Sarasota County, Florida

Multi-Facility Impact Fee Study
   

In 2006, Duncan Associates was selected to prepare a comprehensive update of Sarasota County’s impact fees and to develop some potential new fees. The first phase was an update of the road and park impact fees. The County had been updating the fees in-house since they were originally developed in the late 1980s, and the methodology, especially for roads was very conservative. Some key features were that the reconstruction of existing lanes were not included in road widening costs, and the cost per lane-mile was based on two proto-typical historical projects

rather than recent or planned projects. The updated road and park fees, based on state-of-the-art methodologies and current costs, increased dramatically from current levels and were phased in over a two-year period. The second phase of the project included the update of the fire and EMS fees and the development of new fees for law enforcement, justice and general government facilities. The new fees were based on a functional population methodology, and a careful allocation of costs between incorporated and unincorporated areas. The new fees were adopted without a phase-in.