Daytona Beach adopts reduced linkage fees to seed affordable housing trust fund

The Daytona Beach City Commission voted 5-2 on April 16 to adopt workforce housing linkage fees for new and expanded commercial development, approving a package of fees reduced by 25% from the staff-recommended amounts and directing staff to return with a proposal for a recurring funding source tied to growth.

The vote followed a consolidated public hearing on an ordinance that would adopt findings of a “workforce housing linkage fee nexus study” and create a dedicated Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Commissioners approved the motion to proceed with linkage fees as amended; Commissioners Reid, Strickland, May, Henry and Mayor Derek L. Henry voted yes; Commissioners Perez and Cantu voted no.

Supporters of the ordinance came primarily from a faith‑based coalition that urged immediate action. Pastor Eddie Lake, a Faith coalition representative, said the coalition was “very excited” about a dedicated funding source and urged passage. Jackie Moll, another Faith organizer, quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., saying the repeated delay had a human cost: “justice too long delayed is justice denied.” Representatives of Halifax Health and other large local institutions urged caution, saying the proposed fee schedule would hit hospitals, colleges and major employers; Kelly Parsons, chief legal officer at Halifax Health, said “We agree on the what, but we don't agree on the how.”

The business community — represented by the Daytona Regional Chamber and local developers — offered an alternative funding plan that would set aside a percentage of the annual increase in nonresidential ad valorem revenue as a recurring source for the trust fund. Chamber presenters said that approach could produce a larger, more-stable revenue stream and could be used for repairs and resilience work that linkage fees cannot fund. Chamber spokesperson Jessica Gao told the commission the alternative could produce more funding than the linkage fees in a typical year and gives flexibility to use money for maintenance and storm repairs.

Commissioners said they…