How Fort Lauderdale is run
Who runs Fort Lauderdale, 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 Fort Lauderdale's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Fort Lauderdale
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
- $750 a month to cover expenses
- Members of the Florida Retirement System
Fort Lauderdale city staff
3,075 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police (general fund) 782, Fire rescue (general fund) 535. FY2026-27. City of Fort Lauderdale · Sep 14, 2026
Florida has no statewide pay database. The city posts pay ranges by grade in its pay plan, but we found no list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Fort Lauderdale 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 auditor found the FY2026-27 proposed budget balanced. The auditor projects FY2027 overtime of $24.2 million against $19.8 million budgeted, and says the general fund's unrestricted balance fell from $171 million to $136.2 million during FY2026. The city runs a ten-year forecast each year; we found no published forecast figures. City of Fort Lauderdale · Aug 18, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $171M (2025-09-30). City of Fort Lauderdale · Jun 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$267M · 48%
- Miscellaneous$122M · 22%
- Utility service taxes$56.4M · 10%
- Franchise fees$38.6M · 7%
- Charges for services$32.1M · 6%
- Intergovernmental revenue$27.7M · 5%
- Other (sales tax, licenses and permits, fines)$16.3M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$197M · 35%
- Fire rescue$139M · 25%
- Parks and recreation$71M · 13%
- Required transfers out$28.6M · 5%
- Transfer to capital improvement plan$27.5M · 5%
- Community services$13.3M · 2%
- Other general government$10.7M · 2%
- Other (attorney, development services, manager, finance, transportation, public works and other offices)$73.5M · 13%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Fort Lauderdale homeowner pays, about 24 cents goes to the city. Homes in the Downtown Development Authority or Hillsboro Inlet district pay a little more.
24¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Fort Lauderdale
- City of Fort Lauderdale (operating)4.1193 · 22%
- Broward County School Board (operating)6.294 · 34%
- Broward County5.6628 · 31%
- North Broward Hospital District1.2391 · 7%
- Children's Services Council0.45 · 2%
- City of Fort Lauderdale (voter-approved debt)0.2216 · 1%
- South Florida Water Management District0.2301 · 1%
- Broward County School Board (voter-approved debt)0.1587 · <1%
- Florida Inland Navigation District0.027 · <1%
- Total (mills)18.4026
2026 tax year (FY2026-27) rates for a home in the City of Fort Lauderdale (Broward County). Broward County Property Appraiser · Oct 1, 2026
See what a Fort Lauderdale home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Fort Lauderdale is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityFort Lauderdale Police DepartmentCity of Fort Lauderdale · Jun 30, 2026
- Fire and EMSThe cityFort Lauderdale Fire RescueCity of Fort Lauderdale · Jun 30, 2026
- Drinking waterThe cityCity of Fort Lauderdale UtilitiesAlso serves customers outside the city limitsCity of Fort Lauderdale · Jun 30, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Fort Lauderdale UtilitiesCity of Fort Lauderdale · Jun 30, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Fort Lauderdale Parks and RecreationCity of Fort Lauderdale · Jun 30, 2026
- Street maintenanceThe cityCity of Fort LauderdaleCity of Fort Lauderdale · Jun 30, 2026
- ParkingThe cityCity of Fort LauderdaleCity of Fort Lauderdale · Jun 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 | Fort LauderdaleFL | TallahasseeFL | Cape CoralFL | HialeahFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 192,338 | 205,623 | 222,862 | 232,243 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $325,000 | $317,000 | $314,205 | $205,000 |
| Council member pay | Not current (2023) | $102,723 | Not confirmed | $44,000 |
| General fund per resident | $2,915 | $1,151 | $1,269 | $1,086 |
| Debt per resident | $7,537 | $4,803 | $4,912 | $425 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,252 | $631 | $429 | $1,472 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 16.0 | 14.9 | 9.4 | 5.6 |
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). Tallahassee pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Fort Lauderdale 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 timeFY2025 audit report dated June 30, 2026, nine months after the Sept. 30 year-end; posted on the Florida Auditor General site. Florida Auditor General
- Partly: City manager's contract findable online City of Fort Lauderdale · Aug 18, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineAction summaries list each commissioner's yes or no vote, e.g. the 4-1 vote on the FY2027-31 capital plan on Sept. 14, 2026. City of Fort Lauderdale · Sep 14, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentResolution 19-117 ties pay to HUD's area median family income, adjusted each Dec. 1, so the current dollar amount is not stated in it. City of Fort Lauderdale · Jun 18, 2019
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe pay plan posted in Legistar shows minimum and maximum pay for each non-union grade. We found no list of pay by employee. City of Fort Lauderdale · Sep 1, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The city auditor projects FY2027 overtime of $24.2 million, but the budget includes $19.8 million. How will the difference be covered?
- The general fund had $171.0 million unassigned on September 30, 2025, and the auditor reports the unrestricted balance fell to $136.2 million in FY2026. What drew it down, and what is the floor?
- The acting city manager has been paid $325,000 a year since July 3, 2026. When will the commission hire a permanent city manager, and on what terms?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The city manager presented the FY2027 proposed budget on July 2, 2026. The commission adopted a tentative budget on Sept. 9, 2026 and the final budget at a public hearing on Sept. 14, 2026. See who is running for council
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