How Destin is run
Who runs Destin, 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 Destin's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Destin
A city manager appointed by the council runs the city day to day and directs all departments. The seven-member council passes ordinances, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate; the mayor votes only to break ties.
What they are paid
- Paid as a contractor through TOF Executive Consulting, LLC; no city health, dental, life or disability insurance and no city retirement benefits
- May receive a performance bonus of up to 4% of the contract value each year, at the council's discretion
- Either side may end the agreement with 30 days' written notice
- City-paid life and health insurance for council members who enroll: $27,676 for 3 of 8 members (FY2027 budget)
- Travel budget for up to two council members to attend the Florida League of Cities annual conference ($6,000)
- Council contingency fund of $50,000
Destin city staff
126 full-time-equivalent positions. FY2025. City of Destin · Feb 20, 2026
Florida has no statewide pay database. The city budget shows salary totals by department but no pay by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Destin 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.
The city's own outlook
The city's own projection shows the general fund adding $58,680 in FY2026-27, then spending more than it takes in each year from FY2027-28 to FY2029-30 (by $1.1 million, $2.5 million and $1.0 million). General fund balance would fall from $37.9 million to $33.3 million. City of Destin · Sep 9, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $18.1M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: Resolution 12-20 commits three months of operating costs to an emergency operations reserve and three more months to an emergency maintenance reserve. These are held separately from the unassigned balance, which equaled about 14 months of general fund spending. City of Destin · Feb 20, 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$13.1M · 50%
- State and other governments$5.3M · 20%
- Licenses and permits$5M · 19%
- Sales and use taxes$1.1M · 4%
- Miscellaneous (interest and other)$1.1M · 4%
- Charges for services$656,401 · 3%
- Other (fines and forfeitures)$85,000 · 0%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Culture and recreation (parks, library, community center)$6.3M · 24%
- General government$5.7M · 22%
- Public safety (sheriff contract, lifeguards, code compliance)$4.9M · 19%
- Transfers to other funds$3.7M · 14%
- Transportation (streets)$3.6M · 14%
- Physical environment (stormwater, cemetery)$889,576 · 3%
- Capital outlay$866,720 · 3%
- Other (human services, debt, economic development, added to reserves)$197,780 · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
The city's rate is the third largest of the five on a Destin tax bill. The council adopted the city rate of 1.6150 mills on Sept. 21, 2026; the other rates in the city's table were proposed rates as of Sept. 1, 2026.
14¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Destin
- Okaloosa County School District5.327 · 45%
- Okaloosa County3.8308 · 32%
- City of Destin1.615 · 14%
- Destin Fire Control District (firefighters, lifeguards, EMS)1 · 8%
- Northwest Florida Water Management District0.0201 · <1%
- Total (mills)11.7929
2026 tax year (FY2026-27) rates for a home in the city of Destin (Okaloosa County). City of Destin · Sep 9, 2026
See what a Destin home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Destin is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe countyOkaloosa County Sheriff's Office (city contract)21 sheriff's office positions under contractCity of Destin · Feb 20, 2026
- Water and sewerPrivate companyDestin Water Users, Inc. (nonprofit, member-owned)Florida Public Service Commission · Jun 8, 1993
- LibraryThe cityDestin Library (city)City of Destin · Feb 20, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Destin Parks and RecreationCity of Destin · Feb 20, 2026
- City streetsThe cityCity of Destin Public WorksCity of Destin · Feb 20, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCity of DestinCity of Destin · Feb 20, 2026
- Animal controlThe cityCity of DestinCity of Destin · Feb 20, 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 | Fernandina BeachFL | PalmettoFL | DestinFL | Key BiscayneFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 13,958 | 13,961 | 14,640 | 14,653 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $205,000 | Not confirmed | $255,000 | $252,847 |
| Council member pay | $18,000 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $3,123 | $1,459 | $1,791 | $3,222 |
| Debt per resident | $1,991 | $871 | $3,000 | $864 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $530 | $215 | $0 | $-763 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 20.3 | 10.7 | 8.6 | 9.8 |
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). Destin pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Destin publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Destin · Sep 9, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe contract is in the Jan. 6, 2025 council meeting packet on the city's CivicClerk agenda portal. City of Destin · Jan 6, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Destin · Jan 6, 2025
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe FY2027 budget shows council insurance and travel but no salary line. We found no document stating council or mayor pay. City of Destin · Sep 9, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedWe found no city-published pay list by position. The budget shows salary totals by department. Florida has no statewide pay database. City of Destin · Sep 9, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The city's own projection shows the general fund spending more than it takes in from FY2027-28 to FY2029-30, by up to $2.5 million a year. What changes would close that gap?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $18.1 million on September 30, 2025, about 14 months of spending, on top of six months held in committed reserves. What is the plan for the amount above those reserves?
- City staff moved into the Florida Retirement System, with the FY2027 budget paying 14.04% of salaries. How will the long-term cost compare with the city's old defined contribution plan?
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