County adopts HUD plan amendments, impact‑fee grandfathering and updates solicitation ordinance
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Summary
At time certain the board adopted substantial HUD annual action‑plan amendments, approved a grandfathering approach for water/wastewater impact fees for applicants in the queue, and repealed and replaced a solicitation‑in‑roadways ordinance to be content neutral and enforceable for safety.
At its March 4 meeting the board of Hillsborough County took action on three public hearings scheduled for the morning.
HUD annual action plans (D1): Cheryl Howell, assistant county administrator for community impact, presented substantial amendments to the county's annual action plans for program years 2018–2023 to be submitted to HUD. Howell said the Affordable Housing Services office had properly noticed the hearing and that adopting the amendments had no fiscal impact. The board adopted the amendments and closed the public comment period after a brief public comment from Denise Herndon raising concerns about affordability and how funds are used.
Water and wastewater impact fees (D2): County counsel and water resources staff described code changes to allow projects already in the county approval queue to keep the pre‑increase impact fee rate if they meet a sequence of milestones. Lisa Ray, director of water resources, summarized the path: a complete application received by the date the higher fees were voted on (roughly 17,000 ERCs estimated) can be grandfathered if the applicant receives a utility service request number by 03/22/2026, pays 1/6th of an accrued guaranteed revenue fee by the end of the fiscal year, and files a completed building permit application by 03/22/2028. The board approved the ordinance changes.
Solicitation and distribution ordinance (D3): Assistant county attorney Cameron Clark presented an ordinance repealing and replacing a 1991 county ordinance that restricted solicitation in roadways. Clark said a U.S. Supreme Court decision and subsequent rulings required reworking the ordinance language to be content neutral so that law enforcement can continue to address safety issues. Representatives from Tampa Police Department and Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office supported the change, citing pedestrian‑safety data. The board approved the replacement ordinance; staff and law enforcement discussed misdemeanor penalties (up to $500 fine and 60 days) and emphasized enforcement aimed at safety rather than incarceration.
Why it matters: The actions together reshape several programs: HUD plan amendments finalize programmatic updates for federal reporting; impact‑fee grandfathering protects in‑process projects from immediate fee increases but imposes milestone commitments; and the solicitation ordinance rewrite preserves local roadway safety enforcement within constitutional limits.
What's next: For impact fees, water resources and development services will monitor applications and notify eligible applicants of the required milestones and deadlines. The county attorney and law enforcement will collaborate on implementing the updated solicitation ordinance.
