Polk commissioners open workshop on transportation impact fees; debate centers on warehouse rates and competitiveness

Polk County commissioners held the first of two scheduled workshops on Feb. 18 to consider raising transportation impact fees and whether extraordinary circumstances justify departing from Florida’s normal four‑year phase‑in rules.

Deputy County Manager John Bodie and staff described the legal framework and technical options. Under state statute, if a county does not follow the extraordinary‑circumstances process, statutory limits generally cap increases to 25% over two years and 50% over four years. Staff said a March 2023 study established a combined industrial/warehouse fee at $539 (about 84% of a $639 maximum cited in the study) and that a phased schedule implemented in January raised the overall schedule to $573. Staff presented alternative technical approaches and inputs, including different trip‑generation assumptions and a “blockage factor” intended to capture the greater roadway capacity consumed by tractor‑trailers compared with passenger vehicles.

Key technical inputs shown by staff included trip‑generation rates (examples: 1.71 trips per 1,000 sq. ft., 1.98 blended rate, 2.25 local rate) and capacity assumptions that change when the blockage factor is applied (capacity examples cited: 10,100 vs. 7,800). Staff said applying the…