How Miami Gardens is run
Who runs Miami Gardens, 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 Miami Gardens's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Miami Gardens
A city manager, nominated by the mayor and appointed by the council, runs the city's departments day to day. The council of seven, including the mayor, passes laws and also appoints the city attorney and city clerk.
What they are paid
Miami Gardens city staff
710 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police (law enforcement) 336, Parks and recreation 169. FY2026-27. City of Miami Gardens · Sep 4, 2026
Florida has no statewide pay database. The city budget lists positions by department, but not salaries. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Miami Gardens 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: $63.5M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: The council's goal is unassigned general fund reserves of 16% to 25% of the budget, and the city aims for at least 25% of yearly general fund spending. The city reports it exceeded this goal in FY2025. City of Miami Gardens · Mar 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$67.9M · 54%
- Intergovernmental (state and county shared revenue)$14.4M · 12%
- Utility taxes$13.4M · 11%
- Franchise fees$9.8M · 8%
- Fines and forfeitures$6.8M · 5%
- Charges for services$4.7M · 4%
- Other (misc., licenses and permits, other sources)$8.5M · 7%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$58.6M · 47%
- Non-departmental (incl. transfers and contingency)$21.1M · 17%
- Parks and recreation$16.2M · 13%
- Fleet$5.2M · 4%
- Information technology$4.3M · 3%
- City manager's office$3M · 2%
- Other departments$17M · 14%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Miami Gardens homeowner pays, about 33 cents goes to the city, including its debt levy for voter-approved bonds. Fire rescue and library service come through county district levies.
33¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Miami Gardens
- City of Miami GardensOperating 6.9363 plus debt 0.43317.3694 · 33%
- Miami-Dade County School BoardOperating 5.4990, voter-approved operating 1.0000, debt 0.13406.633 · 30%
- Miami-Dade CountyOperating 4.5740 plus debt 0.41714.9911 · 22%
- Miami-Dade Fire Rescue district2.3965 · 11%
- The Children's Trust0.4638 · 2%
- Miami-Dade library district0.2812 · 1%
- South Florida Water Management District (incl. Everglades and Okeechobee Basin levies)0.2301 · 1%
- Florida Inland Navigation District0.027 · <1%
- Total (mills)22.3921
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in the city of Miami Gardens (Miami-Dade County). Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser
Who provides your services
Not everything in Miami Gardens is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityMiami Gardens Police DepartmentCity of Miami Gardens
- LibraryThe countyMiami-Dade County library systemCity of Miami Gardens
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Miami Gardens Parks and RecreationCity of Miami Gardens
- Streets and public worksThe cityCity of Miami Gardens Public WorksCity of Miami Gardens
- StormwaterThe cityCity of Miami Gardens Stormwater UtilityCity of Miami Gardens
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 | Palm CoastFL | Pompano BeachFL | Miami GardensFL | ClearwaterFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 110,330 | 115,813 | 116,192 | 118,327 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $225,000 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $301,220 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $55,000 | $45,000 |
| General fund per resident | $798 | $2,225 | $1,080 | $1,941 |
| Debt per resident | $1,487 | $2,957 | $741 | $1,236 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $9 | $2,681 | $572 | $-1,458 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 5.4 | 7.9 | 6.1 | 16.1 |
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). Palm Coast and Pompano Beach pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Miami Gardens publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Partly: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026 adopted budget book and the FY2027 proposed budget book are on the city's Budget Documents page. The FY2027 adopted book was not yet posted. City of Miami Gardens
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe City Manager's Office page has a biography but no contract. We found no posted employment agreement in the city's document or agenda archives. City of Miami Gardens
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Miami Gardens
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public document City of Miami Gardens · Sep 4, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget lists authorized positions by department but no salaries. We found no city pay list. Florida has no statewide database. City of Miami Gardens · Sep 4, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $63.5 million on Sept. 30, 2025, above the city's 25% goal. What is the plan for the amount above the goal?
- Police is $58.6 million of the $125.5 million FY2027 general fund budget. How is that spending measured against results?
- No posted document states the city manager's pay. Will the city post the manager's contract?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The city holds a budget retreat in June (June 11, 2026) and a first budget workshop in July (July 22). The proposed budget is released in early September (Sept. 4), with public hearings on Sept. 8 and Sept. 23, 2026. The FY2027 budget passed 7-0 on first reading Sept. 8. See who is running for council
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