City government · Lee County, FL

Cape Coral's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2023), Cape Coral took in $622 million and spent $546 million.

Latest recorded year: ended September 30, 2023Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes29%Fees for services (sewer, water)27%Fines and other25%State tax money12%Federal tax money5.2%County and local tax money1.8%

What stands out

25%

of Cape Coral's money comes from interest, rents and other revenue.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 6.9%.

City taxes29%

Property tax
20%$121 million
Other taxes
9.5%$59.0 million
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes; motor fuel taxes and 2 more
  • Public utility taxes$20.7 million
  • Motor fuel taxes$14.6 million
  • Other licenses$12.4 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$11.3 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services27%

Fees for services
27%$168 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; water and 4 more
  • Sewer$59.2 million
  • Water$39.3 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$35.2 million
  • Garbage collection$21.3 million
  • Other service charges$6.5 million
  • Parks and recreation$5.9 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money5.2%

Grants from Washington, paid for by the federal taxes residents also pay.

From the federal government
5.2%$32.4 million

State tax money12%

Money the state passes on, paid for by the state taxes residents also pay.

From the state
12%$74.4 million

County and local tax money1.8%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
1.8%$11.0 million

Fines and other25%

Interest, rents and other
25%$154 million
Fines
0.3%$1.8 million

Where it goes

Water, sewer, trash and utilities32%Police, fire, courts and jails25%Running the government and other costs16%Parks, recreation and libraries6.7%Schools and colleges5.6%All other spending15%

What stands out

5.6%

of Cape Coral's spending goes to schools and colleges.Most U.S. cities of 50,000+ people spend nothing on this.

Spending by category100%

Water, sewer, trash and utilities
32%$174 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems; water supply and 1 more
  • Sewer systems$86.5 million
  • Water supply$66.5 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$21.2 million
Police, fire, courts and jails
25%$136 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$64.9 million
  • Fire protection$56.1 million
  • Inspections and regulation$13.2 million
  • Courts and legal services$1.9 million
Running the government and other costs
16%$87.5 million
What's in running the government and other costsFinance, tax collection and budgeting; other and not broken out and 1 more
  • Finance, tax collection and budgeting$68.4 million
  • Other and not broken out$13.9 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$5.1 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
6.7%$36.6 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$36.6 million
Schools and colleges
5.6%$30.4 million
What's in schools and collegesElementary and secondary schools
  • Elementary and secondary schools$30.4 million
Interest on debt
4.7%$25.5 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on water supply debt and interest on general debt
  • Interest on water supply debt$19.3 million
  • Interest on general debt$6.2 million
Roads, transit and parking
4.7%$25.4 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and parking
  • Roads and highways$25.4 million
  • Parking$12 thousand
Environment and natural resources
3.8%$20.8 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$20.8 million
Housing and community development
1.7%$9.2 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Cape Coral. U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, individual unit file, fiscal year ended September 30, 2023.

What this covers. The money of City of Cape Coral itself. Other governments that serve the same area (the city, county, school district and state) are separate and not included. Borrowing, transfers between a government's own funds, and pension trust funds are not counted as revenue.