How Sunny Isles Beach is run
Who runs Sunny Isles Beach, 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 Sunny Isles Beach's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Sunny Isles Beach
A city manager hired by the commission runs the city day to day. The commission of five, including the mayor, sets policy, adopts the budget and hires the city manager, city clerk and city attorney. On September 29, 2026 the commission took up a resolution to suspend City Manager Stan Morris with pay pending removal, and the city now lists Deputy City Manager Susan Simpson as Acting City Manager.
What they are paid
- Contract dated December 6, 2021 calls for an annual evaluation; the December 2024 and December 2025 evaluations did not take place
- The job is not hourly and has no fixed hours (contract Section 1(B))
Sunny Isles Beach city staff
351 full-time-equivalent positions, including Police 85, Ocean Rescue 36, Building 31. FY2026-27. Budgeted full-time equivalents in all funds, up 5.75 from the FY2025-26 adopted budget. 301.75 are in the general fund. City of Sunny Isles Beach · Sep 8, 2026
The budget lists positions by department, not individual pay. Florida has no statewide public pay database. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Sunny Isles Beach 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 $56.0 million in general fund revenue against $66.7 million in spending before transfers, plus $32.0 million in transfers. The general fund balance is planned to fall from $79.9 million to $37.2 million. The city cut its tax rate from 1.7000 to 1.6514 mills, the rolled-back rate. City of Sunny Isles Beach · Sep 8, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $64.5M (2025-09-30). The city's own target: Keep a $10 million hurricane and emergency reserve plus a fiscal stability reserve equal to 25% of general fund operating spending. Both are set aside outside the unassigned balance ($10.0 million committed and $13.0 million assigned in FY2025). City of Sunny Isles Beach · Mar 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
- Fund balance used$42.7M · 43%
- Property taxes$30.6M · 31%
- Charges for services$5.5M · 6%
- Utility taxes$5.1M · 5%
- Miscellaneous (mostly investment income)$4.3M · 4%
- Franchise fees$3.6M · 4%
- Intergovernmental$3M · 3%
- Other (fines, licenses, communications tax)$3.8M · 4%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Transfers out (mostly to capital projects)$32M · 32%
- Public safety (police and ocean rescue)$24.8M · 25%
- Cultural and community services$13.5M · 14%
- Public works$9M · 9%
- Innovation and technology$3.8M · 4%
- Risk management$3.1M · 3%
- Debt service$3M · 3%
- Community development$2.9M · 3%
- Other (commission, manager, clerk, media, finance, HR, procurement, attorney)$6.8M · 7%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Sunny Isles Beach homeowner pays, about 10 cents goes to the city. For FY2026-27 the city lowered its rate to 1.6514 mills, the rolled-back rate.
10¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Sunny Isles Beach
- Miami-Dade County School BoardOperating 5.4990, voter-approved operating 1.0000, debt 0.13406.633 · 40%
- Miami-Dade CountyOperating 4.5740 plus debt 0.41714.9911 · 30%
- Miami-Dade Fire Rescue district2.3965 · 14%
- City of Sunny Isles Beach1.7 · 10%
- The Children's Trust0.4638 · 3%
- Miami-Dade library district0.2812 · 2%
- South Florida Water Management District (incl. Everglades and Okeechobee Basin levies)0.2301 · 1%
- Florida Inland Navigation District0.027 · <1%
- Total (mills)16.7227
2025 tax year (FY2025-26) rates for a home in the City of Sunny Isles Beach (Miami-Dade County). Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser
See what a Sunny Isles Beach home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Sunny Isles Beach is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySunny Isles Beach Police DepartmentCity of Sunny Isles Beach · Mar 27, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Sunny Isles BeachCity of Sunny Isles Beach · Mar 27, 2026
- Streets and parkingThe cityCity of Sunny Isles BeachCity of Sunny Isles Beach · Mar 27, 2026
- StormwaterThe cityCity of Sunny Isles BeachCity of Sunny Isles Beach · Mar 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 | Fort Walton BeachFL | TavaresFL | Sunny Isles BeachFL | GrovelandFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 21,553 | 21,869 | 22,801 | 23,827 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $220,000 | $265,385 | Not current (2023) | $210,000 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,578 | $1,486 | $4,331 | $1,432 |
| Debt per resident | $1,351 | $2,531 | $305 | $1,669 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $611 | $613 | $1,184 | $431 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 14.7 | 11.2 | 15.4 | — |
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). Tavares pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Sunny Isles Beach publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe Financial Reports page posts the FY2026-27 budget book as Adopted Budget 2026-2027, with quarterly financial reports. City of Sunny Isles Beach
- No: Council votes recorded member by member onlinePosted agendas include only a cover memo for summary minutes. We found no posted minutes showing each member's vote. City of Sunny Isles Beach · Sep 17, 2026
- Partly: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Sunny Isles Beach
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentThe charter ties commission pay to yearly inflation raises. The budget shows a commission salary total, not pay per member. City of Sunny Isles Beach
- No: Employee pay publishedThe city's Payroll page and Financial Reports page list no employee salary report. The budget lists positions, not pay. City of Sunny Isles Beach
Questions to ask your council
- The FY2026-27 budget draws the general fund balance down from $79.9 million to $37.2 million, including $32.0 million in transfers, mostly to capital projects. What reserve level does the commission plan to keep after that?
- General fund spending before transfers is $66.7 million, while revenue is $56.0 million at 1.6514 mills. How long can reserves cover that gap?
- Unassigned reserves were $64.5 million on September 30, 2025, on top of a $10 million emergency reserve and a $13.0 million fiscal stability reserve. What is that balance for?
- On September 29, 2026 the commission took up suspending City Manager Stan Morris, paid $261,000 since December 1, 2023, over leave and payment records. When will it decide on removal, and how will it pick the next manager?
The fiscal year starts Oct. 1. The commission set the tentative tax rate on July 16, held the first budget hearing on September 8 and the second, final hearing on September 15, 2026. See who is running for council
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