DeBary workshop previews updated Southwest mobility fee, proposes single fee to cover city and county impacts

Jonathan Paul, principal of New Urban Concepts and consultant for the City of DeBary, presented an update on the city’s Southwest mobility plan and proposed mobility fee at a public workshop on Wednesday, May 14. The presentation explained how the updated fee would fund pedestrian, bicycle and roadway improvements around the SunRail station and across a defined benefit district that extends to Interstate 4.

The mobility fee update responds to state law changes and new cost and growth data, Paul said. He described the fee as “an assessment on new development only. It is not a tax, and it is not a special assessment on existing homes or existing businesses.” The update incorporates House Bill 479 and a 2021 statutory provision on “extraordinary circumstances” that limit how quickly a jurisdiction may raise fees and require public workshops and a legislative finding to exceed statutory phasing limits.

Why it matters: the updated schedule would consolidate the city’s mobility fee and Volusia County’s road-impact fee into a single fee that a city-issued building permit would collect. That single fee is intended to mitigate impacts on city, county and state roads in the Southwest sector, but adoption requires further action by the City Commission and negotiation with Volusia County over funding for Dirksen Drive.

Key details from the workshop

- Geographic scope and projects: The Southwest assessment area centers on the SunRail station and covers a benefit district that runs along Highbanks, State Road 1792, Dirksen Drive and out toward Interstate 4. Projects identified include intersection improvements at Highbanks, Fort Florida and Benton Junction; new trails and connections to the SunTrail network; railroad crossing upgrades; and a proposal to add a continuous center-turn lane for about two miles of Dirksen Drive from SR 1792 to I-4.

- Basis of the fee: The technical report uses updated 2025 travel and demand data to estimate future travel. Paul summarized build-out projections from the 2019 methodology and updated development since then: originally projected development included about 425,000 square feet of retail, 50,000 square feet of office, 2,700 single-family homes, 500 townhomes, roughly 1,000 apartments and some senior housing. Since 2019, roughly 700 single-family units and about 200 multifamily units have been built in the area.

- Travel impacts and calculations: The study projects roughly 32,000 vehicle miles of travel from build-out and an estimated 200,000 person-miles of travel by 2045 after applying person-travel factors. Paul described the technical steps used to translate trip generation and travel distances into capacity needs and then into per-unit fees.

- Example fees presented: Paul gave sample rates from the updated schedule (per unit or per 1,000 square feet): single-family home $7,443; multifamily dwelling $4,491; hotel room $5,200; office $7,225 per 1,000 sq. ft.; retail roughly $10,001 per 1,000 sq. ft. He contrasted those figures with current combined charges (city plus county): today a single-family home is roughly $2,000 city + $5,500 county = $7,500 total; the updated methodology yields a figure close to the combined current total for that use. For other uses, the updated fee could be higher—Paul noted some categories would rise by mid- to high-single-digit percentages and others by larger amounts depending on methodology and prior schedule entries.

- County interaction and collection: Volusia County currently charges a countywide road-impact fee that the city collects and remits monthly to the county; Dirksen Road was the primary county road affected in the Southwest area. If the City Commission adopts a single mobility fee, the city would collect that single fee and would set aside a portion to fund Dirksen improvements—subject to an interlocal agreement Paul said the city must negotiate with the county.

Statutory constraints and phasing

Paul explained statutory limits under Florida law for “extraordinary circumstances.” Under the law, increases over certain thresholds require a council finding of extraordinary circumstances and phasing of increases over multiple years; absent that finding, increases are limited to 50% and must be phased in. The statute also requires two public workshops and, for now, a supermajority (four of five) of the City Commission to adopt rates exceeding the standard phasing; Paul said an upcoming change will increase that threshold to a unanimous vote and require at least a two-year phase-in for increases.

Next steps and schedule

Paul said the technical report is available from the city and recommended the City Commission accept the technical report and adopt rates at a specified percentage of the calculated amount, with phased implementation and continued negotiation with Volusia County over Dirksen funding. He said the city will hold a second workshop on Thursday, May 15, and that the City Commission will consider a first reading on June 4 and an adoption hearing on June 18. No formal council action was taken at the workshop.

Audience question and clarification

When asked by the Vice Mayor, “The fees collected by who? The city or the county?” Paul replied that the city currently collects both the city and county fees and remits the county portion to Volusia County monthly; under the proposed approach, the city would collect the single fee and retain the portion designated for Dirksen improvements subject to an interlocal agreement with the county.

What was not decided

The workshop was informational; the commission has not yet voted on adopting the technical report, a finding of extraordinary circumstances, or any phasing schedule. Paul noted the council could accept the technical report but opt to limit increases to the statutory 50% phase-in, adopt alternative phasing, identify other funding to lower the fee, or amend the mobility plan.

Contact and documents

Paul said the technical report and mobility-fee calculations are available from City of DeBary staff for review and that city staff (Steven) will coordinate follow-up questions.