City government · Lee County, FL

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

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2023), Fort Myers took in $342 million and spent $353 million.

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

See every government that serves your ZIP

Where it comes from

City taxes39%Fees for services (sewer, water)37%Fines and other9.5%State tax money6.0%Federal tax money5.2%County and local tax money3.2%

What stands out

19%

of Fort Myers' money comes from taxes other than property, sales and income taxes.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 7.2%.

City taxes39%

Property tax
20%$69.1 million
Other taxes
19%$64.0 million
What's in other taxesOther licenses; public utility taxes and 3 more
  • Other licenses$27.6 million
  • Public utility taxes$18.1 million
  • Occupation and business licenses$12.1 million
  • Other selective sales taxes$3.8 million
  • Insurance premium taxes$2.5 million

Amounts are by Census tax category.

Fees for services37%

Fees for services
37%$127 million
What's in fees for servicesSewer; water and 6 more
  • Sewer$57.9 million
  • Water$29.0 million
  • Garbage collection$21.6 million
  • Parks, land and natural resources$8.5 million
  • Parks and recreation$7.1 million
  • Parking$1.7 million
  • Other service charges$1.1 million
  • Other government-run businesses$424 thousand

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%$18.0 million

State tax money6.0%

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

From the state
6.0%$20.5 million

County and local tax money3.2%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
3.2%$10.8 million

Fines and other9.5%

Interest, rents and other
9.2%$31.5 million
Fines
0.4%$1.2 million

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails37%Water, sewer, trash and utilities24%Running the government and other costs20%Environment and natural resources7.8%Parks, recreation and libraries4.1%All other spending6.9%

What stands out

7.8%

of Fort Myers' spending goes to the environment and natural resources.Most U.S. cities of 50,000+ people spend nothing on this.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
37%$132 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsPolice; fire protection and 2 more
  • Police$80.6 million
  • Fire protection$43.2 million
  • Inspections and regulation$6.5 million
  • Courts and legal services$1.6 million
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
24%$82.9 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesSewer systems; garbage and solid waste and 1 more
  • Sewer systems$56.6 million
  • Garbage and solid waste$17.4 million
  • Water supply$8.9 million
Running the government and other costs
20%$71.6 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$60.1 million
  • Other and not broken out$7.2 million
  • Central staff services (personnel, purchasing, technology)$4.3 million
Environment and natural resources
7.8%$27.4 million
What's in environment and natural resourcesNatural resources, farming and conservation
  • Natural resources, farming and conservation$27.4 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
4.1%$14.4 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation
  • Parks and recreation$14.4 million
Interest on debt
3.8%$13.4 million
What's in interest on debtInterest on water supply debt and interest on general debt
  • Interest on water supply debt$7.4 million
  • Interest on general debt$6.0 million
Roads, transit and parking
2.3%$8.0 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingRoads and highways and parking
  • Roads and highways$6.5 million
  • Parking$1.6 million
Housing and community development
0.8%$2.9 million
Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Fort Myers. 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 Myers 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.