§ 17-172. Findings.

It is hereby ascertained, determined and declared:

(1)

The commission has determined that ad valorem tax revenue and other revenues will not be sufficient to provide the capital improvements and additions to the county park system that are necessary to accommodate new residential construction within the county.

(2)

The county has the responsibility to provide parks and recreational facilities in the county park system. Residential construction occurring within the county impacts upon the county park system; therefore, residential construction should pay its fair share of the cost of maintaining the county's existing level of service.

(3)

Development necessitated by the growth contemplated in the comprehensive plan will require improvements and additions to the county park system to accommodate the development generated by such growth and maintain the standards of service currently provided by the county.

(4)

Implementation of the park impact fee to require residential construction to contribute its fair share to the cost of required improvements and additions to the county park system is an integral and vital element of the regulatory plan of growth management incorporated in the comprehensive plan of the county.

(5)

The imposition of the park impact fee promotes the general welfare of the citizens of Osceola County, serves a public purpose and is intended to provide a source of revenue to fund the construction of improvements to the county park system necessitated by growth as delineated in the land use and capital improvement element of the comprehensive plan.

(6)

The commission finds that the maintenance of the standards for the county park system as contained in the park impact fee study and the provision of the improvements and additions to countywide parks benefit all residential construction within the county and the provision of the improvements and additions to community parks benefit all residential construction within the unincorporated area which benefits are in excess of the park impact fee and, therefore, the park impact fee shall be imposed in all unincorporated areas of the county and all incorporated areas that have elected to participate pursuant to section 17-175.

(7)

The standard of service to be provided in the county park system and the allocation of projected costs required to accommodate the needs of future residential construction as presented in the study entitled "Impact Fees for Parks and Recreational Facilities in Osceola County, Florida," dated February 9, 2006, is hereby approved and adopted by the county and such study is found to be consistent with the comprehensive plan of the county.

(8)

The required improvements and additions to the county park system needed to eliminate any deficiencies shall be financed by revenue sources of the county other than the park impact fees.

(9)

The data set forth in the park impact fee study which was employed in the calculation of the park impact fee rates to be imposed pursuant to this is the most recent and localized data available for the county park system.

(10)

The administrative fee set forth in subsection 17-180(g) hereof constitutes the county's actual costs for collection of the park impact fee including the actual costs related to the administration and the collection process.

(Ord. No. 06-10, § 1.02, 6-26-06)