Brevard County approves first water and sewer connection fee hike in 33 years

Brevard County approves first water and sewer connection fee hike in 33 yearsCommissioners unanimously rejected a phased rollout, opting for immediate implementation of $8,500 water and $4,500 sewer connection fees to capture maximum capital revenue from regional growth.

The Brevard County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution to update utility connection fees for the first time since 1993.

New single-family equivalent connections will now incur one-time fees of $8,500 for water and $4,500 for sewer.

The board opted for immediate implementation rather than a multi-year phased approach to avoid lost revenue from ongoing development.

The fees function as capital impact charges, ensuring new construction funds the infrastructure expansions required to service them.

The Brevard County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a sweeping update to the county's water and wastewater connection fees, marking the first time the municipality has raised these development charges since 1993. During the July 7 meeting, the board authorized the Utility Services Department to advertise and implement a new rate resolution setting the one-time connection fee for a standard single-family home at $8,500 for water and $4,500 for sewer. Functioning effectively as capital impact fees, the charges are levied exclusively on new construction to fund the infrastructure expansions necessary to accommodate regional growth. A Utility Services Department staff member underscored to the board that the fees are calculated based on the initial capital cost required to provide capacity for every equivalent single-family home. Commissioners were presented with multiple implementation strategies, including phasing the steep increases over two to five years. However, utility staff warned that a phased approach would result in permanently lost revenue, as connection fees are paid only once per property. Opting to maximize capital recovery, the board selected immediate implementation. "If we are going to do it, we might as well get it done in the most efficient way and go with year one," one commissioner noted prior to the unanimous vote. The update also aligns the county's fee structure with Florida Administrative Code guidelines for calculating equivalent residential connections across various development types, such as commercial properties and mobile home parks. The fee hike arrives as Brevard County faces mounting capital pressures across its utility footprint. Earlier in the meeting, the board approved a $1.13 million emergency purchase order to repair severe hydrogen sulfide corrosion and liner failure at the South Central Water Reclamation Facility's headworks. Furthermore, the county is currently navigating complex wastewater capacity negotiations with Space Florida and the U.S. Air Force, which recently announced plans to build a new wastewater plant that could alter the county's need for a previously discussed $130 million pipeline expansion.