PERRY, FL – Congressman Neal Dunn (Florida-02) released the following statement after issuing a list of demands to Georgia-Pacific regarding the Perry Foley Cellulose mill closure announcement.

“Today’s call with the head of cellulose operations at Georgia-Pacific was extremely unhelpful. His callous and vague responses left me wondering ‘But what about the families?’” said Congressman Dunn. “The devastating hurricane already impacted their lives. The last thing they need is Scrooge viciously taking away their jobs and benefits before Christmas. Here’s a list of demands I made to Georgia-Pacific based on community feedback -

• Extend health benefits, pay, and severance for at least six months.
• Organize food banks for at least six months.
• Provide paid leave for employees to access job fairs.
• Provide and pay for access to job training resources.
• Donate the building to the County after the closure.

Congressman Dunn continued: “All of these things are completely reasonable given the circumstances. Florida Senator Corey Simon and Florida Representative Jason Shoaf are working with me to ensure that our constituents are cared for, just as we did in the days following Hurricane Idalia. Make no mistake, moving forward, my eyes will be on Koch Industries and Georgia-Pacific to guarantee that they actively support their employees in Florida’s Second Congressional District.”

Background: Georgia-Pacific announced the permanent closure of their Perry Foley Cellulose mill on September 18^th, 2023, stating: “Various factors influenced this difficult decision.” Approximately 525 jobs will be directly impacted by the decision to close the mill. Congressman Dunn sent a letter to Georgia-Pacific on Tuesday, September 19^th, 2023.

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