By B.C. Manion
Raymond James is looking at several sites in Hillsborough and Pasco counties with an eye toward adding a satellite location, said Anthea Penrose, public relations manager for the company.
While Penrose would not identify the locations of the sites under consideration, she confirmed that two are in Pasco County — one on SR 54 near the Suncoast Parkway and the other in the Wiregrass area of Wesley Chapel.
Penrose said the company issued a request for proposals for a site to accommodate 300,000 to 500,000 square feet. The size of the site that the company needs will vary based on the project’s square footage of the project, Penrose said. However, it will likely exceed 20 acres, she said.
The financial services company decided to begin looking for a satellite location after conducting a comprehensive analysis last year of its current home campus in the Carillon office park in St. Petersburg.
That analysis concluded that its headquarters would be at or near capacity within several years. The 1 million-square-foot office complex also is in the level one area evacuation for hurricanes, causing the company to give serious consideration to the need to relocate critical data systems as first-tier protection, Penrose added.
The company, which had $2.92 billion in revenues in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, has not yet determined the potential occupants of the satellite campus. However, Penrose said, the satellite is likely to be the data center.
The company has no definite timeframe for when it would break ground on the satellite and has not determined yet how many employees would work there. It also has not determined how many of those employees would be current employees or new hires, she said.
In seeking potential sites, the company has solicited information from private landowners and government jurisdictions, Penrose said.
The sites under consideration range from locations in southern Pasco County to southeastern Hillsborough County.
Raymond James is a diversified financial services holding company with subsidiaries engaged primarily in investment and financial planning, in addition to investment banking and asset management, Penrose said.
The company, which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (RJF), has 7,295 worldwide employees and 3,669 worldwide independent contractors.
The company is committed to keeping its international headquarters in St. Petersburg, Penrose said. The satellite would merely mitigate its hurricane risk and allow for future growth and expansion, she said.
