LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Lake County is taking steps to address some of the massive growth and development the county has seen in recent years.

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On Tuesday, commissioners voted to increase impact fees on new developments to help cover the costs of things such as roads and fire rescue services.

Clermont is one of the areas seeing a lot of growth in the county, with neighborhoods going in one after another.

“Our biggest focus, really, is transportation needs,” Lake County Commissioner Leslie Campione said. “We have a lot of impacts that result from big projects that come in, whether it’s traffic lights, widening of roads, sidewalks.”

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The increases for transportation will depend on which part of the country it is.

In some areas, like South Lake County, it will be more than a 50% increase, phased in over a four-year period.

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While some said it will drive up the price of homes and make finding affordable housing even more difficult, most commissioners voted to approve it to help deal with the impacts as new growth comes in.

In order to raise the rates that much under state law, the commissioners had to vote and rely on a study that showed this was an extraordinary circumstance.

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Video: 100-year-old Putnam Hotel demolished in DeLand A historic hotel in Volusia County has been thrown down after more than 100 years. (James Tutten, WFTV.com/WFTV)

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