Orange County is considering a stormwater utility fee for unincorporated property owners that could range from about $5.85 to $18.59 per month for a typical residential property under scenarios presented during a community meeting Monday in Apopka. 

County staff and consultants outlined the proposal at the John H. Bridges Community Center, emphasizing that nothing is finalized and that county commissioners will review public feedback before determining whether to move forward. 

“What we are talking about tonight is only proposed. No decisions have been made,” Brett Blackadar, deputy director of Orange County Public Works, told attendees. “We’re going back to our Board of County Commissioners on June 30. We’re going to give them a summary of all the feedback we got from our community meetings.” 

The proposed fee would apply only to residents and property owners in unincorporated Orange County. Municipal residents would not be subject to the fee because many cities already operate their own stormwater utilities. 

Under the proposal, residential properties would be placed into one of five tiers based on the amount of impervious surface area — such as rooftops, driveways and sidewalks — on a property. County materials outlined four funding scenarios tied to different service levels and project schedules. 

Several factors are driving the county proposal, including aging infrastructure, increasing rainfall intensity, flooding concerns and regulatory requirements related to water quality, according to Brian Mack, a consultant with the Maitland office of Boston-based CDM Smith. 

“We did a rainfall study about a year ago,” Mack said. “It’s not so much rainfall volumes are increasing, but the intensities have, so what that means is you’re seeing a lot more rain in a shorter period of time, and systems can’t handle it.” 

County staff identified more than $1 billion in stormwater-related needs, including infrastructure improvements and flooding mitigation projects, according to Mack.  

According to county materials, the current stormwater program receives about $10.8 million annually, a funding level officials estimate would require more than 100 years to address identified capital improvement needs. 

A stormwater utility establishes a funding source that can only be used for stormwater-related services and projects, according to Mack.  

“What it does, it really creates a dedicated funding source to improve drainage, for the flooding that you see, and water-quality improvements that are becoming more of a mandate from the EPA that the county must do,” he said.  

Orange County adopted a stormwater utility ordinance in 1996 but set the fee at $0 and never implemented a funding program under the ordinance. 

“There were a lot of competing interests for funds at that time, so they elected to set a rate of zero, so no monies were ever collected,” Mack said.  

Mack said county commissioners directed staff to gather public feedback before considering any action.  

The county is collecting survey responses in June that will help inform future discussions as county officials consider whether to revise the ordinance and move forward with public hearings on a stormwater utility fee. 

Among those attending the Apopka meeting was Tanya Powell, a resident of the Kelly Park Hills South area.  

Powell said she feels local officials have overlooked Kelly Park, which she said is not receiving the maintenance it deserves. She noted that she pays for city utilities but could not vote in the Apopka mayoral election because her neighborhood lies outside the city limits. 

“I really feel like Kelly Park is being forgotten, and I feel like this would be another burden on us,” Powell said.  

Powell said she remains opposed to the proposal while she continues to learn more about it. 

“I would tell them that I am currently opposed to it until I am primarily well educated,” she said.