Some property owners can apply for a refund because they paid too much to maintain county parks.

Refunds can range tween $100 and $1,000, depending on the value of the property.

The county incorrectly collected the fee from some residents living in unincorporated areas.

To be eligible for a refund, it must have been paid between Oct. 1, 2006 and Sept. 30, 2007 in certain areas within the unincorporated areas of Citrus County. Only the current property owner may be eligible for full or partial refund. Refunds may be processed if submitted in writing and received by the Department of Planning and Development before Sept. 15.

Park impact fees only apply to single family permits, multi-family permits, mobile home pad sites, and RV park pad sites in Park Impact Fee District 1 and District 4. Residents of Inverness and Crystal River are not eligible for the refund since this impact fee is not collected by the cities.

An application for the Park Impact Fee refund has been created for citizens who believe they might quality for the refund and it is available on the county website at www.bocc.citrus.fl.us. A completed application must be accompanied by the following documentation:

  • A copy of proof of ownership of the property for which the refund is for. A printout of the Citrus County Property Appraiser property report card from the website http://www.citruspa.org may be used to provide ownership information.
  • A copy of the dated receipt issued by the County showing impact fee payment.
  • A copy of the dated receipt issued for the building permit.
  • A copy of the certificate of occupancy for the building permit, where applicable.

Once an application has been completed, it will go through a three step process.

  • The Department of Planning & Development will check the application for accuracy and review the documentation provided by the citizen. This department has 20 days to complete this action.
  • The Department of Management & Budget will determine the eligibility of the property and confirm the refund amount and interest due. It will also be determined if the park impact fee that was originally paid has been spent. It is possible the refund amount will be pro-rated if the impact fee was partially used. This department has 20 days to complete this action.
  • The Clerk of Courts Finance Department will issue a check to the current property owner according the amount confirmed by the Department of Management & Budget. This department has 45 days to issue check once received.

The application process will be open through Sept. Any unclaimed money after this deadline will go back into the District 1 or District 4 Park Impact Fee accounts. Any appeals will be considered by the County Administrator.