How Key West is run
Who runs Key West, 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 Key West's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Key West
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
- Same benefits as all city employees, including retirement, sick and annual leave, health, dental, vision and life insurance
- Member of the city's General Employees Retirement Plan
- $500 a month transportation allowance
- Expense reimbursement of up to $500 a month, with receipts
- 15 weeks of severance if fired without cause
Key West city staff
536 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 136, Fire 79, EMS 21. FY2026-27. Proposed full-time equivalent positions for FY2026-27, down from 552.73 authorized in FY2025-26. The final budget eliminated 18 vacant positions and added none. City of Key West · Sep 10, 2026
Florida has no statewide pay database. The budget shows personnel cost by cost center but no pay by position. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Key West 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: $15.9M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: The city's fund balance policy keeps unassigned general fund reserves between 20% and 25% of budgeted expenditures. The FY2025 report says the balance was about 21%, within the policy. The city meets this target. City of Key West · Jun 26, 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
- Taxes (mostly property tax)$25M · 24%
- General fund balance brought forward$21.9M · 21%
- Transfers from other funds$17.3M · 17%
- Charges for services (parking, cruise ship fees, ambulance)$14.6M · 14%
- Intergovernmental (state shared revenue, grants)$12M · 12%
- Licenses and permits$7.5M · 7%
- Miscellaneous (rents, interest)$3.8M · 4%
- Other (fines and forfeitures)$1.4M · 1%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Non-departmental (reserves, transfers, insurance)$25.9M · 25%
- Police$24.4M · 24%
- Fire$15.8M · 15%
- Public works$5.7M · 5%
- Emergency medical services$4.6M · 4%
- Parks and recreation$4.5M · 4%
- Parking$2.2M · 2%
- Other departments$20.4M · 20%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
The city gets about 24 cents of each property tax dollar. Schools and the county each get about a third. The city's rate is 1.8848 mills, the rolled-back rate.
24¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Key West
- Monroe County Schools35.15 · 35%
- Monroe County33.6 · 34%
- City of Key West23.52 · 24%
- Other (South Florida Water Management District, Mosquito Control District)7.73 · 8%
- Total (cents per tax dollar)100
FY2026-27 tentative rates: where a property tax dollar goes in Key West (Monroe County). City of Key West · Sep 10, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Key West is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityKey West Police DepartmentCity of Key West · Jun 26, 2026
- FireThe cityKey West Fire DepartmentCity of Key West · Jun 26, 2026
- EMS / ambulanceThe cityKey West Fire DepartmentCity of Key West · Jun 26, 2026
- Streets and roadsThe cityCity of Key WestCity of Key West · Jun 26, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Key WestCity of Key West · Jun 26, 2026
- ParkingThe cityCity of Key WestCity of Key West · Jun 26, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Key WestCity of Key West · Jun 26, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCity of Key WestCity of Key West · Jun 26, 2026
- MarinasThe cityCity of Key WestCity of Key West · Jun 26, 2026
- ElectricityAnother agencyKeys Energy Services (Utility Board of the City of Key West)An independent utility board elected by votersCity of Key West · Jun 26, 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 | Palmetto BayFL | EdgewaterFL | Key WestFL | Temple TerraceFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 25,217 | 25,655 | 26,526 | 27,698 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not current (2020) | $185,000 | $265,000 | $211,000 |
| Council member pay | $12,000 | $18,000 | Not confirmed | $9,200 |
| General fund per resident | $979 | $1,654 | $3,904 | $1,489 |
| Debt per resident | $330 | $1,246 | $201 | $361 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $0 | $302 | $279 | $908 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 9.0 | 20.2 | 12.0 |
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). Palmetto Bay pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Key West 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 report is dated June 26, 2026 and is posted on the Florida Auditor General site, within the June 30 deadline. Florida Auditor General · Jun 26, 2026
- Partly: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026-27 final budget is in the Sept. 22, 2026 meeting packet. The city's adopted budgets page still lists FY2025/2026 as the latest. City of Key West
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe employment agreement and First Amendment are attached to the Feb. 11, 2026 commission agenda on the city's Legistar site. City of Key West · Jan 8, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineAction minutes list each member's vote, e.g. the 5-2 vote on the city manager's raise on Feb. 11, 2026. City of Key West · Feb 11, 2026
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe FY2026-27 budget shows a salary total for the City Commission cost center but no pay per member. We found no document stating it. City of Key West · Sep 22, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedWe found no city pay list by position. The budget shows personnel cost by cost center. Florida has no statewide pay database. City of Key West · Sep 10, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund spent $13.2 million more than it took in during FY2025 before transfers, and relied on $14.5 million in transfers from other funds. How stable are those transfers?
- Unassigned reserves were $15.9 million on September 30, 2025, about 21% of budgeted spending, near the bottom of the city's 20% to 25% target. What is the plan if they fall below it?
- The FY2026-27 budget lists $42 million of anticipated bond proceeds while the city's debt was $5.3 million on September 30, 2025. How will the new debt payments be covered?
- The commission raised the city manager's base salary to $265,000 in February 2026. What does the commission expect to review before the contract renews?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The proposed budget went to the commission on July 6, 2026, with a budget workshop on July 20-21. The first public hearing was Sept. 10, and the commission adopted the $333.3 million budget and a 1.8848-mill tax rate 7-0 on Sept. 22, 2026. See who is running for council
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