Casa De Josefina · Photo: Harriet Duncan · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Highland Park run?
Highland Park’s village government spent $177,000 on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, about $801 per resident.
What stands out about how Highland Park is run
Read from the village’s budget and official records.
About $801 per resident a year, or $2.19 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 49%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$801 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Highland Park’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($801 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 $1,114, and the middle half spent $538–$1,752. Highland Park spent less than 61% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($76,000), 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; Highland Park itself left out).
No trend yet
Highland Park reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $3,794 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.01% 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 Highland Park’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 Highland Park’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Highland Park →
Who’s in charge in Highland Park
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Highland Park’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The village posts agendas and minutes on highlandpark-fl.org ↗.
One full-time village employee for every 221 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (221).
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.
Polk County School District
Highland Park’s K–12 school district, shared with Auburndale, Bartow, Davenport, Dundee, Eagle Lake and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,447 per pupil, $7,619 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.
Highland Park’s votes are counted by county
Florida reports official results by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Highland Park alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Polk County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican59.7%209,044 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat39.1%136,879 votesOthers: 1.2% (4,191 votes).
Most votes in Polk County: Donald J Trump
Florida: Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.0%
100% of Highland Park lies in Polk County. Every 2024 race in Polk County is on the county’s page.
Polk 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 Highland Park.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: highlandpark-fl.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.
How Highland Park compares with the towns next door
Highland Park spent $801 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,668. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Wales | $1,668 | $2,171 |
| Highland Park | $801 | $3,794 |
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 Highland Park’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Highland Park’s government
How much does Highland Park spend per resident?
About $801 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $801 was less than 61% of 122 Florida cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Highland Park?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,794 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.01% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see highlandpark-fl.org.
Who runs Highland Park’s government?
See highlandpark-fl.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Highland Park yet.
How did Highland Park vote in 2024?
Florida counts votes by county and precinct, not by village, so there are no official results for Highland Park alone. Polk County, where 100% of Highland Park lies, voted Trump 59.7%, Harris 39.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Highland Park?
1 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $2,056 (about $24,672 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Highland Park in the state legislature?
State Senate District 27 (Ben Albritton) and State House District 48 (Jon Albert). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Highland Park’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 →