How Dania Beach is run
Who runs Dania Beach, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Dania Beach's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Dania Beach
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day. The council sets policy, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
- 20 weeks' severance pay plus 20 weeks of health coverage if fired without cause in the second or third year
- Take-home city vehicle, including commuting and incidental personal use
- $125 a month cellphone and data stipend
- Florida Retirement System Senior Management class; the city also pays half of his 3% employee contribution
- City match in the 457 deferred compensation plan, currently up to 1.8% of pay
Dania Beach city staff
245 full-time-equivalent positions, including Culture and recreation 91, Physical environment 26, Highways and streets 19, Public safety and code compliance 19. FY2025. City employees only. Police officers and firefighters work for the Broward Sheriff's Office under contract and are not counted. City of Dania Beach · Apr 30, 2026
Florida has no statewide pay database. We found no list of pay by named employee for Dania Beach. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Dania Beach in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $25.9M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance of at least 25% of budgeted general fund operating spending, plus a disaster reserve of at least 20% of general fund reserves. City of Dania Beach · Apr 30, 2026
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.
Comes from
- Property taxes$48.4M · 54%
- Assessments (mainly fire rescue)$8.8M · 10%
- Utility, sales and use taxes$8.6M · 10%
- Intergovernmental (state shared revenue)$4.7M · 5%
- Permits, fees and licenses$4.2M · 5%
- From savings (fund balance)$3.7M · 4%
- Transfers from other city funds$3.6M · 4%
- Other (miscellaneous, charges for services, fines, voted debt levy)$7.7M · 9%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Fire rescue (Broward Sheriff's Office contract)$25.4M · 28%
- Police (Broward Sheriff's Office contract)$25.3M · 28%
- General government$12.7M · 14%
- Parks and recreation$8.7M · 10%
- Transfers to other funds$8.2M · 9%
- Streets$3.8M · 4%
- Other (community development, public services)$5.7M · 6%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Dania Beach homeowner pays, about 30 cents goes to the city. Parts of the city are in the South Broward Hospital District instead, which levies 0.0805 mills, for a total of 18.9476 mills.
30¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Dania Beach
- Broward County School Board (operating)6.294 · 31%
- City of Dania Beach (operating)5.9998 · 30%
- Broward County5.6628 · 28%
- North Broward Hospital District1.2391 · 6%
- Children's Services Council0.45 · 2%
- South Florida Water Management District0.2301 · 1%
- Broward County School Board (voter-approved debt)0.1587 · <1%
- City of Dania Beach (voter-approved debt)0.0447 · <1%
- Florida Inland Navigation District0.027 · <1%
- Total (mills)20.1062
2026 tax year (FY2026-27) rates for a home in the city of Dania Beach (Broward County), North Broward Hospital District area. Broward County Property Appraiser · Oct 1, 2026
See what a Dania Beach house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Dania Beach is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceContractorBroward Sheriff's Office (city contract)The city paid BSO about $21,808,000 in FY2025City of Dania Beach · Apr 30, 2026
- Fire rescueContractorBroward Sheriff's Office (city contract)City of Dania Beach · Apr 30, 2026
- EMS / ambulanceContractorBroward Sheriff's Office (city contract)City of Dania Beach · Apr 30, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Dania Beach Public ServicesCity of Dania Beach · Apr 30, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Dania Beach Public ServicesWastewater is treated at a shared City of Hollywood facility under an interlocal agreementCity of Dania Beach · Apr 30, 2026
- Wastewater treatmentAnother agencyCity of Hollywood (interlocal agreement)City of Dania Beach · Apr 30, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCity of Dania Beach Public ServicesCity of Dania Beach · Apr 30, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of Dania Beach Public ServicesCity of Dania Beach · Apr 30, 2026
- Building permits, planning and code complianceThe cityCity of Dania Beach Community DevelopmentCity of Dania Beach · Apr 30, 2026
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | West MelbourneFL | Dania BeachFL | DunedinFL | LeesburgFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 32,372 | 34,034 | 35,742 | 37,541 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $209,449 | $290,000 | Not current (2017) | $261,706 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $11,500 | $14,229 |
| General fund per resident | $896 | $2,640 | $1,377 | $1,165 |
| Debt per resident | $1,686 | $1,894 | $2,623 | $3,370 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $148 | $600 | $100 | $149 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.2 | 7.2 | 12.0 | 14.9 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how). West Melbourne and Dania Beach and Dunedin pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Dania Beach publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Audited financial report filed on timeThe FY2025 audited report is dated April 30, 2026, before Florida's June 30 deadline, and is posted by the state Auditor General. City of Dania Beach · Apr 30, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable online City of Dania Beach · Apr 28, 2026
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe FY2026-27 budget summary and agenda packets we read do not state commission pay. City of Dania Beach · Sep 24, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedWe found no list of pay by named employee. Florida has no statewide pay database. City of Dania Beach · Apr 30, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget of $89.8 million draws $3,690,666 from fund balance. What would it take to balance it without reserves?
- The FY2026-27 general fund budget sets aside $25,443,919 for fire rescue and $25,308,271 for police, both provided by the Broward Sheriff's Office under contract. How does the city check what it gets for that money?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $25.9 million on Sept. 30, 2025. How much of that is above the city's 25% reserve rule, and what is the plan for it?
- The city owed $64.5 million in bonds, notes and loans on Sept. 30, 2025, much of it for drainage and utility projects. How will repayment affect stormwater and utility rates?
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