Florida's building boom continues to bring more cars on the roads, more children to schools and more calls for services such as EMS, fire and police.
Paying for the resultant growth is up to local lawmakers. Some have no problem shifting the burden on developers. Others hesitate to effectively increase the price of a new home.
About two-thirds of Florida counties collect what are called impact fees before a new housing development, a new home or a commercial structure is built.
The fees are meant as a way to cover the impact the new development will have on roads, schools and services like police and fire.
The concept emerged, with the City of Gulf Breeze attempting to collect fees for parks, but a 1966 court case struck it down as an unauthorized tax.
But significant growth in Florida in 1970s had other municipalities taking a chance and jumping on board with the idea. A 1976 Florida Supreme Court decision validated impact fees in cases involving the city of Dunedin and Dade County.
Since then many more fast-growing Florida coastal communities began collecting fees and have continued through the years taking the burden of new development and growth off the shoulders of current residents.
Slower-growing counties like Okeechobee did away with its impact fees in 2014. But that could change.
The first of two public hearings on re-implementing impact fees is set for 9 a.m. Thursday in room 270 of the Okeechobee County Courthouse.
A final hearing is scheduled for February. The new fees could start to be collected in May.
For new developments, fees must be paid in advance by developers. Those costs are then passed off to homebuyers by the developers.
That’s why Commissioner David Hazellief expressed concern at a commission meeting in November.
“I'm not looking for a tax break for the first time home buyer," he said. "I'm just looking for things to keep the market competitive for them.”
With intense public pressure not to raise taxes each year, many municipalities are realizing annual ad valorem taxes maintain the status quo but not growth.
The city of Okeechobee already collects impact fees, also planned for discussion Thursday is a plan on which agency will be responsible for collecting and doling out those fees.
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