City government · Miami-Dade County, FL

Miami Beach's money: where it comes from and where it goes

In the latest recorded fiscal year (ended September 30, 2024), Miami Beach took in $1.01 billion and spent $906 million.

Latest recorded year: ended September 30, 2024Comes fromGoes to

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Where it comes from

City taxes55%Fees for services (water and sewer, parking)30%Fines and other12%State tax money1.5%County and local tax money0.8%Federal tax money0.5%

What stands out

28%

of Miami Beach's money comes from tourism and other local taxes, led by the resort tax.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people gets 7.2%.

City taxes55%

Property tax
27%$274 million
Other taxes
15%$155 million
What's in other taxesOther general taxes; permits and other fees and 15 more
  • Other general taxes$61.2 million
  • Permits and other fees$45.2 million
    Building permits $20.2 millionOther permits $19.9 millionOther fees and special assessments $4.4 millionInspection fees $672 thousand
  • Business tax and franchise fees$23.4 million
    Electric franchise fee $9.7 millionSolid waste franchise fee $6.6 millionLocal business tax $6.2 millionGas franchise fee $893 thousand
  • Utility and communications taxes$20.0 million
    Electric utility tax $14.5 millionCommunications services tax $4.0 millionOther utility tax $925 thousandGas utility tax $624 thousand
  • Insurance premium taxes$4.1 million
    Insurance premium tax for firefighter pensions $3.0 millionInsurance premium tax for police pensions $1.1 million
  • Selective sales taxes$1.4 million
    Food and beverage tax $1.0 millionSecond local option fuel tax $372 thousand

Each line is an account in the government's own report, grouped by The Community Brief.

Tourism taxes
12%$125 million
Resort tax $109 million and convention development tax (hotel rooms) $16.4 million.
Sales tax
0.5%$5.2 million

Fees for services30%

Fees for services
30%$302 million
What's in fees for servicesWater and sewer; parking and 14 more
  • Water and sewer$149 million
    Physical Environment - Water / Sewer Combination Utility $110 millionPhysical Environment - Sewer / Wastewater Utility $39.1 million
  • Parking$51.1 million
    Transportation - Parking Facilities $51.1 million
  • Parks, recreation and culture$45.6 million
    Culture / Recreation - Special Recreation Facilities $31.0 millionCulture / Recreation - Parks and Recreation $14.6 million
  • Administrative and other service fees$23.5 million
    General Government - Administrative Service Fees $22.6 millionGeneral Government - Other General Government Charges and Fees $943 thousandEconomic Environment - Other Economic Environment Charges $5 thousand
  • Garbage collection$12.2 million
    Physical Environment - Garbage / Solid Waste $12.2 million
  • Public safety services$12.0 million
    Public Safety - Other Public Safety Charges and Fees $10.5 millionPublic Safety - Law Enforcement Services $1.3 millionPublic Safety - Fire Protection $170 thousand
  • Other service charges$5.7 million
    Other Charges for Services (Not Court-Related) $5.7 million
  • Ambulance$2.7 million
    Public Safety - Ambulance Fees $2.7 million
  • Transit and other transportation$179 thousand
    Transportation - Other Transportation Charges $179 thousand
  • Stormwater and other utilities$14 thousand
    Physical Environment - Conservation and Resource Management $14 thousand

Each line is an account in the government's own report, grouped by The Community Brief.

Federal tax money0.5%

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

From the federal government
0.5%$5.5 million

State tax money1.5%

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

From the state
1.5%$15.5 million

County and local tax money0.8%

Money passed on by the county or other local governments.

From the county and other local governments
0.8%$8.2 million

Fines and other12%

Interest, rents and other
11%$114 million
Fines
0.4%$3.6 million

Where it goes

Police, fire, courts and jails37%Water, sewer, trash and utilities18%Parks, recreation and libraries17%Roads, transit and parking8.2%Interest on debt8.0%All other spending12%

What stands out

17%

of Miami Beach's spending goes to parks, recreation and libraries.A typical U.S. city of 50,000+ people spends 6.4%.

Spending by category100%

Police, fire, courts and jails
37%$338 million
What's in police, fire, courts and jailsLaw enforcement; fire control and 4 more
  • Law Enforcement$168 million
  • Fire Control$58.1 million
  • Other Public Safety$49.1 million
  • Ambulance and Rescue Services$33.8 million
  • Protective Inspections$28.5 million
  • Emergency and Disaster Relief Services$9 thousand
Water, sewer, trash and utilities
18%$160 million
What's in water, sewer, trash and utilitiesWater-sewer combination services; garbage / solid waste control services and 2 more
  • Water-Sewer Combination Services$95.2 million
  • Garbage / Solid Waste Control Services$25.3 million
  • Flood Control / Stormwater Management$23.8 million
  • Other Physical Environment$15.9 million
Parks, recreation and libraries
17%$151 million
What's in parks, recreation and librariesParks and recreation; special recreation facilities and 4 more
  • Parks and Recreation$75.4 million
  • Special Recreation Facilities$51.3 million
  • Cultural Services$10.5 million
  • Other Culture / Recreation$9.6 million
  • Conservation and Resource Management$2.5 million
  • Special Events$1.4 million
Roads, transit and parking
8.2%$74.6 million
What's in roads, transit and parkingParking facilities; other transportation systems / services and 2 more
  • Parking Facilities$46.3 million
  • Other Transportation Systems / Services$16.9 million
  • Road and Street Facilities$10.7 million
  • Mass Transit Systems$667 thousand
Interest on debt
8.0%$72.8 million
What's in interest on debtDebt service payments (interest and principal) and proprietary - non-operating interest expense
  • Debt service payments (interest and principal)$54.3 million
  • Proprietary - Non-Operating Interest Expense$18.4 million
Running the government and other costs
7.6%$69.1 million
What's in running the government and other costsOther general government services; financial and administrative and 4 more
  • Other General Government Services$25.3 million
  • Financial and Administrative$21.9 million
  • Legal Counsel$6.7 million
  • Executive$6.7 million
  • Comprehensive Planning$5.5 million
  • Legislative$3.0 million
Housing and community development
3.8%$34.9 million
What's in housing and community developmentHousing and urban development; other economic environment and 1 more
  • Housing and Urban Development$17.6 million
  • Other Economic Environment$16.7 million
  • Industry Development$618 thousand
Social services
0.7%$6.2 million
What's in social servicesOther human services; public assistance services and 1 more
  • Other Human Services$3.5 million
  • Public Assistance Services$2.6 million
  • Developmental Disabilities Services$40 thousand
Health and hospitals
<0.1%$44 thousand
What's in health and hospitalsMental health services
  • Mental Health Services$44 thousand

Transfers out (58x) and other uses (59x) are left out, except interest and debt service: 517 and 59x interest accounts are kept under interest and include principal as well as interest.

Sources and moreWhere these numbers come from and what they cover

City of Miami Beach. Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research, city revenues by account code (from the Annual Financial Report filed with the Florida Department of Financial Services), fiscal year ended September 30, 2024. Cross-check: the Census Bureau's record for the year ended September 30, 2023 shows revenue $923 million and spending $921 million.

What this covers. The money of City of Miami Beach 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.