stupid or a RJ public affairs rep.. ALL actions & ALL evidence shows they are moving forward. You probably should re-read this thread and evaluate the evidence instead of shooting your mouth off.
There will always be a few kids who really believe the bunny disappears when the magician says "tada!!!". Just because you see it doesn't mean you should believe it.
It is less valuable when you say you think versus provide documented evidence. An awful lot of evidence says your thoughts are wrong here.
It's amazing. On this site, anyone that presents something contrary to the drivel that many people post is immediately discounted as having come from "HR". That's ridiculous. You don't have to like or listen to what's being said, but it doesn't mean it's any less real or valuable than anything else being said on this site.
Wow! Somebody either works for HR and is running cover or has their head in the sand. I agree with the actions speak louder than words. "'Cause they won't" and a dollar will get you something from McDonald's dollar menu.
T-Rowe Price is coming to Pasco, ground has been broken already. There will be a financial services hub there and I expect RJ to join the fun.
You can't compare what happened with 66th street to this situation. 66th street was within the same county and within 15 - 20 minutes from it's original location.
As for Colorado - that was never a secret. I heard about it at least 2 years before it took place.
The reality is this: Wiregrass is 40-ish minutes from Carillon, on a good day. It's further from two airports, main interstates going north/south/east/west, the beaches, and the things that rich clientele that RJ serves both need and want to have available. Additionally, the vast majority of the employees at Carillon live and work in Pinellas. Not all of them of course, but a TON do.
They've already cut staff. They'll probably cut more. However, they cannot and do not want to lose more than they have to. This is especially true for any of the profit-center personnel that actually make us money.
Filed plans mean money and time spent. They don't mean nothing.
Talking about it is speculation. RJ is performing actions and actions speak louder than words. What is notable is "The Wiregrass plans were submitted the same week Raymond James announced it would lay off 160 employees, including 115 people at its Pinellas headquarters."-Tampa Tribune May 5, 2013. If it is all pretend with the goal being more money from Pinellas, why hide it in the shadows of the other announcement? Get it out so Pinellas CO. can sweat some. The 66th street move is a good point too. They hid the Denver location for a while too. Work was around 90% complete before they formally announced it. IT moved in a few months after the announcement. You don't move into a building that quick without some work, some permits, some ground leveling, some DOT research,... being already completed.
When RJ HQ was located on 66th street and rumors were flying about a move to Feathersound, people were saying the same thing..."why move out to Feathersound." I'm not saying RJ is moving and I am not saying RJ isn't. Unless you're in the loop, all talk is speculation. There are valid reasons to move; there are valid reasons to stay. Filed plans to develop mean nothing.
I get that you want to believe they're moving to Wiregrass, and that's what Pasco county wants to hear as well, but it's just not realistic that everything will move.
That it continues to be in the news and it seems like RJ is following through definitely makes it seem like they're going to do something. That's the strategy.
There is no justifiable business reason to move the entire operation from St. Petersburg to Wiregrass. They already own other facilities. If they want to move non-essential activities elsewhere, they can do it without talking to Pasco County at all.
So why even continue the charade? The possibility of moving puts them in a good negotiating position to stay right where they are. The publicity only helps them make it more believable and makes their argument stronger. They can get incentives and tax breaks and not actually have to go anywhere. Companies do it all the time.
They don't need the incentives - their profits are off the charts, they've downsized their workforce, and have facilities in Michigan, Colorado, and now Tennessee that can hold any of the non-essential areas they might want to move.
Why would they ever need anything at all in Pasco? If they're doing anything, they're saving face with Pasco county on talks that started before the MK acquisition change the game.
WRONG....The land is not worth more with approved plans. If that was true everybody would have plans made for their land before selling to make it "worth many time more". You are also assuming the developer has the same vision, the plans will be sold and the plans don't go out of style. What helps a LITTLE is the soil testing, FDOT surveys... are completed removing those factors for another developer. Land does not move 2x, 3x, 4x up in value do to some plans.
Land can be worth many times more if it has approved development plans. Even if they aren't planning to move, they could be moving toward with plan approvals for this reason. Developers do it all the time.
And what do you base this "Don't Believe it" on? It is hard to believe words when the documentation says otherwise. When the millions of dollars ($14m) of offers say otherwise. When RJ themselves don't deny the move. Also, they are not keeping the deadlines. They had a 2 year letter of intent to move some services from St. Pete to Pasco that was tied to the $14 million in incentives. That deadline ended in May 2013, yet in March 2014 they filed more paperwork. RJ bought the land in January 2011 and cut a deal in May 2013 on the Pasco incentives.
Only non-essential functions, if any, will move to that area. Right now they are just saving face with Pasco County and keeping up with deadlines embedded in the paperwork. They have absolutely no intention of actually shutting down operations in St. Pete and moving it to Wiregrass. It will continue to be reported on in the news because Pasco county wants them to move in so badly. Big name clients and FAs aren't impressed by Wiregrass, so those fancy shiny buildings and artwork will always be part of RJ in Carillon.