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Commissioners discuss stormwater user fee options; staff says statutory process required
Summary
At a workshop discussion, county staff outlined the statutory special‑assessment process for a potential stormwater utility fee, while commissioners recalled a prior unanimous rejection and asked for earlier consideration and clearer timelines.
Collier County commissioners used a ResourceX and budget workshop to revisit potential stormwater funding options and heard from county staff that a stormwater user fee would require a statutory special‑assessment process and parcel‑level analysis.
A county staff member explained to the board that Florida law allows a special assessment tied to stormwater, but the statutory process is stringent and requires that fees directly benefit the fee payer. “We have the ability via Florida statute to charge what is called a... special assessment relative to stormwater,” the staff member said, adding that a previous stormwater utility effort evaluated each unincorporated parcel’s impervious area to calculate stormwater discharge.
Commissioner McDaniel noted institutional memory that the board had previously rejected a stormwater user fee: “We unanimously rejected it the last time it came before the board several years ago,” he said, and other commissioners agreed the political path would be challenging.
Why it matters: Staff said the fee is designed to both fund maintenance and fund capital stormwater projects. The county’s current plan in the budget process already assumed use of ad valorem revenue for some stormwater needs; staff said the current budget policy had $20.5 million of ad valorem set aside for stormwater purposes in planning for 2026. Commissioners asked for an earlier, more detailed discussion of stormwater options and their implementation timelines.
Details and next steps: Staff said the county will study the statutory approach, evaluate impervious area and managed systems for credits, and plan stakeholder outreach. Commissioners asked for earlier engagement than 2027 in the planning calendar; staff responded the plan was to examine options at the end of the year with potential implementation timing targeted to FY 2027. Several commissioners requested that staff return sooner if feasible and present timelines, crediting studies and sample bills for review.
Ending: Commissioner McDaniel and others said they want the county to continue analyzing options; staff said legal and technical complexity, plus prior public opposition, make the path difficult and require careful public outreach and statutory compliance before any proposal would return to the board.
