16 Comments

Nicole Knapp was Impact Fee Coordinator at the time this was presented in April 9, 2023 (and that was at 90%). She seemed fine with it then. De Pol got to her and then made her director of Development Services. Unfortunately, a new study is needed because it has been 8 years (statutes say 5) but in the meantime lets collect more. I remember when development did pay 100% but when the bubble burst around 2007-08 everything went to hell. Hasn't been equitable since construction picked up again.

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Nov 17, 2023Liked by George W Kruse

Excellent analysis. In a state with no income tax, most of our needs are funded with property taxes. Not only is an increase in impact fees capped, but the increase in property taxes from a vacant lot to a completed home are subject to a non homestead cap of 10%. This should be removed once a property has been improved more than 25% but that never happens. The only one paying the fair market value assessment is the home buyer, no matter how long the completed home sits on the market. It should be fairly easy to figure out which homes should have the cap removed by searching for certificate of occupancy. The money is there but it’s a lot easier to take it from the little guy than developers and their teams of lobbyists and lawyers.

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Nice explanation. When I was told about 100% by someone, I knew there was an issue and bam there it is. As for development, the BOCC doesn't have to put a stop to it. Just don't REZONE those areas so builders can build extensions toe LWR. or LWR look a likes. People will scream Personal Property Rights. But that doesn't mean that the BOCC or county needs to jump and change the zoning to please them. Just like...the cough cough...Wetland buffers. Now these same characters are trying to work over AMI & add another bridge. So the taxpayers will still end up paying with the builders count their money & politician coffers fill up with LLC dev money in their campaign treasure chests. But no one is will to be brave enough to point out the dirty laundry.

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Thank you for the thorough explanation George. The moment DePol, Knapp & Bishop all opened their mouths in unison to express their manufactured “concern” over the revised study I knew without question that something nefarious and fishy was going on. The 3 of them are every bit as corrupt as the sickening six.

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Nov 17, 2023·edited Nov 17, 2023

Yes, exactly - It was obvious they were concerned that development is coming to a halt (thank god) and now their jobs are hopefully on the chopping block too....so of course they want to help in any way they can to get a new report to make the tax payer pay for impact fees so the developers can keep building and they can stay employed...uhhh...and Courteney De Pol is like 36....why are we taking direction from her,....Vanessa Baugh supposedly felt she needed a mentor.......shouldn't she have been let go with Scott Hopes?

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Facts are stubborn things

The developer back commissioners are puppets to them. Let me guess... it was voted on AFTER lunch .. WTF

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And the voters keep voting for commissioners who consistently favor greedy developers who care nothing about Florida’s environmental well-being. Sickening.

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I learned two new words:Pigouvian and accretive. As usual our state legislators have contributed to this mess by putting a cap on the amount by which the impact fees are being increased. They need to share in the blame and they need to be called task about their role in the taxpayers' hidden increase in what amounts to a tax. This is a question without a hidden agenda: new residences are paying a huge real-estate tax based on the outrageous amounts they are paying to purchase their "dream". Does that huge tax in any way offset that 60 per cent which the taxpayers are now paying. Another question: there is currently $600 million in cash and cash equivalents sitting in the utility fund. Does that increase in any way offset that 60 % the taxpayers are subsidizing? Finally someone is actually explaining the credit which the developers receive against their impact fees. Let us not forget that many of these costs are due to the state legislature. The governor and the legislature brag that the state budget is half of the state of New York. If some of these hidden fees were taken into consideration we may be somewhat closer to the State of New York than we are being told about.

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Nov 17, 2023·edited Nov 17, 2023

So, from the video, I understood that BUYERS pay the impact fee, but only if they are obtaining a mortgage?? cash buyers don't pay impact fees? is that right?

And these impact fees are going to pay for infrastructure? But aren't these new homes out east also included in a CDD which is already supposed to reimburse the developer for the cost of the infrastructure? And every homeowner in the CDD pays off a portion of the bond to reimburse the developer for the infrastructure, right? PLUS homeowners in CDD's also pay an annual O&M fee to the CDD -- so the future homeowner in an HOA with a CDD is paying for the infrastructure TWICE...once at closing table and then again over 30 years in the form of an annual ad-valorem CDD payment, PLUS an escalating O & M fee, PLUS an HOA fee , PLUS RE TAXES to Manatee county.......and the HOA'S are all corrupt too....some of us also need flood insurance where we didn't before and our insurance rates have tripled....Manatee County has become unaffordable to mostly everyone I think..

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Developers pay the impact fees. The narrative is that "buyer's pay" through higher home prices but I don't believe that at all. Homes aren't priced piecemeal like that. In the video, they did try to muddy the water a bit with the doc stamp discussion. Those are wholly separate costs paid at closing of a home purchase. In that case, the buyer does pay the doc stamps for the mortgage, but only if they obtain one. Those are separate costs, however, and go to the state, not our infrastructure.

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Developers pay the fee and it's assumed that the cost is passed on to the buyers regardless of how the buyers pay.

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The shitshow continues .... For the Record

Let’s talk about the impact fees. The current study that was supposed to come before that board was somehow derailed by the majority of the developer back board. The current study would have bought into alignment and correct impact fees needed to sustain infrastructure for the development. Currently we are only getting about 40¢ for every dollar needed to build that infrastructure. Clearly the developers are not paying their fair share. Who do you think picks up the difference …. the regular hard-working taxpayers while the fat cat developers are laughing all the way to the bank on the hard working backs of the rest of the citizens in Manatee county. By far this is the worst leadership of the BOCC I have ever seen in the last couple of decades. With the exception of George will rest of the board are controlled by developers with the staff drinking the cool-aid. It is so obvious that the current board are nothing more than puppets for the developers.

In the last few years, the very idea of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is dredged up only as a final resort when the alternative options of deception, threat and bribery have all been exhausted.

Michael Musto

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What is most offensive is that 6 Commissioners and this administration think we are stupid enough to praise them for doing the absolute minimum. I hope the opposing candidates arm themselves with what has transpired, and will use simple math logic to articulate how voters have been getting screwed, and will continue to get screwed by these 6 commissioners, 3 of whom we can vote out next year.

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They should be embarrassed to cash their checks

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And who are and who are the alternatives?

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What would you suggest Joe blow public do to correct this issue?

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