How Plantation is run
Who runs Plantation, 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 Plantation's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Plantation
The elected mayor heads the city government and appoints its top administrator and department heads. The council passes laws, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
- Health, dental and vision insurance during their term, with dependent coverage at the same cost as for employees
- Life insurance for beneficiaries they name
- Credit toward the retirement benefit in Section 112.048, Florida Statutes
- City-supplied cell phones, computers and technology
- Reimbursed travel, meals and lodging for seminars and government functions, up to approved amounts
- The mayor also receives motor vehicle related benefits
Plantation city staff
927 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 287, Fire and fire rescue 99. FY2025. The FY2026 budget listed 1,169 budgeted positions: 936 full-time and 233 part-time. City of Plantation · Mar 25, 2026
Florida has no statewide pay database, and we found no city-published list of pay by position. The budget lists positions by department. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Plantation 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
Unassigned general fund balance: $62.7M (2025-09-30). City of Plantation · Mar 25, 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$85.2M · 54%
- Charges for services$23.3M · 15%
- Intergovernmental (state and county shared revenue, grants)$18.9M · 12%
- Franchise fees$11.1M · 7%
- Utility service taxes$10.4M · 7%
- Licenses, permits and special assessments$2.8M · 2%
- Fines and forfeitures$1.1M · 1%
- Miscellaneous revenue and other sources$6.2M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Salaries and benefits (all departments)$115M · 72%
- Operating costs$31.7M · 20%
- Capital purchases and projects$8.3M · 5%
- Grants and aid$2.7M · 2%
- Debt payments$1.3M · 1%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Plantation homeowner pays, about 30 cents goes to the city. Properties in the Gateway or Midtown business districts pay an extra district rate (1.6364 and 0.9662 mills).
30¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Plantation
- Broward County School Board (operating)State-required plus local board rates6.294 · 31%
- City of Plantation (operating)5.7 · 28%
- Broward County5.6628 · 28%
- North Broward Hospital District1.2391 · 6%
- Children's Services Council0.45 · 2%
- City of Plantation (voter-approved debt)0.2637 · 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)20.0254
2026 tax year (FY2026-27) rates for a home in the city of Plantation (Broward County). Broward County Property Appraiser · Oct 1, 2026
See what a Plantation house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Plantation is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityPlantation Police DepartmentCity of Plantation · Mar 25, 2026
- FireThe cityPlantation Fire Department (volunteer firefighters and a Fire Rescue division)The city calls it the largest volunteer fire department in FloridaCity of Plantation · Mar 25, 2026
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of Plantation UtilitiesCity of Plantation · Mar 25, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCity of Plantation stormwater utilityCity of Plantation · Mar 25, 2026
- Trash and recyclingContractorWaste Management (city contract)The city bills residents on the water bill and pays Waste Management monthlyCity of Plantation · Mar 25, 2026
- SchoolsSeparate districtBroward County Public SchoolsCity of Plantation · Aug 7, 2026
- LibraryThe cityHelen B. Hoffman Plantation Library (city department)City of Plantation · Sep 17, 2025
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Plantation Parks & RecreationCity of Plantation · Mar 25, 2026
- Golf courseThe cityPlantation Preserve Golf Course (city-run)City of Plantation · Mar 25, 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 | North PortFL | SunriseFL | PlantationFL | DeltonaFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 96,301 | 98,310 | 98,437 | 98,792 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $260,168 | Not confirmed | Not current (2019) | $225,000 |
| Council member pay | $66,648 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,037 | $1,901 | $1,615 | $796 |
| Debt per resident | $992 | $2,131 | $502 | $1,454 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $777 | $2,259 | $845 | $75 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 9.8 | 12.4 | 9.4 | 4.2 |
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). Deltona pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Plantation publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes list each member's vote, e.g. the 4-1 vote on Sept. 16, 2026 setting the FY2027 tax rate, with Councilmember Fadgen voting no. City of Plantation · Sep 16, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedWe found no city-published pay list by position. The budget lists positions by department. Florida has no statewide database.
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $62.7 million on September 30, 2025. How much of that would the council use if property tax revenue falls?
- The general employees' pension plan was 80.10% funded in September 2025. What is the plan to close the gap?
- The FY2027 general fund budget is $7.5 million lower than FY2026, mostly in capital projects. Which projects were moved to later years?
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