Hillsborough County hosted the second public workshop on proposed increases to water and wastewater impact fees on Dec. 10, 2025. County staff said extraordinary circumstances in the South Central service area — primarily rapid population growth and planned capital projects — provide legal justification for fees that would exceed ordinary statutory limitations. No action was taken; a public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 17, 2025.

Mister Cassidy introduced Lisa Ray, the county’s director of Water Resources, and Justin Grant of consultant Stantec. Staff said population growth is concentrated in the South Central service area and that projects under design (including a planned 24‑million‑gallon‑per‑day wastewater treatment plant and related pipelines) form the basis for updated fees. The presentation cited an estimated per‑ERC (equivalent residential connection) cost of about $13,270 derived from the study and noted that not updating fees could, per the model presented, produce significant long‑term revenue impacts if the county did not capture growth‑related funding.

Staff outlined the timeline: this second public workshop, a Dec. 17 Board hearing scheduled for 10 a.m., and a targeted implementation roughly 90 days after adoption (staff suggested late March to April 2026 as likely). "We will be holding the public hearing at the December 17 Board of County Commissioners regular meeting," staff said, adding that implementation preparations would follow pending board direction.

Commissioners asked detailed questions about who would pay the fees, how many new households the county is planning for, the study’s modeling assumptions, and whether fees could be phased in. One commissioner said an immediate implementation could raise the cost of a new home by "like, $13,000 starting on January 1," and several commissioners asked staff and the consultant to present phased‑in scenarios (two‑, three‑ or four‑year options) and to clarify how phasing would affect the county’s ability to bond for projects.

Staff responded that the study calculations were completed months earlier and that what remained was finalizing the report and wrapping it with the board’s direction on full cost recovery versus partial recovery. Staff said they would provide the planning horizon, forecasted number of connections and other inputs to clarify the executive‑summary numbers requested by commissioners and indicated they could return with phased scenarios for the Dec. 17 hearing.

Commissioners also asked that study documentation and model inputs be made available for public review and that the county engage developers and other stakeholders; staff said they had shared materials with the Tampa Bay Builders Association and would make additional information available. The workshop closed with staff committing to return with follow‑up materials and options before the Dec. 17 hearing.