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Board of County Commissioners PD Workshop Meeting Minutes - Final October 23, 2025 <br />would be revisited for in-depth discussion following the slide presentation. Staff <br />provided their recommendations on each item and sought input from the two <br />boards and the public. <br />County Administrator John Titkanich added that it was envisioned this would be <br />an initial meeting, followed by another with various stakeholders to discuss and <br />narrow down issues, and a third follow-up meeting to provide final directions for <br />staff on necessary amendments. <br />The first topic for discussion was the concept of public benefits. The two <br />recommendations from staff were to amend the County's Land Development <br />Regulations (LDRs) with a written definition of "public benefit", and to provide <br />policy direction specifying what types of public benefits were acceptable or <br />preferred. Mr. Sweeney discussed the difficulty in creating a definition that <br />balanced the need for flexibility inherent in PDs and requested feedback on the <br />lists of commonly accepted and rejected public benefits. <br />Commissioner Moss and Mr. Sweeney opened with a discussion of the definition <br />of "public". Mr. Sweeney agreed it was not clear if the term meant the public or <br />people who were geographically close, adding that it depended on the <br />enhancement being proposed. He emphasized public benefits were above what <br />was required by County regulations and were sometimes difficult to monetize. <br />Commissioner Moss also questioned how waiving impact fees was related to <br />public benefit. Deputy County Attorney Susan Prado described the process as a <br />negotiated exchange, and road work done above requirements statutorily required <br />a dollar -for -dollar impact fee credit. <br />Lengthy discussion ensued between the Commissioners and PZC members. <br />Commissioner Earman recalled a development which offered additional sidewalk <br />construction as a desirable public benefit. Mr. Stewart received confirmation that <br />the Planning Department specified in their report which items exceeded <br />requirements. Mr. Lowther noted many developers requested a density bonus <br />and suggested this benefit should be reserved only for affordable housing projects. <br />Mr. Campbell questioned if timing was a factor and discussed roadway <br />improvements such as the widening of 43rd Avenue. Mr. Sweeney noted the <br />benefits were site dependent. <br />Mr. Lowther recalled that many of the approved public benefits were born out of <br />Indian River County, Florida Page 2 <br />