Manatee County collects data it hopes will raise impact fees

Manatee County commissioners want to raise impact fees on new developments, but to do that, they first have to prove to the state the county is experiencing “extraordinary circumstances.”

On Dec. 10, a unanimous vote directed staff members to update the county’s impact fee study, and to create a supplemental report to demonstrate Manatee County’s need for higher impact fees than what is statutorily allowed.

The report was presented to commissioners in two back-to-back work sessions May 6 and May 7. The updated impact fee study will be presented to the board May 22 and June 5.

Both the study and the supplemental report were conducted by Benesch, a consulting firm headquartered in Chicago and the same firm that conducted the last updated impact fee study in 2023. 

Florida statute only allows fees to increase by 50% over four years. Manatee County increased its fees by 50% in August 2024. However, if the state agrees that Manatee County is undergoing extraordinary circumstances, fees can be increased up to 100%, which is where commissioners are aiming. 

The goal is to have the increased fee structure in place by Sept. 9. Here’s a look at the data commissioners hope will prove their case for extraordinary circumstances.

Manatee County ranks No. 8 in residential permitting 

Out of 67 counties, Manatee County ranks No. 15 in population and No. 8 in the amount of residential permits issued. 

While an updated impact fee study was done in 2020, commissioners never adopted it. 

Up until the 2023 study was adopted in 2024 and enacted Jan. 1, 2025, the county was collecting 90% of 2015 calculations. 

As it stands, the 50% increase will tick up over four years in equal installments of 12.5% each year.

Compared to 10 years ago, the number of permits issued by the county has more than doubled. 

In 2015, 3,619 residential permits were issued. In 2024, 7,472 residential permits were issued. Between 2021 and 2023, over 8,000 permits were issued each year. 

Nilgum Kamp presented the findings from Benesch. She said growth levels following the COVID pandemic hadn’t been that high since the 1990s.

“That just kind of emphasizes the pressure that you’re getting from high growth levels,” she said. “There has also been significant cost increases since 2015.” 

The report states that costs have been steadily increasing since 2013 with “more significant increases occurring after the pandemic.” 

Kamp used the cost of lane miles as an example. A lane mile only travels in one direction, so a four-lane road that is two miles long would be calculated as eight lane miles. 

In the 2015 study, the cost for one lane mile in Manatee County was about $3.3 million. In the 2025 study, the cost for one lane mile is about $8.5 million, which is a 156% increase. 

Kamp noted that $8.5 million was a conservative estimate because Benesch excluded any unusually expensive projects, such as bridges, in its calculations.

If the county continues to operate under its current study and the state cap on impact fees, then it will be collecting up to 60% less than the full cost. 

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35% of lane miles are projected to be over capacity by 2045

Benesch used the Transform 2045 Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Long Range Transportation Plan and the Central Florida Regional Planning Model when projecting that 35% of lane miles will be over capacity by 2045.

The report states that currently planned and funded projects in the Long Range Transportation Plan are not sufficient to keep up with the county’s growth. 

A list of 17 road projects, totalling $674 million, was included in the report because those improvements are eligible to be funded with impact fees. 

Out of the 17, five of the improvement projects are in East County and are estimated to cost $340.1 million. 

The county is currently collecting about $48 million a year in multi-modal transportation impact fees. 

If the county was to charge the full amount of the updated rates for 2025, it could collect between $87.6 million to $112.1 million per year. The actual total would depend on how many permits are issued. 

‘These growth levels result in a need for additional infrastructure.’ 

Commissioners say the report indicates Manatee County is not collecting enough impact fees to keep up with its population growth. 

Transportation is not the only department in need of “future capacity projects.” The study covers the needs across Law Enforcement, Public Safety, Library Facilities and Parks and Natural Resources, as well. 

• Law Enforcement

Law enforcement has an estimated $67 million worth of needs, one of which is a building to hold property and evidence. 

County Administrator Charlie Bishop said a lack of evidence storage for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has been an ongoing issue. He explained that if a Bingo hall is raided, everything inside the building needs to be collected and stored. 

That one project accounts for $30 million and is slated to be built on the county-owned property next to the Lena Road Landfill. 

Over the past five years, the county has collected about $3.6 million per year in law enforcement impact fees. 

If the state approves the county’s request, it could begin collecting between $5.5 million to $7.2 million per year. 

• Public Safety

Public Safety has about $46 million in needs spread across five projects. 

The current collection for public safety impact fees is about $2 million a year, which could increase up to $2.6 million a year if the increased fees are adopted. 

None of the projects are in East County, but the overall need is for additional EMS and Sheriff's Office substations throughout the rest of the county. 

• Libraries

Libraries are looking at about $34 million in project needs, and $6.2 million of that is to build out the second floor of the Lakewood Ranch Library as flexible meeting space. 

Bishop's plan is to design the space so it can as easily accommodate small study groups as it can a large community event.

The county currently collects about $1.8 million a year in library facility impact fees. Under the increased fee schedule, the projections show the collection would be between $2.1 million to $2.7 million per year.

• Parks and Natural Resources

Parks and Natural Resources has $43 million worth of eligible projects, and Lakewood Ranch parks account for over $8 million of that estimate. 

Improvements to the baseball fields in Country Club East Park are anticipated to cost $6.5 million, and another $1.6 million is earmarked for Lakewood Ranch Park improvements.

Park improvements include LED lighting and a multi-generational health and wellness playground.

The current collection from parks and natural resources impact fees is about $7.8 million per year. That number could spike up to between $22.2 million and $28.4 million.

The updated impact fee study and extraordinary circumstances report will be presented to the Planning Commission May 15 before returning to the commission for two more public hearings May 22 and June 5, rendering an effective date of Sept. 9.