Quote:
Originally Posted by MIskra
I am a resident of Sumter County. I attended this meeting at the Everglades Rec Center. There were lots of residents in attendance. There was additional parking at the Publix next door to the rec center, so please don't believe Oren Miller's wife's claim that residents were not able to attend. One thing that the commissioners disclosed in this meeting is that the county cannot disproportionally target a single business, or category of businesses, and impose tax increases on just them. It’s against the law. We all need to accept the fact that every business in our county will be affected by raising road impact fees. It's not just about The Developer. It's not just about the Villages. The cost of building EVERYTHING will increase, as well as the cost of leasing any type of facility. It was heartbreaking to listen to the stress from all the hard-working young people who are scared as hell that the rug is going to be pulled out from under them. Even a guy who just makes T-shirts for a living. Put yourselves in their shoes. Remember how stressful it was when you were young and working to achieve your goals. Can you recall the anxiety that you felt when the success of your employer or small business was in jeopardy? All these increases will be passed on to you, the consumer, in everything that you purchase. Many businesses are still struggling to recover from COVID, and when they say that this could put them out of business, believe them. Our restaurants, retailers and grocery stores are at risk. Our small businesses and contractors are at risk. Our hospitals and medical clinics are at risk. Affordable housing for young families, working professionals, and retirees are at risk. This is a big deal.
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Remember, the impact fees affect new construction; they should not affect existing structures. The restaurants, retailers, grocery stores, hospitals, and clinics I go to all exist and will not be paying any increased impact fees.
Of course, any expansion of these into new structures would be affected by higher fees.
Also, a large amount of new home construction without additional grocery stores means my store will become more crowded. On the other hand, a large amount of new home construction will be a huge draw for new businesses.