Seminole County authorizes temporary fee adjustments to comply with HB 803

The Seminole County Board of County Commissioners on June 23 approved a resolution delegating temporary authority to county staff to adjust building permit and development fees to comply with House Bill 803, which prohibits fees based on project value and requires that local fees not exceed actual costs.

Mr. Rhodes, speaking to the board, summarized the statute’s effects and the compressed timetable: HB 803 amends multiple chapters of Florida law, limits fee methodologies, requires a registration system for private providers, and sets a July 1 effective date for many provisions. Rhodes said the county must conduct a fee study and is planning to piggyback on existing contracts to accelerate the work.

Commissioners acknowledged the need to reflect actual costs but raised concerns about a one‑size‑fits‑all statewide mandate and the limited time to implement changes. Commissioner Loizides said the board should ensure the fee study captures longer‑term programmatic needs and that the Accela platform rollout accommodates new fee structures. A motion to authorize the chairman to execute the resolution passed unanimously.

Staff said the fee study will cover building permits and other development fees (subdivisions, variances, etc.) and will be used to program fees into the county’s Accela permitting system. The board’s approval grants the building official and development services director authority to make interim fee adjustments consistent with state law while the county completes the study.