🌅 🛠️ Impact Fees Waived, 🚧 But Not for Long

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Money Moves: Fort Pierce has extended its impact fee waiver for new residential and commercial construction in the Urban Infill & Redevelopment Area through November 3, 2026. First adopted in 2020, the program waives certain city impact fees for construction projects in targeted areas where infrastructure like roads and utilities is already in place.

For the uninitiated: Impact fees are one-time charges that cities and counties collect from developers when they build new homes or businesses. The money is supposed to pay for the "impact" that new development has on infrastructure like roads, parks, fire stations, and schools. When you build a new house, someone has to pay for the extra traffic on the roads, the extra water usage, the extra strain on emergency services. Impact fees are how local governments make developers chip in for those costs instead of dumping them entirely on existing taxpayers. Waiving them means the city is essentially saying "we want development here, so we'll absorb some of those costs ourselves."

The tension: While Fort Pierce is waiving its fees to attract development, St. Lucie County is considering massive impact fee increases, including a proposed 399% jump for industrial development. The county has postponed its decision until December 2nd, with an informal workshop planned for November 18th. Commissioners are also considering phasing in any increases over four years rather than implementing them all at once.

Why it matters: Even with Fort Pierce waiving its fees, new construction must still pay St. Lucie County impact fees. The proposed increases would add thousands to the cost of new homes and could drive development to neighboring counties. Fort Pierce Mayor Linda Hudson warned at a recent county commission meeting that the increases come at "a very, very bad time" for Fort Pierce's industrial corridor plans, including projects like King's Landing.

The math: The county is looking at increasing single-family home fees from $5,610 to $12,273 (a 119% increase), industrial development from $1,208 to $6,028 per 1,000 square feet (399% increase), and retail from $6,935 to $19,097 (175% increase). The county says it's been underpricing impact fees for years and needs to catch up, especially as 45 new people move here every day and the county grows at 4% annually.

The stakes: Fort Pierce is banking heavily on development projects to transform its downtown and waterfront. City officials say the waiver has helped reduce development costs and supported an increase in construction permits over the past five years. The city sees programs like the Commercial Façade Grant Program, Property Refresh Grants, and the Infill Lien Reduction Program as critical to attracting investment that can create jobs and bring residents back to core neighborhoods.

What people are saying:

What do you think? Should Fort Pierce continue waiving impact fees while the county considers major increases? Who should pay for growth? Drop your thoughts here.

The School District of Indian River County is proposing schedule changes for the 2026-27 school year that would push high school start times 15 minutes later to 7:20 a.m. and shift middle school and K-8 schedules. Families and staff can submit feedback through an online survey until November 21.

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St. Lucie County commissioners are considering promoting interim attorney Katherine Barbieri to the permanent county attorney role after a consultant's search yielded few qualified candidates. The position has been vacant since August, and commissioners say Barbieri has performed well in the interim role, though some want to ensure proper procedures are followed.

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Indian River State College is seeking state funding for a major expansion at Indiantown High School that could include baseball and softball fields, a soccer field, track, and multipurpose buildings. The project already has $2 million from donors who previously gave $10 million to build the charter school, and the facilities would be available to the wider community.

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