Has anyone successfully gotten Life Time to remove this new 1% “Public User Fee”?
I just got an email from Life Time (Winter Park, FL) saying that starting August 1 they’re adding a 1% Public User Fee (PUF) to all payments subject to Florida sales tax, including membership dues.
What I find odd is that the email specifically says:
“This is not a Florida sales tax or other government tax.”
Instead, they say it’s required by the local community association to support infrastructure in the area.
Maybe I’m missing something, but this feels strange. If it isn’t a Life Time fee, and it isn’t a city, county, state, or federal tax, why is it being added to members’ bills? And why is Life Time collecting it?
Has anyone at another Life Time location had something similar happen? Were you able to opt out or have the charge removed? Did anyone push back successfully?
The irony isn’t lost on me that Life Time is extremely strict about members bringing in outside drinks (I can’t even bring my own iced coffee), yet they’re able to tack on fees that aren’t membership dues or government taxes.
I’m not trying to argue over the actual dollar amount as it’s only 1%. I’m more curious about the principle of it and whether this is normal or if other clubs have done the same thing.