2011-16910. Foreign-Trade Zone 215-Sebring, FL; Application for Reorganization Under Alternative Site Framework

An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board (the Board) by the Sebring Airport Authority, grantee of FTZ 215, requesting authority to reorganize the zone under the alternative site framework (ASF) adopted by the Board (74 FR 1170, 1/12/09 (correction 74 FR 3987, 1/22/09); 75 FR 71069-71070, 11/22/10). The ASF is an option for grantees for the establishment or reorganization of general-purpose zones and can permit significantly greater flexibility in the designation of new “usage-driven” FTZ sites for operators/users located within a grantee's “service area” in the context of the Board's standard 2,000-acre activation limit for a general-purpose zone project. The application was submitted pursuant to the Foreign-Trade Zones Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 81a-81u), and the regulations of the Board (15 CFR Part 400). It was formally filed on June 29, 2011.

FTZ 215 was approved by the Board on July 26, 1996 (Board Order 835, 61 FR 42832-42833, 08/19/96).

The current zone project includes the following site: Site 1 (1,893 acres)—Sebring Regional Airport complex, 128 Authority Lane, Sebring, Florida.

The grantee's proposed service area under the ASF would be DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands and Okeechobee Counties and the Cities of Belle Glade and Pahokee, Florida, as described in the application. If approved, the grantee would be able to serve sites throughout the service area based on companies' needs for FTZ designation. The proposed service area is within and adjacent to the Port Manatee Customs and Border Protection port of entry.

The applicant is requesting authority to reorganize its existing zone project to include its existing site as a “magnet” site. The ASF allows for the possible exemption of one magnet site from the “sunset” time limits that generally apply to sites under the ASF, and the applicant proposed that Site 1 be so exempted. No usage-driven sites are being requested at this time.

In accordance with the Board's regulations, Kathleen Boyce of the FTZ Staff is designated examiner to evaluate and analyze the facts and information presented in the application and case record and to report findings and recommendations to the Board.

Public comment is invited from interested parties. Submissions (original and 3 copies) shall be addressed to the Board's Executive Secretary at the address below. The closing period for their receipt is September 6, 2011. Rebuttal comments in response to material submitted during the foregoing period may be submitted during the subsequent 15-day period to September 19, 2011.

A copy of the application will be available for public inspection at the Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, Room 2111, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230-0002, and in the “Reading Room” section of the Board's Web site, which is accessible via http://www.trade.gov/​ftz.

For further information, contact Kathleen Boyce at [e-mail] or [phone].

Dated: June 29, 2011.

Andrew McGilvray,

Executive Secretary.