There will be extra attention to city and county budgets this fall as the public goes to the polls to decide on Amendment 3 and the proposed increase to homestead exemption. And there will be a lot of attention to the public safety portion of those budgets.
Much has been made how the size of the police and fire budgets in Tampa exceeds the total in property taxes collected. And while it's true the housing market has led to increased taxes collected (rates didn't increase, appraised values did, resulting in more taxes paid) so has public safety budgets. The recommended budget for TPD in FY24 was $231.4 million. For FY27 the mayor is proposing a police budget of $282.6M, with $32.8M of that increase going to personnel. Fire has been more even with a recommended budget in FY24 at $170.1M and $175.9M in FY27. In between there were increases to account for capital improvement projects like station 24.
There is $7M in FY27 CIT funds earmarked for police vehicles and another $3.1M for fire appartatus.
Jump to a department: Police · Fire
Police
The main headline for TPD is the significant increase to its budget as a result of a series of raises for officers as well an increase in personnel. Personnel are measured in FTE (Full Time Equivalent) and TPD increased from 1257.75 in FY24 to 1306.25 in FY27. In 2022 a starting police officer earned $60,257. With the contract approved last September, a starting officer now earns a $74,942.40 base salary. Lieutenants start at $150,000 annually. The mayor is proposing increasing the Chief of Police salary to $276,183.369 in FY27.
A looming issue for TPD is its headquarters. Late in 2025 it was announced the mayor was floating selling the current building, "Big Blue". Perhaps because of the market or perhaps because of the vocal push back from council members and the public, no taker was found. That doesn't change the fact the building was never considered a permanent home for TPD. The consolidation of evidence and foresensics at the under construction $27M+ Howard Ave Annex will alleviate a few issues but for the next mayor and council, this will be a significant decision.
Source: City of Tampa budget books FY2024–FY2027 via OpenGov
| Category | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recommended budget | $231,417,282.00 | $290,079,987.00 | $262,888,795.00 | $282,612,346.00 |
| Actual (FY26 = city projection) | $248,453,562.00 | $289,150,525.00 | $342,989,800.00 | $0.00 |
Source: City of Tampa budget books FY2024–FY2027 via OpenGov
| Category | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel | $202,086,228.00 | $211,570,350.00 | $229,656,364.00 | $234,861,562.00 |
| Operating | $18,453,865.00 | $26,049,064.00 | $29,572,366.00 | $23,677,426.00 |
| Capital | $14,812,751.00 | $41,907,955.00 | $66,585,233.00 | $7,032,500.00 |
| Debt | $2,498,217.00 | $2,217,265.00 | $5,205,948.00 | $4,712,415.00 |
| Other | $10,513,513.00 | $7,300,000.00 | $11,854,639.00 | $12,213,193.00 |
| Grants | $88,988.00 | $105,891.00 | $115,250.00 | $115,250.00 |
Source: City of Tampa budget books FY2024–FY2027 via OpenGov
| Category | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charges for Services | $16,718,041.00 | $16,669,584.00 | $17,769,360.00 | $17,459,707.00 |
| Other | $10,964,356.00 | $41,228,405.00 | $15,222,452.00 | $13,620,176.00 |
| Intergovernmental | $12,072,635.00 | $54,062,428.00 | $15,494,315.00 | $10,393,937.00 |
| Taxes | $0.00 | $0.00 | $7,000,000.00 | $7,000,000.00 |
| Judgements, Fines, and Forfeits | $2,719,663.00 | $1,806,937.00 | $93,657.00 | $93,657.00 |
Fire
The biggest issue that's been faced by Tampa Fire Rescue has been capital projects — new and updated fire stations. There's been a cat and mouse game with the needed improvements since FY22 as costs and planned years for the work have constantly shifted. This year, all of those planned projects are dropped from the FY27 CIP. Chief Barbara Tripp outlined early on the need not only for the new station 24 but the need to resolve the relocation of the Maintenance/Supply Shop. She outlined how every other station improvement hinged on that space being made available and from which all other needed station improvements flowed. The FireMaintenance/Supply Shop project has been twice included in reimbursement resolutions, most recently in February 2024. Maintenance/Supply Shop now been slated for FY28 at the earliest, barring any changes by council.
Source: City of Tampa budget books FY2024–FY2027 via OpenGov
| Category | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recommended budget | $170,148,017.00 | $159,550,997.00 | $192,018,636.00 | $175,947,582.00 |
| Actual (FY26 = city projection) | $166,654,293.00 | $180,171,194.00 | $220,407,821.00 | $0.00 |
Source: City of Tampa budget books FY2024–FY2027 via OpenGov
| Category | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel | $131,429,644.00 | $139,979,382.00 | $144,773,473.00 | $150,672,560.00 |
| Operating | $18,461,766.00 | $20,951,837.00 | $21,319,479.00 | $18,753,257.00 |
| Capital | $9,588,915.00 | $12,974,171.00 | $51,086,163.00 | $3,357,161.00 |
| Debt | $223,395.00 | $68,476.00 | $21,125.00 | $21,125.00 |
| Other | $6,950,573.00 | $6,197,327.00 | $3,207,581.00 | $3,143,479.00 |
Source: City of Tampa budget books FY2024–FY2027 via OpenGov
| Category | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charges for Services | $29,759,137.00 | $31,844,123.00 | $31,436,356.00 | $31,170,373.00 |
| Taxes | $0.00 | $0.00 | $3,024,000.00 | $6,829,130.00 |
| Intergovernmental | $9,103,542.00 | $10,122,493.00 | $6,574,654.00 | $6,466,918.00 |
| Other | $7,500,027.00 | $6,877,946.00 | $3,122,978.00 | $3,164,379.00 |
| Judgements, Fines, and Forfeits | $24,750.00 | $20,575.00 | $25,000.00 | $25,000.00 |
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