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Commissioners direct staff to seek RFP for fire and EMS impact-fee study; board narrows scope from full fee review
Summary
After debate, the board voted 3-2 to authorize an RFP limited to a fire and EMS impact-fee study rather than a countywide impact-fee study; staff outlined statutory timing and procedural limits for fee increases.
Brevard County commissioners on Jan. 28 authorized staff to issue a request for proposals to study impact fees for fire and emergency medical services, narrowing an earlier staff suggestion for a comprehensive, countywide study.
Commissioner Delaney, who brought the item forward, said impact fees have not been updated in many years and asked the county to begin a study to determine whether fee adjustments are justified. County staff explained the legal framework in the Florida Impact Fee Act, including the time windows a study must satisfy and the multi-step approval process for fee increases.
Staff said the county's last comprehensive impact-fee study was performed in 2015 and that some county fees have effectively remained tied to previous rates established after the 2015 effort. Staff cautioned that any increase above 50% of a current rate would require an "extraordinary" approval process, additional public workshops, and a supermajority vote. Staff also estimated that a prior full-county study cost roughly $164,000; separating out a fire/EMS-only study could be substantially less.
Why it matters: Commissioners and public speakers argued that growth has shifted costs to current budgets and that updating impact fees could help fund capital needs tied to new development — fire stations, ambulances and equipment — while slowing the carry-forward of costs to general revenues.
Board action: Commissioner Delaney moved to issue an RFP for a fire and EMS impact-fee study; Commissioner Altman seconded. The motion passed 3-2 (Commissioners Altman, Delaney and Chair Feltner yes; Commissioners Atkinson and Vice Chair Goodson no). Staff said they would return with a draft RFP for the board's review and that any study the board accepts would create a one-year window to adopt fee-based changes tied to study findings or a four-year justification period for lesser increases.
Public comment: Residents and fire-industry supporters urged an update to fees, saying recent inflation and growth have strained fire and EMS budgets and that updated fees could help maintain service levels. One speaker urged a comprehensive approach but others suggested starting with fire and EMS so the county could proceed more quickly.
Next steps: Staff will prepare and post the RFP for a fire/EMS impact-fee study and return to the board with the draft solicitation and proposed cost estimates. Any fee changes would be implemented only after study adoption and the statutorily required public process.
