How Sarasota is run
Who runs Sarasota, 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 Sarasota's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs Sarasota
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
- 20 weeks' pay as severance if fired without cause
- 2% cost-of-living raise in each of the first two years
- $600 a month car allowance for travel in Sarasota and Manatee counties
- Florida Retirement System, with a 3% deduction from pay
- Moving costs up to $17,500, plus up to $4,000 a month for temporary housing for up to six months
- Must live inside the city
- Repaid for expenses of official duties, as approved by ordinance or resolution
Sarasota city staff
820 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police officers 190, Police civilian staff 63, Water 84, Parks and recreation 72, Sewer 57, Solid waste 51. FY2025. City of Sarasota · Apr 15, 2026
Florida has no statewide pay database. The city posts pay ranges by job class for general employees (FY24-25); police pay is in the union contract. We found no list of pay by person. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Sarasota 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 FY2026-27 budget plans general fund revenue of $114.1 million and spending of $113.0 million, adding about $1.1 million to fund balance. It is year 2 of a three-year plan, adopted in the FY2025-26 budget after the 2024 hurricanes, to restore general fund reserves to the 17%-25% policy target. City staff estimate a higher homestead exemption would cut revenue by $3.2 million in FY2027-28 and $2.3 million more in FY2028-29. City of Sarasota · Jul 27, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $13.7M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: Keep unassigned general fund balance of 2 to 3 months of general fund spending (17% to 25%) for emergencies and liquidity. It may be used only for one-time costs, with commission approval. On Sept. 30, 2025 the balance was 10.8% of spending, below the policy. The city is below this target. City of Sarasota · Apr 15, 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$59.2M · 52%
- Utility taxes$14.1M · 12%
- State and local shared revenue and grants (sales tax, revenue sharing)$10.2M · 9%
- Franchise fees (electric, gas, water)$7.8M · 7%
- Charges to other city funds (cost allocation)$5.3M · 5%
- Charges for services$4.9M · 4%
- Fines and forfeitures$4.6M · 4%
- Other (transfers in, insurance premium tax, rents, permits, interest, misc.)$8M · 7%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$53.3M · 47%
- Other general government (citywide costs)$13.4M · 12%
- Parks and recreation$12.5M · 11%
- Administration (commission, manager, auditor and clerk, finance, attorney)$10.2M · 9%
- Streets and engineering$9.3M · 8%
- Fire subsidy$4.4M · 4%
- Other (planning, building and code, non-park grounds, retiree benefits, human services, transfers out)$10M · 9%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Sarasota homeowner pays, about 23 cents goes to the city. City residents also pay the county's 0.73-mill EMS levy. Downtown properties pay 2.0 more mills to the Downtown Improvement District. For FY2026-27 the city kept its operating rate at 3.2730 and set debt at 0.1305.
23¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Sarasota
- Sarasota County School BoardState-required 2.8470 plus local 3.24806.095 · 41%
- City of Sarasota (operating)3.273 · 22%
- Sarasota County3.2273 · 22%
- Sarasota County Hospital District1.042 · 7%
- Sarasota County EMS0.73 · 5%
- Southwest Florida Water Management District0.1831 · 1%
- City of Sarasota (voter-approved debt)0.1348 · <1%
- Sarasota County debt (bonds, Legacy Trail)0.1049 · <1%
- Mosquito control0.052 · <1%
- West Coast Inland Navigation District0.0394 · <1%
- Total (mills)14.8815
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in the city of Sarasota (Sarasota County). Sarasota County Tax Collector · Oct 23, 2025
See what a Sarasota home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Sarasota is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySarasota Police DepartmentCity of Sarasota · Apr 15, 2026
- EMS / ambulanceThe countySarasota County (under a 1995 agreement with the city)City of Sarasota · Apr 15, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe countySarasota County (under a 1995 agreement with the city)City of Sarasota · Apr 15, 2026
- Water and sewerThe cityCity of Sarasota Utilities DepartmentAlso reclaimed water for irrigationCity of Sarasota · Apr 15, 2026
- Trash and recyclingThe cityCity of Sarasota Public Works (solid waste fund)City of Sarasota · Apr 15, 2026
- City streets and traffic signalsThe cityCity of Sarasota Public WorksCity of Sarasota · Apr 15, 2026
- ParksThe cityCity of Sarasota Parks and RecreationIncludes The Bay Park, Payne Park and 50+ neighborhood parksCity of Sarasota · Apr 15, 2026
- Performing arts hallThe cityVan Wezel Performing Arts Hall (city-owned)1,800 seatsCity of Sarasota · Apr 15, 2026
- ParkingThe cityCity of Sarasota Parking DivisionFour garages and 17 public lotsCity of Sarasota · Apr 15, 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 | Bonita SpringsFL | SarasotaFL | BradentonFL | MargateFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 55,801 | 58,279 | 58,469 | 58,727 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $250,000 | $279,500 | Not confirmed | Not current (2019) |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $53,739 | Not confirmed | Not current (2023) |
| General fund per resident | $622 | $1,940 | $1,495 | $1,544 |
| Debt per resident | $181 | $2,834 | $1,470 | $345 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $68 | $1,224 | $547 | $1,015 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 1.1 | 14.1 | 10.6 | 8.8 |
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). Bonita Springs pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Sarasota publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Sarasota · Sep 21, 2026
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineKarie Friling's employment agreement is attached to the March 23, 2026 commission agenda, item XII.4. City of Sarasota
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Sarasota
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's Granicus archive posts video, agendas and minutes for commission meetings and budget workshops. City of Sarasota
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentA City Auditor and Clerk memo states the FY2025-26 commission salary: $53,738.96, with the charter formula. City of Sarasota
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund reserves were $13.7 million on September 30, 2025, below the city's 17% to 25% policy. When does the three-year plan expect to reach the policy range?
- The FY2026-27 budget adds about $1.1 million to general fund reserves. If the homestead exemption rises, staff estimate $3.2 million less revenue in FY2027-28. Which services would the commission protect first?
- Sarasota County provides fire and EMS, yet the FY2026-27 general fund budgets $4.4 million for a fire subsidy. How is that amount set?
- The general employees' pension plan was 84.41% funded, with a $34.1 million net liability. What is the schedule for closing that gap?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The city manager presents the proposed budget at July workshops (July 27-28, 2026), where the commission sets a maximum tax rate. Two public hearings follow in September; the FY2026-27 budget was adopted Sept. 21, 2026, after a first hearing Sept. 8. See who is running for council
Help decide what comes next
What do you want to know about Sarasota next?
One tap, no sign-in. We count answers; we never show who chose what.
Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
See something wrong? Report an error
Something wrong or missing? Tell us what and where, with a link to a source if you have one. Reports feed the next verification run.