LAKELAND, Fla. — Major growth is resulting in dramatically higher impact fees for new development in Lakeland.
The Property Solutions Team has been building manufactured homes in Lakeland and throughout Polk County since 2022. CEO Tom Lehman said his company strives to make the American dream affordable.
WATCH: Lakeland increasing impact fees for new homes to keep up with growth
"Their buying power has been severely reduced already, and isn't the goal to make home ownership?" said Lehman.
However, the City of Lakeland will now charge home builders like Lehman more. Commissioners voted to increase non-utility impact fees on commercial and residential construction by up to 50% over the next four years.
This will add nearly $4,000 to the cost of a new single-family home. Lehman said the fees will be passed down to homebuyers.
"We understand the need for fees, but we also have to be realistic about who it affects in the end. If you're building a $5-600,000 home, are they affected by this, not really. But $200,000 home, they are hugely impacted," said Lehman.
Impact fees are one-time charges that local governments impose on developers to offset the costs of public services and infrastructure needed due to new development.
More people moving to Lakeland means more people are using services offered by the police department, fire stations, and parks and recreation. A hike in impact fees will expand those services.
Justin Jones is moving to Lakeland from Oregon. He and his wife bought a home six weeks ago.
"There's a lot of great opportunities in the area. The school systems were a lot better than where we came from," said Jones.
The last time Lakeland commissioners increased impact fees was in 2019, when they raised them by less than the recommended amount. Jones feels that homebuyers shouldn't mind paying higher fees if they will improve the quality of life.
"As someone that wants to be a good steward of the community, especially somebody that is moving into a community that now has all this pressure from all of us out-of-staters moving. I think it's a good thing as long as they’re spending the money the right way," Jones said.
There are some truly inspiring people who call the Tampa Bay area home. People who overcome odds that others could not even imagine. Tampa Bay 28 anchor Lauren St. Germain met a woman who is doing just that, as she competes at an international level after 2 life-saving lung transplants.
