Manatee County commissioners pass increase of impact fees by 100%

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Manatee County Commissioners have unanimously voted to increase the impact fees that developers pay to support the overall public infrastructure in the county by 100%.

The vote Thursday passed 7-0.

Dalton Nelson appreciates the simple things in life, like walking through a park in Parrish.

“The parks, especially this one, even though it’s a brand new park, they need to be maintained. They need to make sure that, you know, the kids are safe here,” he said.

But the maintenance that Nelson is talking about costs money. Impact fees are one-time charges that developers pay to complete new construction in the unincorporated areas of Manatee County.

The money collected partially pays for infrastructure improvements and maintenance.

“I think that the developers are kind of tone deaf to what’s going on,” Nelson said. “You know, the people have said that this is starting to become a more apparent issue, is starting to get worse, is not getting better. You’re saying that, you know, during your process of putting these communities in, that all this stuff is accounted for and it’s obviously not.”

But others in attendance at the land use meeting were not in favor of the change.

Jon Mast, the CEO for the Suncoast Builders Association, was against raising the fees.

“Now under the false narrative that home builders aren’t paying their share, you’re pushing to double or even triple the impact fees. Shame on you,” he said.

Nelson has lived in this community for five years and says he has seen many new developments and watched the area drastically change.

He wants to see more done to accommodate population growth — including improving what he says are roads in poor condition.

“They are the ones making the impact. They are the ones that need to pay for it,” he said.

Nelson sees the value in the increased impact fees developers will pay. He is hoping commissioners continue to focus on moving Manatee County forward.

Manatee County Commissioners say the increased impact fees will go into effect in roughly 90 days.