One of the largest employers in Ocala/Marion County, which maintains the second-largest private work force across the United States, has just closed one of its facilities in the southern part of the state, just a few months after acquiring a 1-million square-foot warehouse in Ocala for nearly $100 million.
On Friday, April 17, Amazon announced that it is permanently closing its facility at 27505 SW 132 Avenue in Homestead, Florida. As a result of the closure, approximately 616 employees will be terminated from the facility.
According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act filed by the company with the state, the facility will begin shut down operations on July 2. All the separations will be effective on that day and September 30, according to the company.
While WARN requires approximately 60 days advance notice, Amazon reports that it notified employees of the termination on March 4.
The list of terminated employees includes approximately 506 fulfillment center associates, as well as dozens of other management positions.
The mass layoff announcement comes just a handful of months after Amazon further cemented its status as one of Ocala’s largest employers.
In October, Amazon spent $97,675,200 to acquire a large warehouse within the Florida Crossroads Logistics Center in northwest Ocala.
Florida has the fourth-highest concentration of Amazon employees across the country, with approximately 55,500 as of 2025. Only Texas (86,500), Washington (92,000), and California (154,000) have higher totals.
Outside of Ocala, Amazon operates a couple dozen fulfillment and sortation centers across at least 18 other cities in the Sunshine State.
That includes three facilities in Jacksonville, one in Orlando, and one in Daytona Beach, among many others.
What are your thoughts on the large termination by Amazon in Florida? Share them in a comment below or, if you have more to say on the topic, write a letter to the editor.