Last week, news emerged that Bass Pro Shops would be making a second, hopefully more fruitful attempt to open a new 150,000-square-foot location in Brandon. While the news was surely a delight for all the outdoorsmen and women in the Tampa Bay area, the market for jobs in Tampa was also treated to the news that, if built, the new Bass Pro Shops could bring over 360 jobs to the Brandon area according to county estimates. If this sounds awesome, you're not the only one feeling that way. Hillsborough County likes the sound of over 360 new jobs in Brandon so much that county commissioners are willing to put up $8.25 million for road improvements and more surrounding the potential Bass Pro Shops site. They're set to put it to a vote this Wednesday evening, December 5. But, the news of a new Bass Pro Shops in Brandon doesn't have everyone excited. Tampa Bay area tech entrepreneur Joel Lopez sent an email to over 2,000 colleagues detailing why a new Bass Pro Shops in Brandon would be "bad economic policy". In the email, Lopez claims that the jobs at Bass Pro shops would pay less than new tech jobs in Tampa and that 80 percent of the revenue earned at Bass Pro Shops wouldn't benefit the Tampa Bay area whatsoever, instead, going to the company's headquarters in Springfield, Missouri. We'll keep you updated as more news arises regarding the new Bass Pro Shops in Brandon.
