A marijuana cultivation and production facility in Palatka will terminate 113 employees just weeks after the facility and its assets were bought by a California-based cannabis delivery company.
DP Holdings Colorado, LLC, which formerly did business as Green Dragon, announced the terminations in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed with the Florida Department of Commerce on Wednesday.
According to the filing, the stated reason for the terminations is that the employer “lost all of its assets in a public auction and is shutting down.”
“All terminations covered under this notice are permanent and all employment at the site/plant will be terminated,” reads the filing. It specifies that no bumping rights exist and there is no union representation among employees.
Approximately 30 of the terminated employees held the position of “cultivation technician,” while another 19 worked as “hand trim technicians.” In total, the terminations included eight full-time employees.
In 2021, Green Dragon purchased the facility for $10.5 million. According to the Palatka Daily News, the company estimated that it would create 300 jobs at the plant.
Located at 160 Comfort Road in Palatka, the plant was transformed by the company from an old furniture warehouse into a modern cannabis production and distribution facility over the course of several months and has been in operation for several years.
In August, Eaze, which is based in California, announced that it was acquiring Green Dragon and all of its assets. According to Ganjapreneur.com, the acquisition effectively made the combined company the “largest multi-state operator” of cannabis and related products in the United States.
Currently, Green Dragon operates two local dispensaries in Ocala and Summerfield. The location in Ocala officially opened its doors along East Silver Springs Boulevard in August 2022.
Multiple businesses in the medical marijuana industry have made substantial investments in Ocala and Marion County in recent years, including two in recent months:
- In July, a cannabis company paid $37 million for a logistics center in southwest Ocala where it will cultivate and produce marijuana.
- In June, a separate company paid $30 million for a 16-acre property in Ocala for the creation of a cannabis cultivation facility.
