St. Lucie County continues multimodal impact fee discussion; board approves multiple resolutions, MSBUs and proclamations

The St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 16 approved multiple consent items, notice-of-intent resolutions for special-assessment districts, proclamations and contract actions, and continued the proposed multimodal transportation impact fee ordinance to a second hearing on Dec. 2.

Consent and minutes: Commissioners approved minutes and routine consent and warrants across several internal special districts — mosquito control, erosion control and sustainability district business was concluded by unanimous voice vote with no public speakers recorded.

Proclamations and ceremonial items: The board unanimously adopted Resolution No. 2025-166 proclaiming September 2025 as National Service Dog Month; Deb Durham spoke with her service dog Neely about the role service dogs play in independence and access. The commission also adopted Resolution No. 2025-174 declaring September 2025 as Alzheimer’s Awareness Month; representatives from the Alzheimer’s Association described an upcoming community walk and community supports.

MSBU/notice-of-intent public hearings: Planning staff presented multiple notice-of-intent resolutions to preserve the county’s option to levy non-ad valorem special assessments using the uniform method (Section 197.3632, Florida Statutes). The commission opened and closed each public hearing with no speakers and approved the following district notices by voice vote: Culvert Columbus Culvert MSBU; Lakewood Park Water MSBU; Lakewood Park Drainage MSBU; Property Cleanup Special Assessment District; St. Lucie Village MSPU; Taylor Creek MSBU; and Towns, Villages and Countryside MSBU.

Administrative, contracts and settlements: The board approved an interlocal agreement with the Tax Collector to share the cost of renovating county-owned space at 881 S. U.S. Highway 1 for Tax Collector and Veterans Services use; the tax collector agreed to contribute up to $6 million for the build-out. Commissioners also approved participation in a generic-manufacturer opioid litigation settlement and authorized a contract amendment for architectural services on a county building project.

Impact fee ordinance: The largest substantive policy discussion concerned a proposed update to the county’s transportation impact-fee study and draft multimodal ordinance. Consultants from Benesch described a consumption-based methodology that converts a roadway impact fee to a multimodal fee (allowing expenditures on pedestrian, bicycle and transit facilities in addition to roads), updated construction cost estimates, and a two-tier fee structure using the county’s urban service boundary.

Consultants and staff said updated trip-generation data from the Institute of Transportation Engineers (12th edition) reduced some projected rates. The study produced a recommended residential fee of about $12,273 per single-family unit for the county’s urban service area (staff noted the Board previously discussed a market-rate figure of about $8,700 in 2022 and has discretion to adopt lower rates). Staff also said the full-rate adoption could raise tens of millions annually; scenarios in the study showed potential five‑year collections (if adopted at full rates) in the tens of millions.

Public comment and business feedback: Dozens of local stakeholders spoke during public comment. Fort Pierce Mayor Linda Hudson warned the board the proposed rates could “give pause” to development in Fort Pierce’s Kings Highway industrial corridor and urged accommodations for infill and downtown projects. Bridget Keene, representing the City of Port St. Lucie, requested her city’s written comments be entered into the record and said the city’s questions had not been fully answered. Industry groups — the Treasure Coast Realtors and the Treasure Coast Builders Association — warned that sharp fee increases could push development into adjacent counties and depress local development activity; the TCBA asked the board to limit increases to 25% or adopt phased schedules. Developers, landowners and the Economic Development Council urged the board to weigh long-term tax benefits from commercial and industrial projects against one-time fee increases.

Board action and direction to staff: After extended discussion the commission voted to continue the ordinance to a second hearing on Dec. 2 (motion made from the dais). Commissioners asked staff to take additional steps before adoption, including: provide the complete list of land-use categories and add a Commerce Park/Industrial Park category (ITE land-use code 130) for consideration; analyze the impacts on named pending developments (including Kings Landing and Oak Ridge Ranches) and on infill parcels within Fort Pierce; examine phasing options (Commissioners indicated support for phased implementation across the board); and provide comparative impact-fee figures for neighboring counties and the city-level interlocal arrangements. The board set an informal follow-up workshop to occur after its Nov. 18 reorganization meeting and asked staff to continue stakeholder outreach.

Why it matters: Impact fees fund capacity-adding capital projects and shape where and what types of development are economically viable. The board’s directions preserve the study’s technical work while giving commissioners more time to weigh economic-development, housing affordability and revenue tradeoffs before adoption.

What to watch: Staff will return with refined fee tables, land-use categories, phasing proposals and an adoption hearing scheduled for Dec. 2; developers and municipal partners said they expect further dialogue in the coming weeks.