New flour mill at Port Tampa Bay to cost $62 million
Ardent Mills will build the plant to replace the old ConAgra flour mill north of Amalie Arena. Ardent mills sold the ConAgra property to the developers of Water Street Tampa in October.

By Richard Danielson
Tampa Bay Times
Published: Apr 11, 2019

TAMPA - Ardent Mills plans to spend about $62 million building its new flour mill and grain storage terminal at Port Tampa Bay to replace the old ConAgra mill near downtown Tampa.

The project is expected to take 18 to 24 months and require a construction workforce of about 200. Ardent Mills, a joint venture between ConAgra and two other agribusiness companies, provided the details to the board of Port Tampa Bay, which is scheduled next week to vote on a permit for the new construction on its land.

In December, the port's board approved a lease with Ardent Mills for 10 acres at Port Redwing near Apollo Beach. The lease gives Ardent Mills 12 months rent-free, charges $125,000 per year for an 18-month construction period and $240,000 a year, with increases indexed to the consumer price index, once the mill opens.

Ardent Mills sold its 3-acre ConAgra site on S Nebraska Avenue to the developers of the $3 billion Water Street Tampa project in October. It has said the new plant, which will have a full-time staff of 31, likely will go into operation in 2021.

Contact Richard Danielson at rdanielson@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3403. Follow @Danielson_Times