[1]North Port Lowers Impact Fees.
The North Port City Commission made a sweeping move to lower the cost of impact fees in Sarasota County’s largest city in an attempt to spur new commercial and residential construction and kick start the local economy.
The North Port City Commission, in a 5-0 vote, placed a two-year moratorium on transportation and solid waste impact fees. In addition, the City Commission adopted new impact fees at a 50 percent reduction from the recommended rate by the consultant for parks, fire rescue, law enforcement and general government. Overall, this translates to a lower cost associated with building a new home or commercial building in the City of North Port.
“This isn’t just good for North Port, this is great for North Port,” said Commission Chair Tom Jones during the January 30, 2012, City Commission meeting. “As the economy picks up, we are positioning ourselves to grow. We have the population to grow, we have available property that’s priced correctly, and we’re developing a reputation in this area and around the state as being a community that works with businesses, promotes business growth and is dedicated to economic development.”
North Port joins a growing trend of local governments across Florida that are cutting impact fees in an attempt to boost the local economy and give breaks to developers and new home owners. City officials hope that with the lower costs, coupled with North Port’s large workforce, open commercial space and accessibility, the City will experience some gains in new development.
[2]