Tampa is in the running for Frontier Communications headquarters
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Aug 15, 2023

Frontier Communications Parent Inc. is considering moving its headquarters to Tampa — or is at least using the city as leverage in negotiations with Dallas.

The telecommunications giant, which is currently based in Connecticut, has requested a specific property designation from Dallas City Council that would allow the company to apply for tax breaks, according to a memo sent to council members and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson.

If Dallas leaders agree to the deal, Frontier promises to maintain 600 jobs there — workers who are currently remote but will return to the office full-time or hybrid, according to the memo.

A corporate headquarters relocation like Frontier (Nasdaq: FYBR) would be a significant win for Tampa. The developers of Water Street Tampa and the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council both publicly set goals of luring a headquarters relocation to the city in 2014.

Several companies have relocated from out of state to Hillsborough County in the last few years. In January 2021, cybersecurity and infrastructure protection company OPSWAT moved to Tampa from San Francisco. In September 2021, transit-packaging provider Signode relocated its corporate headquarters from Glenview, Ill., to Tampa and pledged to bring 200 jobs. And in April 2022, AFC Logistics also moved from Illinois to Tampa with plans to add 150 jobs to meet $300 million revenue targets.

Headquarters relocation deals have been less frequent since the Covid-19 pandemic, which prompted a shift to remote and hybrid work.

"Frontier would thrive in Tampa, and we'd love to welcome them to America's best city," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said in a statement.

Mayoral spokesperson Adam Smith did not answer whether the mayor has engaged the company.

The Tampa Bay EDC declined comment. Hillsborough County did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

It's not known how seriously Frontier is considering Tampa. Companies frequently mention other cities in economic development negotiations for leverage. Tampa would face an uphill battle against Dallas, where city and state leaders have more robust incentive programs at their disposal.

Flight availability and direct connections are also major considerations for headquarters relocations, and Dallas Forth Worth International Airport is the second busiest in the world. Tampa International Airport had 21.5 million passengers in the 2022 calendar year; Dallas saw 73.4 million in the same time period.

While TPA is growing, so is DFW — it has $5 billion in capital improvements projects in the pipeline that will add 24 new gates.