Lee County’s impact fees could rise

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FORT MYERS, Fla.- The cost of new construction in Lee County could be going up.

Commissioners are facing a tough decision on whether to return impact fees to their former levels.

Two years ago, county officials slashed those fees by 80 percent.

The fees pay for improved roads and new schools, among other things. In the past two years, the county has lost out on tens of millions of dollars for those needs.

The building industry says: leave the fees low.  The reduced fees have also provided a spark for building– leading to a surge in single family home construction.

The fees used to be more than $12,000 for a new house. The past couple of years, that cost was cut to about $2,500.

Tuesday afternoon, commissioners had a briefing on the need for more and wider roads. Transportation planners say Lee County needs $270 million for projects over the next five years that are not funded.

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