Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0Cedar Key spent more per resident in 2022 than 76% of similar cities
Cedar Key’s city government spent $2.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $3,003 per resident.
What stands out about how Cedar Key is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$1,800 per resident in 2022: more than 76% of them
Cedar Key’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,800 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 122 Florida cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,101, and the middle half spent $538–$1,708. Cedar Key spent more than 76% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($206,000), 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Cedar Key itself left out).
About $3,003 per resident a year, or $8.23 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 33%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Cedar Key collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.
Day-to-day spending is up 65% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Cedar Key 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: $1,800 · 2024: $3,003.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,335 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.88% 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 Cedar Key’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Cedar Key’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Cedar Key →
Who’s in charge in Cedar Key
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Cedar Key’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on thecityofcedarkey.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 144 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (720).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Levy County School District
Cedar Key’s K–12 school district, shared with Bronson, Chiefland, Inglis, Otter Creek, Williston and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,940 per pupil, $6,112 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.
Cedar Key’s votes are counted by county
Florida reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cedar Key alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Levy County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican74.6%18,245 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat24.5%5,994 votesOthers: 0.9% (212 votes).
Most votes in Levy County: Donald J Trump
Florida: Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.0%
100% of Cedar Key lies in Levy County. Every 2024 race in Levy County is on the county’s page.
Levy 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 Cedar Key.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: thecityofcedarkey.org ↗
- 2Florida HouseState representatives
- 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.
Reach Cedar Key’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Cedar Key’s government
How much does Cedar Key spend per resident?
About $3,003 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 $1,800 was more than 76% of 122 Florida cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Cedar Key?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,335 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.88% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see thecityofcedarkey.org.
Who runs Cedar Key’s government?
See thecityofcedarkey.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Cedar Key yet.
How did Cedar Key vote in 2024?
Florida counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Cedar Key alone. Levy County, where 100% of Cedar Key lies, voted Trump 74.6%, Harris 24.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Cedar Key?
5 full-time and 14 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $33,016 (about $396,192 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Cedar Key in the state legislature?
State Senate District 9 (Stan McClain) and State House District 22 (Chad Johnson). The House district also covers 12 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Cedar Key’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 →