What is PBI3 and when does it close?

PBI3 is Amazon's Port St. Lucie, Florida fulfillment center. Amazon filed a WARN Act notice with the state on July 14, 2026 confirming 494 layoffs effective September 17, 2026. Amazon publicly calls the closure temporary, but WARN law defines any shutdown longer than 6 months as permanent, and the filing itself was submitted under those grounds.

Is this an isolated closure?

No. It is the second permanent Florida FBA closure in three months and part of a broader network consolidation as Amazon rebalances capacity toward automated hubs and inbound placement fees change how inventory flows. Sellers should assume PBI3 will not reopen and plan on that basis.

What should FBA sellers with Florida customer bases do this week?

Three actions. First, check Prime delivery promise for FL-adjacent ZIP codes on your top-10 revenue ASINs after September 17; expect zone shifts as inventory re-routes to Georgia (ATL) and Alabama (BHM6). Second, model whether MCF or FBM makes sense on slower-turn SKUs where an extra transit day now costs you the Featured Offer. Third, audit inbound placement fees on your next shipment: the closure will change Amazon's default split recommendations.

How does this change FBM economics?

If Amazon Prime badge slips on FL-heavy SKUs, self-fulfilling from a Southeast 3PL can beat FBA on time-to-doorstep for a subset of orders. Pull the last 30 days of orders by state, isolate the ones that would gain a day under FBM Southeast fulfillment, and compare landed cost per unit including the new USPS parcel mismatch fees rolled out earlier in July.

Operations

Amazon closes PBI3 Florida fulfillment center, 494 layoffs Sept 17

Amazon confirmed on July 20, 2026 it will permanently close its PBI3 fulfillment center in Port St. Lucie, Florida on September 17, 2026, laying off 494 workers. Amazon calls the closure temporary; the WARN Act filing treats it as permanent, and it is the second Florida FBA closure in three months. Southeast FBA sellers should expect inventory to re-route to Georgia and Alabama nodes, with a 1-day delivery slip on FL-heavy ZIPs and fresh volatility in Amazon's inbound placement fees.

MaxCOO at Nova Analytics

Jul 21, 2026 · 4 min read · 705 words

Updated July 21, 2026

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What happened

Amazon confirmed on July 20, 2026 that it will permanently close PBI3, its fulfillment center in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on September 17, 2026 and lay off 494 workers (Supply Chain Dive, July 20, 2026).

Amazon publicly calls the closure temporary, but the state WARN Act notice was filed under the federal definition of a permanent closure (any shutdown lasting more than 6 months) (TechTimes, July 20, 2026). It is the second permanent Florida FBA closure in three months.

Why it matters

PBI3 anchored Amazon's Southeast last-mile capacity into South Florida ZIP codes. After September 17, inventory targeting those ZIPs re-routes to nodes in Georgia (ATL cluster) and Alabama (BHM6). The mechanical effect: a 1-day slip on delivery promise for a slice of Florida orders, tighter zone density on Prime badge decisions, and a bigger role for Amazon's inbound placement fees when they recompute default splits.

Sellers who lean on FBA for FL-heavy revenue will not see anything in their dashboards until Prime badge starts flickering on high-velocity SKUs. That is the wrong moment to notice. Southeast-heavy sellers should model the shift now, before Q4 volume amplifies whatever slippage happens.

What to change in the next 2 weeks

Pull top-10 revenue ASINs by ship-to state. Anything with more than 15% of units going to FL, southern GA or southern AL sits in the re-routing zone.
Check Prime delivery promise weekly on those ASINs starting September 10. Any move from 2-day to 3-day is a Featured Offer risk.
Model MCF or FBM as a fallback for slower-turn SKUs where an extra transit day costs you the buy box. A Southeast 3PL landed-cost comparison, including the new USPS parcel-mismatch fees, will tell you whether to pre-position outside FBA.
Audit inbound placement fees on your next shipment in Nova P&L. Amazon will change its recommended split; the fee delta is the tell.

How Nova helps

FBA Inventory Tracker - see units by fulfillment center and catch the PBI3 to ATL/BHM6 shift the day Amazon rebalances your stock, not the week after Prime badge slips.
Live P&L - split contribution margin by SKU with 40+ fee types accounted for, so a placement-fee shift, a Featured Offer slip and an MCF fallback show up as separate lines instead of a blurred hit to total margin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this topic

PBI3 is Amazon's Port St. Lucie, Florida fulfillment center. Amazon filed a WARN Act notice with the state on July 14, 2026 confirming 494 layoffs effective September 17, 2026. Amazon publicly calls the closure temporary, but WARN law defines any shutdown longer than 6 months as permanent, and the filing itself was submitted under those grounds.
No. It is the second permanent Florida FBA closure in three months and part of a broader network consolidation as Amazon rebalances capacity toward automated hubs and inbound placement fees change how inventory flows. Sellers should assume PBI3 will not reopen and plan on that basis.
Three actions. First, check Prime delivery promise for FL-adjacent ZIP codes on your top-10 revenue ASINs after September 17; expect zone shifts as inventory re-routes to Georgia (ATL) and Alabama (BHM6). Second, model whether MCF or FBM makes sense on slower-turn SKUs where an extra transit day now costs you the Featured Offer. Third, audit inbound placement fees on your next shipment: the closure will change Amazon's default split recommendations.
If Amazon Prime badge slips on FL-heavy SKUs, self-fulfilling from a Southeast 3PL can beat FBA on time-to-doorstep for a subset of orders. Pull the last 30 days of orders by state, isolate the ones that would gain a day under FBM Southeast fulfillment, and compare landed cost per unit including the new USPS parcel mismatch fees rolled out earlier in July.

Verified Sources

All information verified from official Amazon sources and trusted industry analysts as of publication date.

About the Author

Max

COO at Nova Analytics

Max leads operations at Nova Analytics, helping Amazon sellers optimize their business performance through data-driven insights and strategic automation.

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