Winter Haven commission reviews consultant study proposing big increases to parks, fire and library impact fees; police fee set to fall

A consultant presented findings at a June 4 special workshop recommending that Winter Haven update municipal impact fees for parks and recreation, fire and library services to reflect recent growth and new capital projects. Joe Williams, a consultant with Raftelis, told the city commission the study follows state requirements and documents the approach, capital lists and calculations supporting new fee levels.

The study recommends raising the full package of municipal impact fees for new single-family homes from about $2,432 under the city's current schedule to roughly $5,820 if the commission adopts the consultant's full calculated fees, an increase of nearly $3,400. Williams said the recommendations rely on local fixed-asset listings, planned projects and projected growth of about 40% (approximately 10,000 new residential units) over the next 10 years.

The report assigns large upcoming park projects and new public safety facilities as primary drivers of the increases. Williams said the study identified roughly $84 million in parks-related capital planned over the next 10 years and about $10 million in new fire apparatus and additional public safety complex space that were included in the fee calculations. For libraries, the firm allocated roughly $550,000 of the planned Winter Haven Recreation and Cultural Center expansion to the library fee calculation.

City Attorney John Murphy reviewed the legal posture the commission must meet when adopting impact fees. Murphy said the ordinance will expressly adopt the study and that any variation from the consultants' methodology could invite legal challenge; he urged commissioners to rely on the study as the evidentiary basis for action.

Commissioners pressed staff and the consultant on practical details. Growth Management Director Eric Levy and Williams said the study assumed about 800'to'1,000 single-family permit starts per year and that the 10-year projection aligns with existing approved site plans and expected development (Villamar, Harmony and other large projects). Williams and staff said the recommended fees apply to permits filed after the implementation date; the ordinance was discussed with an expected effective window of Oct. 1 if adopted following the required public hearing and 90-day waiting period.

The study also recommends a reduction in the police impact fee based on the allocation of existing police facility capacity and planned shared space in future public safety complexes. Chief Monroe explained that recent public safety campus designs include space to house law enforcement functions and that the city's existing police headquarters (built around the early 2000s) had been carrying a portion of service capacity that now spreads across shared facilities. Williams said statutory restrictions also narrow what capital items may be included for police (for example, certain officer equipment is not eligible), contributing to a lower per-unit fee recommendation for police.

Staff and the consultant noted that impact fees are one-time charges paid through the building permit process and are intended to fund capital additions that have a useful life of five years or more; impact fees are not intended to fund maintenance, salaries or replacement of existing deficiencies. Williams emphasized that parks and fire investments are large but that impact fees will not fully fund the entire capital program and that other financing tools (for example, bonds) will likely be used.

Next steps outlined to the commission included a first ordinance reading in early June and a second reading and public hearing scheduled for June 23; Murphy said adoption would generally require a supermajority (four votes) to enact the full recommended increases. Staff advised commissioners that, by statute, if permits are applied for prior to the implementation date they remain subject to the old rates. No ordinance vote was taken at the workshop; the item remains on the June agenda for formal readings and public hearing.

Commissioners discussed policy trade-offs including housing affordability and exemptions. Mayor Pro Tem Yates and others noted the city can exempt qualifying affordable housing projects from impact fees to avoid disincentivizing affordable units. Several commissioners said they wanted the council to consider the consultant's full recommendations while also monitoring fee adjustments more frequently than the four-year statutory guidance.

The workshop closed with staff saying they would return with the ordinance package for the required readings and related materials on the transportation impact fee study at a later date.