VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla.,None — Volusia County residents were waiting for the massive new shopping center, Pavilion at Port Orange, to open its doors. However, two weeks after its grand opening shoppers are realizing they're being charged extra for shopping there.
Shoppers are being charged an additional sales tax to help pay for the complex.
"I bought these for my dog today and, on the receipt, I can show you it says I was charged a P.I.F fee, an extra 11 cents," shopper Grace Smith said.
P.I.F. stands for "Public Infrastructure Fee." The roads, the storm sewers, are all being paid for out of that money being charged to shoppers.
An extra fee is appearing on just about every receipt from the new Port Orange Pavilion. It is one percent on top of the 6.5 percent sales tax on whatever you buy.
"This is the first time I've ever heard of it and why would you have a facilities charge only in this place and not in any other?" Smith asked.
City hall started taking calls last week from customers asking the same question. The fee covers $22 million in road, water and sewer improvements needed for the development and the city.
A spokesperson for CBL, the developers, said the project required significant level of infrastructure investments, which would have made it impossible to do under a different set of circumstances.
"I've been in Orlando, and all kinds of other places, and I've never seen this before. It was surprising," shopper Dave Rigney said.
CBL also charges the fee at a facility in West Melbourne and said it's only a new concept locally. It has tried to make shoppers aware. Signs in front of stores tout the improvements the fee covers.
Not every store though, is passing the fee on to shoppers. Belk said it is the only one of its 306 stores in the nation required to pay the fee and says right on its receipt it will pay the fee on customers' behalf.
Some stores are providing tear-offs, letting people know at the counter what the money is for.
It is not keeping people from shopping at the new center. Some stores told WFTV their business is up 60 to 70 percent over what they expected.