Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Kissimmee Commission Workshop on Development Review Fees and City Branding – October 27, 2025

City Commission — Monday, October 27, 2025

BodyKissimmee, Florida

SessionCity Commission

DateMonday, October 27, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

⇩ GET FROM SOURCE

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

1:25

It is 2 p.m.

1:26

and trying to be respectful to everyone's time and to this presentation.

1:29

We're gonna get this meeting uh called to order.

1:34

I'll start by thanking everyone that showed up today and commissioners, thank you for being here.

1:38

My understanding is we have two commissioners uh zoomed in.

1:42

They had other engagements.

1:44

One is not feeling too well, so we wish to uh wish her quick speedy recovery and vice mayor is chiming in as well.

1:54

Not yet, they haven't been able to chime in just yet.

1:57

Okay.

1:58

Uh Justin will let us know when they're chimed in just so that we can for the record you guys take care of that over there.

2:05

All right, thank you all.

2:07

Um it's been a busy day.

2:11

Let's get this started.

2:12

I think Craig, you're up, right?

2:15

Workshop business 2A development review fees.

2:21

Okay.

Speaker 2

2:23

So, um about 10 years ago we looked at all our development review fees and they were updated at that point.

2:31

There's been a 3%, not 3%, it's basically an increase every year based on the uh gross national product, or not CPI, I'm sorry.

2:40

Um there were several years where it we didn't do that during the recession.

2:45

This originally was adopted during the recession.

2:48

Um so Doug's gonna go over potential fee increases right now.

2:53

We're at 30% cost recovery.

2:55

I want you to remember that.

2:56

So for any project we do, 30% of it's covered by the applicant, the other 70% is the taxpayers are covering that cost.

3:05

And this is only planning and zoning.

3:07

It does not have to do anything with code enforcement or develop uh building.

3:11

So I'm gonna pass it off to Doug.

3:13

Um, and he'll give you the whole presentation.

Speaker 1

3:15

Okay, thank you.

Unassigned speaker

3:22

Okay.

Speaker 3

3:23

Good afternoon, as Craig mentioned, Douglas Ether's Development Services Assistant Director of the Department.

3:29

Uh so as he mentioned, uh we conducted an initial study back in 2015 to have Matrix Consulting Group perform a study of our development review fees.

3:41

Uh, that study suggested we perform another one every 10 years, so hence we appear with where we are again today.

3:47

Uh they were hired in 2023 to come back and reform another study for us.

3:53

Um today's workshop is to go over their findings and our recommendations to you.

4:00

Um, and uh just as an FI as a recollection, uh, you authorized uh the building permit fees to be adopted earlier this month.

4:11

So this is the development review side of things, such as like your annexations, your land use, your zonings, conditional use of site plans.

4:19

That this is what this would be covering.

4:22

So with that,

Speaker 4

4:32

Doug, did the mayor tell you you're limited to 10 slides?

4:35

No, I'm kidding.

4:36

I can I can cut it down to one.

Speaker 1

4:40

I like your style.

4:41

I like your size.

4:42

He said one.

4:45

I just spoke to Commissioner Alvarez about this, and I said 10, 15 max, give me a number.

4:51

Actually, just

Speaker 3

4:54

I can cut it down a little.

4:55

It's in the range.

4:56

Okay, right.

Unassigned speaker

4:57

Actually, it's just will be fun.

Speaker 3

4:59

So here we go.

Unassigned speaker

5:00

So, the goals of the study was to do a couple things.

Speaker 3

5:07

One is to identify services of the reviews that we perform.

5:12

You know, add some fees here, maybe rename some fees, uh, remove some fees that are no longer applicable, uh, keep fees where um they are still relevant to the applicant, and providing a the same type of current uh level service that we provide to them.

5:30

And even so, if we're possible, we can move it up a level of service to them as well.

5:36

Um, cost recovery should be 100%, not 30%, like Craig had mentioned, and then annually adjust the fees based upon the CPI to ensure that uh we keep cost um going uh so we're not having to make major jumps each year.

5:53

So,

Unassigned speaker

5:56

Speaker 3

5:56

what goes into their study?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Tourism Promotion█████████████████████████████████████████████50%

Policy And Institutional Spending███████████████████████████30%

Economic Development█████████10%

Procedural█████6%

Technology and Innovation████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Kissimmee Commission Workshop on Development Review Fees and City Branding – October 27, 2025

The Kissimmee City Commission held a workshop on Monday, October 27, 2025, at 2:00 PM in City Hall Commission Chambers. The meeting focused on two main agenda items: a development review fee study and a thematic tourism and city branding proposal. Mayor Jackie Espinosa presided, with Commissioners Noel Ortiz, Carlos Alvarez III, and Janette Martinez (via Microsoft Teams) present. Commissioner Angela Eady was absent. The meeting adjourned at 3:28 PM.

Development Review Fees

Development Services Director Craig Holland and Assistant Director Doug Etheredge presented findings from a study by Matrix Consulting Group, which recommended updating the city’s development review fees. Key points included:

The city currently recovers only 30% of actual costs from applicants, leaving taxpayers to cover the remaining 70%.
The study proposed four essential changes: adjusting fees to match actual costs, properly applying the fee structure, introducing refund options, and rounding flat-rate charges to the nearest dollar.
New fee categories were suggested, such as inspection fees, notice fees, and insufficient payment charges, while consolidating redundant application names.
Fees would be scaled by project complexity (e.g., single-day vs. multi-day special events, administrative waivers vs. variances).
Staff recommended annual CPI-based adjustments to avoid large periodic increases.
Fee comparisons with St. Cloud and Osceola County showed similarities for prominent project types. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about fee increases, the difference between single-day and multi-day permits, and annual CPI adjustments. Commissioner Alvarez requested more family-oriented elements in the branding. Mayor Espinosa motioned to approve the staff recommendation; Commissioner Alvarez seconded. The motion passed 3-0, with the item to return as a resolution at a future meeting.

Thematic Tourism and City Branding Presentation

Jacobo Cabrera, President of Art with a Cause, presented a concept to rebrand Kissimmee as “The City of Love” by leveraging the phonetic similarity of “Kissimmee” to “Kiss Me.” The proposal included:

A video highlighting the idea, with projected economic impact of $500 million in additional annual tourism revenue within five years, based on an algorithm using Orlando airport arrivals and current visitor spending.
Five “routes of love” (Valentine’s Day, weddings, culture, nightlife, nature) with designated “kiss spots” for viral marketing.
A visual identity using lips, hearts, and the slogan “Kiss Me and Kissimmee,” with colors red, black, and white.
A proprietary platform for businesses to market themselves and direct visitor spending into the city. Commissioners raised several points:
Commissioner Alvarez asked about making the concept more family-inclusive (e.g., graduations, quinceañeras). Cabrera confirmed it could be broadened.
Commissioner Martinez, joining virtually, echoed interest in the source of the financial projections.
Mayor Espinosa clarified that the proposal is a concept and distinguished it from the existing “Experience Kissimmee” brand, noting there is no “Visit Kissimmee” website.
City Manager Mike Steigerwald suggested coordinating with Experience Kissimmee, which handles tourism marketing and could provide funding through the Tourist Development Tax (TDT).
Economic Development Director David Rodriguez recommended verifying the ROI calculation and aligning with Experience Kissimmee’s strategy.
Legal and procurement issues were noted regarding the proprietary platform, as city ownership of copyrighted material may be limited.
Mayor Espinosa recommended issuing a proclamation on February 14, 2026, to support the “City of Love” mission. No formal action was taken on the branding proposal. The next step is to develop a detailed business plan and meet with Experience Kissimmee leadership.

Key Outcomes

Development Review Fees: Motion to approve the staff recommendation passed 3-0. A formal resolution will be brought to a future commission meeting.
City Branding Concept: No vote taken. The city manager was directed to explore the concept further, including a meeting with Experience Kissimmee and legal review of the proprietary platform. A proclamation for February 14, 2026, was suggested.

Meeting Transcript

It is 2 p.m. and trying to be respectful to everyone's time and to this presentation. We're gonna get this meeting uh called to order. I'll start by thanking everyone that showed up today and commissioners, thank you for being here. My understanding is we have two commissioners uh zoomed in. They had other engagements. One is not feeling too well, so we wish to uh wish her quick speedy recovery and vice mayor is chiming in as well. Not yet, they haven't been able to chime in just yet. Okay. Uh Justin will let us know when they're chimed in just so that we can for the record you guys take care of that over there. All right, thank you all. Um it's been a busy day. Let's get this started. I think Craig, you're up, right? Workshop business 2A development review fees. Okay. So, um about 10 years ago we looked at all our development review fees and they were updated at that point. There's been a 3%, not 3%, it's basically an increase every year based on the uh gross national product, or not CPI, I'm sorry. Um there were several years where it we didn't do that during the recession. This originally was adopted during the recession. Um so Doug's gonna go over potential fee increases right now. We're at 30% cost recovery. I want you to remember that. So for any project we do, 30% of it's covered by the applicant, the other 70% is the taxpayers are covering that cost. And this is only planning and zoning. It does not have to do anything with code enforcement or develop uh building. So I'm gonna pass it off to Doug. Um, and he'll give you the whole presentation. Okay, thank you. Okay. Good afternoon, as Craig mentioned, Douglas Ether's Development Services Assistant Director of the Department. Uh so as he mentioned, uh we conducted an initial study back in 2015 to have Matrix Consulting Group perform a study of our development review fees. Uh, that study suggested we perform another one every 10 years, so hence we appear with where we are again today. Uh they were hired in 2023 to come back and reform another study for us. Um today's workshop is to go over their findings and our recommendations to you. Um, and uh just as an FI as a recollection, uh, you authorized uh the building permit fees to be adopted earlier this month. So this is the development review side of things, such as like your annexations, your land use, your zonings, conditional use of site plans. That this is what this would be covering. So with that, Doug, did the mayor tell you you're limited to 10 slides? No, I'm kidding. I can I can cut it down to one. I like your style. I like your size. He said one. I just spoke to Commissioner Alvarez about this, and I said 10, 15 max, give me a number. Actually, just I can cut it down a little. It's in the range. Okay, right.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com

Kissimmee Commission Workshop on Development Review Fees and City Branding – October 27, 2025

Development Review Fees

The city currently recovers only 30% of actual costs from applicants, leaving taxpayers to cover the remaining 70%.

The study proposed four essential changes: adjusting fees to match actual costs, properly applying the fee structure, introducing refund options, and rounding flat-rate charges to the nearest dollar.

New fee categories were suggested, such as inspection fees, notice fees, and insufficient payment charges, while consolidating redundant application names.

Fees would be scaled by project complexity (e.g., single-day vs. multi-day special events, administrative waivers vs. variances).

Staff recommended annual CPI-based adjustments to avoid large periodic increases.

Fee comparisons with St. Cloud and Osceola County showed similarities for prominent project types. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about fee increases, the difference between single-day and multi-day permits, and annual CPI adjustments. Commissioner Alvarez requested more family-oriented elements in the branding. Mayor Espinosa motioned to approve the staff recommendation; Commissioner Alvarez seconded. The motion passed 3-0, with the item to return as a resolution at a future meeting.

Thematic Tourism and City Branding Presentation

A video highlighting the idea, with projected economic impact of $500 million in additional annual tourism revenue within five years, based on an algorithm using Orlando airport arrivals and current visitor spending.

Five “routes of love” (Valentine’s Day, weddings, culture, nightlife, nature) with designated “kiss spots” for viral marketing.

A visual identity using lips, hearts, and the slogan “Kiss Me and Kissimmee,” with colors red, black, and white.

A proprietary platform for businesses to market themselves and direct visitor spending into the city. Commissioners raised several points:

Commissioner Alvarez asked about making the concept more family-inclusive (e.g., graduations, quinceañeras). Cabrera confirmed it could be broadened.

Commissioner Martinez, joining virtually, echoed interest in the source of the financial projections.

Mayor Espinosa clarified that the proposal is a concept and distinguished it from the existing “Experience Kissimmee” brand, noting there is no “Visit Kissimmee” website.

City Manager Mike Steigerwald suggested coordinating with Experience Kissimmee, which handles tourism marketing and could provide funding through the Tourist Development Tax (TDT).

Economic Development Director David Rodriguez recommended verifying the ROI calculation and aligning with Experience Kissimmee’s strategy.

Legal and procurement issues were noted regarding the proprietary platform, as city ownership of copyrighted material may be limited.

Mayor Espinosa recommended issuing a proclamation on February 14, 2026, to support the “City of Love” mission. No formal action was taken on the branding proposal. The next step is to develop a detailed business plan and meet with Experience Kissimmee leadership.

Key Outcomes

Development Review Fees: Motion to approve the staff recommendation passed 3-0. A formal resolution will be brought to a future commission meeting.

City Branding Concept: No vote taken. The city manager was directed to explore the concept further, including a meeting with Experience Kissimmee and legal review of the proprietary platform. A proclamation for February 14, 2026, was suggested.

Meeting Transcript