Coca-Cola readies nearly 28-acre Dunedin site for eventual sale
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Feb 23, 2024

The long-awaited announcement from Coca-Cola that its Dunedin facility would be closed by the end of May is the start of a new chapter for the nearly 28-acre industrial site.

Coca-Cola announced in 2020 that it would be closing the Dunedin site as it prepared to consolidate its manufacturing services at the Peace River facility in Bartow.

Bob Ironsmith, Dunedin’s economic and housing director, told the Tampa Bay Business Journal the city has a “longtime partnership” with Coca-Cola and hopes to work with the company moving forward as it prepares to exit the location. The city is looking at how it can assist with the placement of the nearly 200 workers who will no longer be employed at the site.

“While these decisions are never made lightly, we believe Peace River has the right capabilities to support production of our brands and will put us in the best position for sustainable long-term growth,” a

Coca-Cola spokesperson said in a statement. “The transition will be completed by July 2024.”

While the closing date is set, Coca-Cola will take the time to sell off its equipment before it hires a broker and begin looking for a new owner. Ironsmith said he imagines the process will take anywhere from a few months to the end of 2024 to get the site ready to sell.

The facility, located at 427 San Christopher Drive, has a rich history in Dunedin. It was once home to the largest citrus concentrate plant in the U.S. and in 1988 Coca-Cola acquired the plant from H.P. Hood Inc. It was built in 1944 and will be 80 this year.

Ironsmith said it is the largest industrial site in the city. The 27.5-acre site is surrounded by several other industrial businesses, including air conditioning and electric companies and the Dunedin wastewater facility. The Pinellas Trail lies on the western edge of the property with a commercial plaza with Eddie’s Bar and Grill, a thrift store and a pet grooming business directly to the west of the trail.

“The property’s zoned land use is industrial and it certainly has some permit uses within that, but there also could be opportunities to look for other options on the property if Coke is willing to work with us,” Ironsmith said. “It’s really kind of early to say in the process, but I will say Coke has always been a good partner and we’re certainly sensitive to what the fit needs to be.”

Ironsmith said you won’t find many industrial parcels left in north Pinellas County of this size. According to Ironsmith, there have not been any conversations at this point on a rezoning or a land use change for the site.