Fort Pierce extends one-year moratorium on city impact fees inside urban infill area to spur infill housing

The Fort Pierce City Commission voted Oct. 20 to extend a one-year moratorium on the city's impact fees for development within the Fort Pierce Redevelopment Area (FPRA), continuing a policy first adopted in March 2020 designed to incentivize infill redevelopment.

Planning staff member Cheyenne Harnage told commissioners the percentage of new construction permits issued inside the FPRA has risen from roughly 4% in 2021 to about 12% in 2025, even as overall permit volume citywide has declined. "These infill sites have the much needed infrastructure already in place," Harnage said, adding that modest, local construction in the FPRA often uses existing roads and utilities and that the moratorium helps lower upfront development costs for small builders.

Public commenters and commissioners supported the extension. St. Lucie County Commissioner James Clasby, speaking as a private citizen, said he will pursue a similar county-level moratorium and called the policy a "force multiplier" for attracting infill projects. Commissioners noted many projects in the FPRA are being built by local contractors and that higher occupancy rates and new housing in infill neighborhoods can reduce blight and improve neighborhood conditions.

After reopening the public hearing to include the county commissioner's comments, the commission voted to approve ordinance 25-033, extending the moratorium for another 12 months within the FPRA boundary shown on staff maps. The ordinance references code sections 113-8 and 113-15 through 113-19 and was introduced and approved by vote during the meeting.

Staff said they will continue to monitor annual metrics and bring the moratorium back for review next year. Commissioners called for outreach to county counterparts to explore a joint approach to incentivizing infill construction.