Our region is one of the fastest‑growing parts of the state, with tens of thousands of new homes approved in recent years. Current law prohibits charging developers impact fees, so the cost of new infrastructure improvements that benefit developers is borne by the current taxpayers. Existing residents are already seeing more traffic, longer drive times, worsening stormwater flooding, and development creeping into low‑lying and environmentally sensitive areas. During a serious storm, those same crowded roads become evacuation routes; if we keep approving dense development without upgrading infrastructure or respecting natural floodplains, we risk trapping people in harm’s way when the next big hurricane hits.