Awarded by the U.S. Foreign Trade Zones Board in 2001, FTZ 249 covers five sites in Escambia County, Florida, including the Port of Pensacola. The Zone was officially activated in January 2003 when the cargo storage requirements of a major Port user sparked the need to designate several segments of the Port with active Foreign Trade Zone status. As the need arises, additional warehouses and open areas of the Port can be converted to active FTZ status relatively easily.
Typically, Foreign Trade Zones are utilized as a means of deferring or eliminating U.S. Customs duties and other taxes.
