Florida is growing and it’s not just along the coastal communities. The heartland is growing as well. 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. How to deal with and pay for this growth falls to elected leaders.
“I hate that we have to do it, but I know we have to do it," said Commissioner Bradly Goodbred ahead of a vote on whether or not Okeechobee County will join fast growing coastal counties that charge impact fees to developers before permits are issued.
Fees are may only be used to pay for the needed services and infrastructure.
Okeechobee County in 2012 started collecting impact fees only to do away with them two years later. For the better part of a year, the Okeechobee County Commission has been weighing the pros and cons of re-implementing impact fees.
Thursday, the board decided to settle the matter and voted unanimously to reinstate them. About two-thirds of Florida’s counties charge impact fees.
The impact fees will be collected starting in mid-May.
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