Mayor Jones talks tanker investment

MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) - The city of Mobile and Mobile County invested big money to lure the tanker to the Gulf Coast. It's been a process that's lasted for years.

Mobile Mayor Sam Jones said the city and county have each invested $10 million over the past five years to win the $35 billion contract. The mayor felt it was money well spent because of the potential benefits.

The tanker contract could have meant new construction jobs and new businesses providing supplies and services. In addition, it could have led to 10,000 new jobs throughout the Gulf Coast region.

Thursday, lawmakers in Northwest Florida were watching the news with great interest.

Jones said EADS was given tax incentives by the state to set up in Mobile, and Mobile County schools were set to get some cash out of the deal.

"Nobody is entitled to incentives where they don't have to pay education taxes. Everybody has to pay those," Mayor Jones said.

Local leaders were certainly hopeful, and they obviously invested a lot into this. But now that Boeing has won, this was certainly not the news that the Gulf Coast was expecting.