The St. Lucie Board of County Commissioners voted Dec. 2 to adopt a new, increased road impact fee, which was last updated in 2022. A study presented to the board showed that the county is far behind on necessary road repairs.
Impact fees are one-time charges assessed on new developments to help offset the costs associated with new infrastructure and growth. Road impact fees, specifically, are used to help maintain county and state roadways as new development brings additional traffic.
Ben Balcer, the county’s planning and development services director, said St. Lucie County ranks seventh out of 67 counties in terms of growth, prompting the need to revisit the fees.
“These are all clear indicators that growth pressures remain strong, which places a burden on our transportation system,” he said.
Although impact fees are typically reevaluated on a five-year cycle, Balcer said rising costs and population growth justify an earlier review.
“Current conditions justify updating the study ahead of the statutory cycle,” he said.
Balcer recommended that proposed fee increases be capped at 50% for each land use type except multi-purpose recreation. Other land uses include residential, institutional, office, retail and industrial, with fees varying based on size and purpose. Under the proposed model, residential and retail fees would be the highest.
Balcer proposed phasing in the increases over four years.
“It gives residents, builders, and developers ample time to plan and budget for these updated rates,” he said.
Deb Fraizer, executive officer of the Treasure Coast Builders Association, urged the board to delay implementation of the increases.
“Housing affordability is an issue,” she said. “I think the rush to get this passed before the end of the year may not be as prevalent as it was.”
She cited potential upcoming policy changes, along with increased expenses and interest rates, as reasons to pause further cost increases.
“The TCBA is asking you to vote for zero increases today and review this again next fall,” she said.
Commissioner James Clasby, who has been openly anti-development in many past votes, expressed skepticism about adopting the new impact fees.
“I also wanted to make sure we are staying somewhat competitive with surrounding counties. We don't want to be tremendously higher than Indian River County and Martin County and Okeechobee,” he said. “We control the throttle on what development is approved and what is not approved.”
Commissioner Larry Leet said the increase is necessary to keep up with infrastructure demands.
“At the current rate, it is not keeping up with the growth,” he said. “The numbers that have been given to us were roughly $45 million behind in roads that should be repaired.”
Leet added that he would like to see residential increases reduced if possible to ease the burden on those seeking housing.
Commissioner Erin Lowry also raised concerns about road conditions but said she would only vote in favor of the increase if residential fees were capped at 25%.
Commission Chair Jamie Fowler said affordability remains a concern but should not outweigh the need for infrastructure improvements.
“At the end of the day, this is in my mind, a compromise,” she said. “It is going up, but it's not going up nearly what we would have to capture to be able to make a dent in the infrastructure improvements that we have to do.”
Commissioner Townsend, who also opposed increasing the fees, proposed a compromise of a 25% increase over two years instead of 50% over four. A motion was filed and passed unanimously.