Harbor Freight Tools plans a $2.4 million renovation of nearly 17,000 square feet at Pablo Station shopping center on Beach Boulevard, bringing another location of the discount tool retailer to Jacksonville's Beaches area.

The proposed store would occupy part of a former Food Lion and Big Lots space at 14333 Beach Blvd., near the intersection of Beach Boulevard and San Pablo Road.

The city of Jacksonville is reviewing three permits for interior demolition and renovations, according to an Oct. 14 report by Karen Brune Mathis of the Jacksonville Daily Record. Two sign permits have been approved, with a combined project cost of $5,500.

Former Big Lots building to be divided for new tenants

Harbor Freight plans to occupy Suite 18 in the 32,011-square-foot building, which previously housed Food Lion and later Big Lots.

The building, constructed in 1989 according to Duval County property records cited by the Daily Record, would be divided into two tenant spaces. Suite 17 would remain available for another business.

The proposed Harbor Freight store would occupy 16,958 square feet.

Plans also call for exterior improvements, including a new entrance door and a forklift ramp.

Marco Contracting Inc. of Warrendale, Pennsylvania, is listed as the contractor, while ADA Architects Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, is identified as the architect.

The latest permits identify Pablo Station LLC of Boca Raton as the landlord. An earlier filing from December 2025 identified Pablo Shopping LLC, also of Boca Raton, as the property owner.

Harbor Freight expands Northeast Florida footprint

The Pablo Station location would become Harbor Freight's seventh store in Northeast Florida and its fifth in Jacksonville.

The Calabasas, California-based company already operates four Jacksonville stores:

  • 9861 Beach Blvd. in Southside Estates
  • 10950 San Jose Blvd. in Mandarin
  • 932 Dunn Ave. in North Jacksonville
  • 8102 Blanding Blvd. in the Argyle area

Additional stores in Orange Park and St. Augustine bring the regional total to six existing locations.

The proposed Pablo Station store would expand the retailer's reach farther east along Beach Boulevard, serving customers in the Beaches communities and surrounding neighborhoods.

Renovation plans grow from original $400,000 proposal

The project's estimated construction cost has increased substantially since the Jacksonville Daily Record first reported the plans in December 2025.

At that time, the city was reviewing a single permit with an estimated construction cost of $400,000. Harbor Contracting Co. Inc. of Thomasville, Georgia, was listed as the contractor.

The latest filings identify a different contractor and show a combined estimated construction value of approximately $2.4 million, six times the original estimate.

The $2.4 million figure represents the estimated value of the three permit applications, not necessarily the final cost of construction.

The project remains in the permitting stage. The city has not yet approved the three demolition and renovation permits, and Harbor Freight has not announced an opening date.