How St. Petersburg is run
Who runs St. Petersburg, 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 St. Petersburg's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Who runs St. Petersburg
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
St. Petersburg city staff
3,483 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police (full-time, Sept. 2025) 786, Fire and EMS (full-time, Sept. 2025) 408. FY2026-27. City of St. Petersburg · Sep 17, 2026
Florida has no statewide pay database. The city posts pay ranges by job title, but we found no city-published list of each employee's pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is St. Petersburg 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: $91.7M (2025-09-30). City of St. Petersburg · Feb 27, 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$244M · 56%
- Payments from city utilities and other funds (PILOT, administrative charges)$42.5M · 10%
- State and other governments$41.5M · 9%
- Utility taxes (electric, water, gas)$40.7M · 9%
- Franchise fees$25.3M · 6%
- Charges for services$18.9M · 4%
- Communications services tax$10.4M · 2%
- Other (business taxes, fines, permits, interest, transfers, misc.)$14.4M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Police$186M · 42%
- General government (budget, finance, legal, HR, mayor and council, citywide transfers)$81.4M · 19%
- Community enrichment (parks and recreation, libraries)$71.4M · 16%
- Fire rescue$55.1M · 13%
- Public works (streets, traffic, stormwater operations)$17.9M · 4%
- City development (planning, economic development, codes)$15.6M · 4%
- Housing and neighborhood services$10.1M · 2%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a St. Petersburg homeowner pays, about 32 cents goes to the city. The EMS and transit rates apply to real estate only. For FY2026-27 the city kept its rate at 6.4525 mills.
32¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of St. Petersburg
- Pinellas County School BoardState-required 3.0450 plus local 3.24806.293 · 32%
- City of St. Petersburg6.4525 · 32%
- Pinellas County (general fund and health department)4.6136 · 23%
- Juvenile Welfare Board0.825 · 4%
- Pinellas County EMS0.805 · 4%
- Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority0.73 · 4%
- Southwest Florida Water Management District0.1831 · <1%
- Pinellas Planning Council0.0175 · <1%
- Total (mills)19.9197
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in the city of St. Petersburg (Pinellas County). Pinellas County Tax Collector
See what a St. Petersburg home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in St. Petersburg is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySt. Petersburg Police DepartmentCity of St. Petersburg · Feb 27, 2026
- FireThe citySt. Petersburg Fire RescueCity of St. Petersburg · Feb 27, 2026
- Drinking waterThe cityCity of St. Petersburg Water ResourcesCity of St. Petersburg · Feb 27, 2026
- Sewer (wastewater)The cityCity of St. Petersburg Water ResourcesCity of St. Petersburg · Feb 27, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCity of St. Petersburg Stormwater utilityCity of St. Petersburg · Feb 27, 2026
- Trash and recycling collectionThe cityCity of St. Petersburg SanitationDisposal is at a Pinellas County plantCity of St. Petersburg · Feb 27, 2026
- ElectricityPrivate companyDuke EnergyCity of St. Petersburg · Feb 27, 2026
- Natural gasPrivate companyTECOCity of St. Petersburg · Feb 27, 2026
- LibrariesThe citySt. Petersburg Library System (seven libraries)City of St. Petersburg · Feb 27, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of St. Petersburg Parks and RecreationMore than 2,400 acres of parklandCity of St. Petersburg · Feb 27, 2026
- SchoolsSeparate districtPinellas County SchoolsCity of St. Petersburg · Sep 17, 2026
- Public transitSeparate districtPinellas Suncoast Transit AuthorityCity of St. Petersburg · Sep 17, 2026
- Municipal marinaThe cityCity of St. PetersburgFlorida's largest publicly operated marinaCity of St. Petersburg · Feb 27, 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 | Cape CoralFL | HialeahFL | Port St LucieFL | St PetersburgFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 222,862 | 232,243 | 260,194 | 266,153 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $314,205 | $205,000 | $321,321 | $238,658 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | $44,000 | $72,786 | $68,957 |
| General fund per resident | $1,269 | $1,086 | $893 | $1,643 |
| Debt per resident | $4,912 | $425 | $2,229 | $3,363 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $429 | $1,472 | $4 | $593 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 5.6 | 6.0 | 13.1 |
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).
What St. Petersburg publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe finance page posts the FY27 recommended budget and Budget in Brief; Ordinance 647-H is in the Sept. 17, 2026 agenda packet. City of St. Petersburg
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no employment contract for the City Administrator. The 2022 confirming resolution and job posting do not state his pay. City of St. Petersburg
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineAction Taken agendas list each member's yes or no vote, e.g. the 6-2 vote adopting the FY2027 budget. City of St. Petersburg
- Partly: Employee pay publishedThe city posts pay ranges by job title (FY2025 classified pay plan). We found no list of each employee's pay. City of St. Petersburg
Questions to ask your council
- The employees' and police pension plans had a combined $157.9 million net pension liability in the latest audit. What is the city's plan and timeline to close it?
- The mayor's salary is about $255,152 and council pay about $68,957, but we found no document that states them directly. Will the city publish elected officials' pay in its budget?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The mayor must deliver a recommended budget by July 15 (July 15, 2026 this year). Council sets the proposed tax rate in July (July 23), holds a workshop (July 30) and two public hearings in September; the FY2027 budget was adopted 6-2 on Sept. 17, 2026. See who is running for council
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