Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter is fleeing Lake County’s impact fees in favor of Sumter County.
“The cost of building any home, especially an affordable one, is burdened by many things, including impact fees,” the organization said in a news release issued Wednesday.
This fact was driven home to the organization and its board recently in a very tangible way. Habitat is building workforce homes for two families. One family, in Bushnell in Sumter County, has a disabled son to care for and the other, in Eustis in Lake County, is a government worker with a family that’s unable to all live under the same roof due to high rental costs. Each family works full-time jobs. Each one has good credit. And each one needs a housing solution they can afford.
The home plans are exactly the same, yet the one in Lake County costs $14,000 more to build.
Why?
It’s the difference in impact fees: in Sumter County, Habitat for Humanity paid a little more than $3,000, while in Lake County, the organization paid $17,000.
It prompted Habitat’s Board of Directors to make a decision.
Once the roughly 15 homes that Habitat has earmarked for Lake County are complete, it will move all of its new construction to Sumter County.
Habitat will continue to acquire and rehab existing properties in Lake County in situations in which impact fees are not charged.
