The local paper today again talked about the hospital not being built in Sumter County. The fact of the matter is that the hospital has all intentions of building on the border between Lake and Sumter, but on the Lake County side. This was decided prior to any discussions of raising the impact fees by the new Commissioners since they have been in office.
If the impact fees were raised to the full 100% level, homes sales in Sumter County will not slow down and businesses will continue to follow the increasing population. One of the Commissioners who has been seated for many years admitted that at the January 5th meeting. (You can listen to the audio of all the meetings by just going to the County website).
I’m sure that the three new Commissioners are well aware of the Sunshine Laws. There have been many threads asking that readers send emails to the Commissioners asking them to honor their campaign pledge to roll back the unconscionable 25% tax increase and increase the impact fees to help in that regard. The real reason to increase the fees and roll back the taxes is that it is “the right thing to do!”
What was definitely the wrong thing to do was to have an employee of the developer, who is also a Florida Legislator, originate a bill to cap all impact fees in the entire state at 3% putting the tax burden on costs of new development on All Florida taxpayers no matter which county they live in just to keep their sweetheart deal. See the article in the Orlando Sentinel about HB 337 and S 750.
Just so you understand where I’m coming from, I am a registered Republican, not affiliated with anyone and I just want the developer to pay their “fair share.”
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