Photo: David Wilson · CC BY 2.0How is Cape Coral run?
Cape Coral’s city government spent $414.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,910 per resident. Water and other utilities ($10.8 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Cape Coral is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,910 per resident a year, or $5.23 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 26%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,760 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Cape Coral’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,760 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 16 Florida cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $2,326, and the middle half spent $1,488–$2,674. Cape Coral spent less than 56% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($81.7 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Florida cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Cape Coral itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 17% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Cape Coral reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,760 · 2023: $1,736 · 2024: $1,910. Per resident it went from $1,760 to $1,910 (up 9%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 200,972 to 216,992.
full-time in March 2025, up from 1,343 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,176 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.85% of the home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Cape Coral’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Cape Coral’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cape Coral →
Who’s in charge in Cape Coral
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Cape Coral’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on capecoral.net ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 151 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (216,992).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Lee County School District
Cape Coral’s K–12 school district, shared with Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers Beach, Fort Myers, Sanibel. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,384 per pupil, $6,919 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Florida districts overall: 55% local, 29% state, 15% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Cape Coral’s votes are counted by county
Florida reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cape Coral alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lee County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican63.6%250,661 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat35.3%139,240 votesOthers: 1.1% (4,204 votes).
Most votes in Lee County: Donald J Trump
Florida: Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.0%
100% of Cape Coral lies in Lee County. Every 2024 race in Lee County is on the county’s page.
Lee County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Cape Coral.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: capecoral.net ↗
- 2Florida HouseCape Coral is split between 2 districts
- 3Florida SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Florida
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Cape Coral compares with the towns next door
Cape Coral spent $1,760 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $2,681. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Myers | $2,681 | $3,819 |
| Cape Coral | $1,760 | $3,176 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Cape Coral’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Cape Coral’s government
How much does Cape Coral spend per resident?
About $1,910 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,760 was less than 56% of 16 Florida cities of 100,000–249,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Cape Coral?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,176 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.85% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see capecoral.net.
Who runs Cape Coral’s government?
See capecoral.net for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cape Coral yet.
How did Cape Coral vote in 2024?
Florida counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cape Coral alone. Lee County, where 100% of Cape Coral lies, voted Trump 63.6%, Harris 35.3% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Cape Coral?
1,438 full-time and 393 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $11.8M (about $141.6M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Cape Coral in the state legislature?
Cape Coral is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Florida Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 33 (Jonathan Martin). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cape Coral’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →