Cape Canaveral, the breakdown

So at reader request, we are going to take a closer look at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Let’s just consider it to be a great example of what is happening all over the state. I did a deep dive into budget and demographic information, and

2015

The city had a population 10,018 in 2015 and had 25 sworn police officers. The annual budget of the city was $22 million, with $18 million in general fund spending, and another $5 million or so for infrastructure projects.

2025

The city had a population of 9,987, or essentially the same population. The city had had 0 sworn police officers, none, nada, zip. The annual budget of the city was up to $40 million, with $22 million in general fund spending and another $15 million or so for infrastructure projects. That’s a 6.2% per year increase.

The claim is that roads, city buildings, and stormwater improvements were the majority of those costs.

The police department no longer exists, as the city is paying Brevard county $8 million a year to provide police, fire, code enforcement, and EMS services to the city. Sure, this saves money, but if I were a Cape Canaveral taxpayer, I would be asking if this was something I was willing to be taxed for. I am left to wonder why they even have a city, if the county is providing all of the services. After all, if there was no city, the county would still provide those services- and likely at a lower cost.

The median homeowner in the city pays $2,727/year in property taxes. Estimated breakdown of Cape Canaveral median property-tax bill:

Recipient	Estimated Annual Amount	Share of Bill
Brevard Public Schools	~$1,309	48.0%
Brevard County & countywide services	~$746	27.3%
City of Cape Canaveral	~$672	24.7%
Total	$2,727	100%

What the city’s ~$672 portion pays for

The city’s millage supports municipal services such as:

• $6.8 million per year for police, fire, and EMS ($3.8 to the Sheriff, $3 million to the fire department)
• $3.5 million Public works
• $1.8 million Parks and recreation
• $1 million Planning and code enforcement
• $1.6 million General administration
• $90,000 Library support

In other words, for a typical homeowner:

• About $5/year supports library services.
• About $219/year supports policing and related public-safety functions.
• About $197/year supports roads, drainage, and other public-works activities.
• About $104/year supports parks and recreation.
• About $90/year supports city administration.
• About $57/year supports planning and code enforcement.

2026

The 2026 budget for the city shows an increase in ad valorem taxes of 26% for the city. Now count the other ad valorem taxes. In all, the median tax bill is going to increase by $450 for each homeowner, if you include county and school taxes. That is an overall 16.5% tax increase.

So yeah, maybe essential services DO need themselves some budget cuts.

This is why we are trying to get rid of homestead property taxes. It’s a sham.