More than 1,000 Florida workers face uncertainty as beverage distributor warns of large scale layoffs

Florida – Hundreds of workers across Florida are now facing growing uncertainty after a major beverage distributor warned that more than 1,000 jobs could be affected in a large-scale restructuring tied to a planned sale of operations.

The Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) has filed WARN notices covering four facilities in the state, signaling potential layoffs that could impact a total of 1,046 positions. The changes are linked to the company’s planned transfer of operations to Reyes Beverage Group, a move that is already sending ripples through the workforce.

According to the notices, layoffs are expected to begin on or within 14 days of June 21 and could continue through July 5. While the timeline is short, the company has described the situation as conditional, meaning final employment outcomes may still shift depending on how the transition unfolds.

The largest share of job losses is projected in Tampa, where RNDC’s facility on Savarese Circle North could see 393 employees affected. That site alone accounts for more than one-third of the total Florida workforce impacted in the restructuring. It is also the company’s largest operational footprint in the state, making the potential cuts especially significant for the local labor market.

In South Florida, Deerfield Beach is also heavily affected, with 363 positions included in the WARN filing. This makes it the second-largest site involved in the planned transition. The scale of the notice has raised concerns in the region, where many employees now face uncertainty about whether they will be retained under new ownership.

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Further north, Jacksonville is also part of the restructuring, with 169 employees listed in the notification. The facility plays a key role in RNDC’s Florida distribution network, handling significant regional operations. While the number is smaller compared to Tampa and Deerfield Beach, it still represents a meaningful reduction in local employment.

In Pensacola, another 121 employees are included in the WARN notice. Though it is the smallest of the four affected sites, the announcement highlights how widely the restructuring stretches across the state, reaching both major metropolitan hubs and smaller regional operations.

RNDC has emphasized that the layoffs are not yet final and remain tied to the completion of the sale to Reyes Beverage Group. The company has indicated that some employees may receive offers to continue working under the new ownership structure, though no guarantees have been made public at this stage.

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For many workers, however, the uncertainty remains immediate and real. With deadlines approaching quickly and no final transition plan fully disclosed, employees across all four Florida facilities are waiting for clearer answers about their future roles.

The coming weeks are expected to be critical as the sale process continues, determining not only the fate of the company’s Florida operations but also the livelihoods of more than a thousand workers caught in the middle of the transition.