Doral adopts streamlined parks and recreation fee schedule, raises some nonresident surcharges

After a consultant presentation and department review, the City of Doral on June 10 approved a revised parks and recreation fee schedule designed to standardize pricing, improve cost recovery, and simplify customer-facing rates. The council adopted consolidated fees for leagues and camps, set a $100 security deposit for most pavilion rentals, and moved to include equipment and set-up in most rental rates.

George Dios of JRD & Associates said the study benchmarks Doral’s fees against peer cities and recommended targeted increases and standardization to maintain service quality while recovering costs. "Cost recovery is one of your key performance indicators in your parks master plan," Dios said, explaining some fees were raised to reflect higher service levels and consistent administration.

Parks Director Michael Festa walked through specifics: nonresident surcharges for youth programming will be 25% across the board; nonresident rates for event venues will increase to 30%; veteran and military discounts were consolidated and expanded to include personnel assigned to U.S. Southern Command; commuters who can show local employment will be treated as residents for fitness center access. Festa described changes to membership packages at Doral Central Park and Legacy Park and said AMELIA software will roll out the new structure and replace many administrative fees.

Council members asked about government-entity use of facilities; staff explained some government uses will still be charged unless an MOU or agreement specifies otherwise, and the city may allow one annual free government use. Councilwoman Venero and others stressed protections for seniors and special-needs programming; Festa said many senior activities remain subsidized and some free activations will continue.

The council moved and voted to approve the fee schedule as presented; the motion passed.