City government · Broward County, FL

Fort Lauderdale's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2023), Fort Lauderdale took in $881 million and spent $884 million.

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

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Where it comes from

City taxes38%Fees for services (water, parks, land and natural resources)33%Fines and other20%Federal tax money3.4%State tax money2.8%County and local tax money2.6%

What stands out

19%

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

City taxes38%

Property tax
24%$210 million
Other taxes
14%$123 million
What's in other taxesPublic utility taxes; occupation and business licenses and 2 more
  • Public utility taxes$45.3 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$37.0 million
  • Other licenses$32.1 million
  • Insurance premium taxes$8.7 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services33%

Fees for services
33%$295 million
What's in fees for servicesWater; parks, land and natural resources and 6 more
  • Water$181 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$27.8 million
  • Other service charges$26.2 million
  • Parking$22.3 million
  • Garbage collection$21.7 million
  • Parks and recreation$5.5 million
  • Airport$5.1 million
  • Other government-run businesses$4.7 million

Amounts are by Census type of charge.

Federal tax money3.4%

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

From the federal government
3.4%$29.6 million

State tax money2.8%

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

From the state
2.8%$24.4 million

County and local tax money2.6%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
2.6%$22.7 million

Fines and other20%

Interest, rents and other
19%$166 million
Fines
1.2%$10.4 million

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails35%Water, sewer, trash and utilities23%Running the government and other costs22%Roads, transit and parking6.7%Parks, recreation and libraries6.4%All other spending8.1%

What stands out

35%

of Fort Lauderdale's spending goes to police, fire, courts and jails.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 25%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
35%$306 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$170 million
  • Fire protection$95.3 million
  • Inspections and regulation$34.4 million
  • Courts and legal services$6.0 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
23%$200 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater supply; garbage and solid waste and 1 more
  • Water supply$168 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$31.4 million
  • Sewer systems$222 thousand
Running the government and other costs
22%$191 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$147 million
  • Other and not broken out$28.0 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$16.3 million
Roads, transit and parking
6.7%$59.4 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways; parking and 3 more
  • Roads and highways$23.8 million
  • Parking$21.2 million
  • Airports$12.4 million
  • Public transit$2.1 million
  • Toll roads and bridges$2 thousand
Parks, recreation and libraries
6.4%$56.4 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$56.4 million
Interest on debt
3.5%$31.1 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on general debt and interest on water supply debt
  • Interest on general debt$15.6 million
  • Interest on water supply debt$15.4 million
Environment and natural resources
2.6%$23.0 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$23.0 million
Housing and community development
1.6%$13.8 million
Health and hospitals
0.4%$3.5 million
What's in health and hospitalsPublic health
  • Public health$3.5 million
Social services
<0.1%$108 thousand
What's in social servicesOther public welfare
  • Other public welfare$108 thousand
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Fort Lauderdale. 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 Fort Lauderdale 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.