"There’s never a good time to raise a fee."
Property owners in Orlando will see a higher stormwater bill starting next year, providing a costly shot in the arm to fund maintenance and improvements to the aging pipes that move rainwater from streets and neighborhoods to lakes and ponds.
By a 5-1 vote Monday, the city council signed off on the controversial hike after hearing from about two dozen residents opposed to the increase, most of whom argued it wasn’t equitable. Commissioner Tony Ortiz cast the lone opposing vote.
“If Bill Gates moved into town and bought a $10 million house, he’d be paying the same stormwater fee as me,” said city resident Bill Giardello. “That’s nonsense.”
The fee is calculated based on a property’s impervious surface — essentially the hard surfaces like a rooftop, driveway or pool deck. The fee will drastically increase between 2025 and 2028.
Read more at the Orlando Sentinel