Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Impact Fees topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cocoa Beach adopts municipal impact‑fee ordinance after debate over who pays
Summary
The Cocoa Beach City Commission approved Ordinance 17‑09 on second reading to create municipal impact fees based on a 2026 study. Commissioners and builders debated whether new development or current residents should shoulder costs; the measure passed 4‑1.
The Cocoa Beach City Commission adopted Ordinance 17‑09 on second reading on a 4‑1 roll‑call vote, implementing a municipal impact‑fee framework based on the city’s 2026 impact fee study.
City staff presented the study’s calculations for a typical single‑family residence — police $1,080, fire $1,034, and general government $946, a combined total of $3,060 — and described credits and exemptions for redevelopment and projects already in process. Development services director David Dickey told the commission staff had followed prior direction to consider timing of collection and to grant credits where appropriate.
Janice Scott, a Cocoa Beach resident who spoke during public comment, urged clearer public explanations of how the fees are calculated and applied. Local builder Don Haynes said permit and fee totals in Cocoa Beach are substantially higher than county rates and warned the added cost could create barriers to housing: “Permit, impact fees, everything to build a single family house? ... It’s $20,000,” Haynes said, arguing the expense will be passed to buyers.
Supporters on the dais said impact fees are a way to ensure new development helps pay for capital costs of services rather than shifting that burden to existing residents through higher taxes. Commissioner [functional_label] said the fee clusters amount to an upfront financing mechanism that reduces the need for raising the millage rate later.
Opponents said the city should ensure residents see returns from new development before shifting added burden to families trying to build. Mayor Capizzi cast the lone Nay vote during the roll call.
The commission’s action creates a Chapter 8 in the Cocoa Beach Code of Ordinances to provide finding, definitions and collection procedures; staff said credits and grandfathering provisions are included for redevelopment and projects far along under previous development agreements. The ordinance will be codified with the cited 2026 study as the basis for the fee schedule.
The commission closed debate after public comment and adopted the ordinance. The ordinance takes effect as provided in the implementing language and staff will manage fee collection and credits going forward.
