NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners approved a major increase in mobility fees Tuesday, with county leaders saying the additional money is needed to keep up with road projects tied to Pasco’s rapid growth.
Mobility fees are one-time charges paid by developers on new construction projects to help fund roads, sidewalks, traffic signals, and other transportation infrastructure.
County officials said current funding levels are no longer enough to cover rising construction costs and the county’s population growth, which planners say is now about 50 percent higher than projected in a 2021 study.
“I think this puts resources into our hands as a local government to be able to build projects that are going to make peoples’ lives better,” Pasco County Engineer Nick Uhren said.
Uhren said the county has several major transportation projects already underway or in development, including the widening of Old Pasco Road, the expansion of Wesley Chapel Boulevard to six lanes, and the Ridge Road extension connecting west and central Pasco County.
He said roughly $1.5 billion is expected to go toward Pasco County road projects over the next five years.
Under the approved fee schedule, a new 2,000-square-foot home in a suburban area will see mobility fees increase from $9,646 to $13,675 over two years.
Drive-thru restaurants and retail developments will also see significant increases, while new logistics and warehouse developments will begin paying mobility fees for the first time because of their traffic impacts.
The county said the updated fees are required as part of a mandatory four-year review of mobility and administrative fee studies.
Officials emphasized that the fees are charged to developers, although those costs could eventually be passed along to buyers.
“I don’t think a developer can say, ‘Hey, the government says I need to spend a little bit more on roads, and therefore I need you as the buyer to spend a little bit more on the house,’” Uhren said. “I think the buyer can say I think I’m going to go to the guy next door who is not including that increase in my price, and I’m going to buy from him instead.”
The updated ordinance also includes discounts for affordable housing projects, locally owned small businesses and longtime Pasco residents building homes as owner-builders.
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