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Plan for sizable fee hike draws ire from Osceola County water customers

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Osceola County has put aside more than $5 million a year for improvements to the county’s drainage system, but with old pipes that are falling apart in some areas, officials say more money is needed.

To raise the funds, the Osceola County Commission is considering adding a $15 to $20 fee for water customers living outside city limits.

Depending on the rate picked by the commission, water customers could be on the hook for as much as $12 million.

Marcos Marrero, with the Osceola County Libertarian Party, said the additional fees will be difficult for some to afford.

“That’s going to be the average Osceola County resident that’s going to tell you that, ‘Hey, I can’t afford to pull another $15 or $20 out of my pocket to pay for this,” he said. “(But) it looks like the county’s already made the decision on it.”

The county already has more than $5 million that comes from property taxes, but officials did not say if that cost would be rolled back once customers paid the monthly fee.

Marrero worried that there wouldn’t be enough oversight on the drainage system issue.

“The (county) staff wasn’t able to tell us exactly how they’re planning on monitoring this (or) what monitoring has gone down,” he said. “They weren’t even able to tell us how polluted our lakes really are.”

The county, though, argues that the fees are fair because they would be based on how much impervious cover – foundations, pools, driveways and other features that keep water from soaking into the ground – a piece of property has.

No one from Osceola County government was available Tuesday to comment on the concerns over the proposed fee increase.