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Commission reviews ordinance to waive building permit fees for large industrial projects
Summary
The commission discussed ordinance 2026-03, which would allow waiving building permit fees for economic-development projects on industrial land to help recruit large employers; staff said a full fee waiver on a $100 million project could amount to roughly $500,000.
The City Commission considered ordinance 2026-03, an economic-development measure that would allow the city to waive building permit fees for qualifying industrial projects.
City manager said the measure is meant to make the city more competitive for large employers, noting the area’s entitled industrial land and nearby intermodal logistics centers in Winter Haven. Staff explained the ordinance is one of two related measures; a second amendment addressing site-development review fees will be presented in April after review by the planning and zoning board.
Staff offered a dollar example: if the city waived all building permit fees for a $100 million project, the total waived fees would be about $500,000. A commissioner asked whether the proposed amendment is limited to large projects; staff replied the current draft does not restrict waivers to large projects, and that the city already has programs A and B for impact-fee mitigation.
No formal vote on the ordinance was recorded in the transcript. Staff said a second related ordinance on site-development review fees will return to the commission after planning and zoning review.
