The program has been used six times in the past decade, generating more than $428 million in investments, creating 1,091 new jobs and estimating the economic impact over the next five years to be more than $5.7 billion, according to a report the Department of Housing and Economic Development presented to county commissioners on March 12. The tax abatements totaled $6.2 million, according to Sherry Howard, deputy director of the agency.

To ensure that the jobs created match the promises, annual audits are carried out, she said.

Proponents claim that the beneficiaries of the tax relief will create jobs and economic growth

One of the biggest beneficiaries so far has been Pratt Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. that designs, manufactures and maintains aircraft engines, industrial gas turbines and space propulsion systems.

In 2012, the county’s Department of Economic Sustainability asked the commission to approve a $1 million tax abatement to the company, amounting to $143,000 per year for seven years. The tax abatement approved by county commissioners was based on an estimate that the company’s expansion near Jupiter would create 230 full-time jobs with an average annual wage of $81,110. The expansion would also result in the retention of 531 full-time jobs. Pratt Whitney spent $63 million to renovate its existing facility and construct a 190,000-square-foot building. The county estimated the local economic impact over the life of the 10-year tax abatement at $442 million.

The last time it was used was in 2019, when Finfrock built a manufacturing facility in Belle Glade. The company makes prefabricated concrete structures and received a $400,000 tax break in exchange for creating 200 jobs. The building is located on the site of a former prison.