How Minneola is run
Who runs Minneola, 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 Minneola's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Minneola
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
Minneola city staff
Florida has no statewide pay database. The budget shows salary totals by department, not pay by position, and no staff count. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Minneola 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: $7.9M (2024-09-30). The city's own target: No written minimum reserve policy found. Total general fund balance was $28.4 million, much of it assigned to projects such as a second fire station ($4.2 million) and a City Hall remodel ($1.0 million). City of Minneola · Nov 5, 2025
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 FY2025-26.
Comes from
- State and federal grants and shared revenue (intergovernmental)$16M · 44%
- Property taxes$10.8M · 30%
- Other taxes (sales surtax, utility, franchise, fuel)$4.1M · 11%
- Building permits and licenses$2.6M · 7%
- Interest, impact fees and other$1M · 3%
- Drawn from reserves and assignments$1M · 3%
- Charges for services (fire fees, ALS)$687,228 · 2%
- Other$198,685 · 1%
Goes to (FY2025-26)
- Roads (incl. $9 million in grant-funded work)$10.5M · 29%
- Executive, mostly payments to the two CRA districts$7.1M · 19%
- Fire department$6.7M · 18%
- Police (Lake County Sheriff contract)$2.9M · 8%
- Building permitting$1.9M · 5%
- Public works$1.6M · 4%
- Library$870,175 · 2%
- Other$4.9M · 14%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Minneola homeowner pays, about 31 cents goes to the city. For FY2026-27 the council cut the city rate to 5.400 mills.
31¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Minneola
- Lake County School BoardState-required 3.0870 plus local 2.99806.085 · 35%
- City of Minneola5.5 · 31%
- Lake County5.0254 · 29%
- Lake County ambulance district0.4629 · 3%
- Lake County Water Authority0.294 · 2%
- St. Johns River Water Management District0.1793 · 1%
- Lake County voter-approved debt0.04 · <1%
- Total (mills)17.5866
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in the city of Minneola (Lake County). Lake County Property Appraiser · Oct 8, 2025
See what a Minneola home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Minneola is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe countyLake County Sheriff's OfficeThe contract obligates the city to pay $3,079,708 a year for 16 deputies, renewed annually.City of Minneola · Oct 6, 2026
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of Minneola utilitiesCity of Minneola · Nov 5, 2025
- Trash collectionContractorGFL (city contract)City of Minneola · Oct 6, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of Minneola Roads DepartmentCity of Minneola · Aug 15, 2025
- LibraryThe cityCity of Minneola libraryCity of Minneola · Aug 15, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Minneola Parks and Recreation departmentsCity of Minneola · Aug 15, 2025
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 | MinneolaFL | CocoaFL | Fort Walton BeachFL | TavaresFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 21,201 | 21,518 | 21,553 | 21,869 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | $196,227 | $220,000 | $265,385 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,722 | $2,721 | $1,578 | $1,486 |
| Debt per resident | $405 | $4,086 | $1,351 | $2,531 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $271 | $508 | $611 | $613 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 20.9 | 14.7 | 11.2 |
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). Minneola and Tavares pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Minneola publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Audited financial report filed on timeThe FY2024 audit is dated Nov. 5, 2025, after the June 30 deadline; the auditor flagged it. No FY2025 audit was on the state site in October 2026. City of Minneola · Nov 5, 2025
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no posted employment agreement for the city manager. The council approved a 10% raise in the FY2027 budget hearing. City of Minneola · Oct 6, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list every member's aye or nay vote on each motion. City of Minneola · Oct 6, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget shows $48,600 for council and planning board pay combined, not each member's pay. City of Minneola · Aug 15, 2025
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget shows salary totals by department, not pay by position. Florida has no statewide pay database. City of Minneola · Aug 15, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026 general fund budget of $36.5 million includes $12.7 million in grants. Which projects depend on them, and what happens if they do not arrive?
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $7.9 million on Sept. 30, 2024, with no written minimum. Should the council adopt a reserve policy?
- The FY2024 audit was finished Nov. 5, 2025, after the state deadline. When will the FY2025 audit be filed?
- Police service comes from the Lake County Sheriff under a yearly contract, and the FY2026 budget puts police at $2.9 million. How does that compare with the cost of a city police department?
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