Photo: Smothert1 · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Homestead run?
Homestead’s city government spent $127.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,560 per resident. Water and other utilities ($67.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Homestead is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Homestead
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: cityofhomestead.com ↗
Homestead’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofhomestead.com ↗.
About $1,560 per resident a year, or $4.27 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 35%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,574 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Homestead’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,574 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 35 Florida cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,679, and the middle half spent $1,296–$2,315. Homestead spent less than 63% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($33 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 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Homestead itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 17% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Homestead 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: $1,574 · 2023: $1,458 · 2024: $1,560. Per resident it went from $1,574 to $1,560 (down 1%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 69,292 to 81,562.
full-time in March 2025, up from 418 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 $3,928 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.03% 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 Homestead’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 Homestead’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Homestead →
One full-time city employee for every 184 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 (81,562).
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.
Dade County School District
Homestead’s K–12 school district, shared with Aventura, Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Biscayne Park, Coral Gables and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,931 per pupil, $8,844 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.
Homestead’s votes are counted by county
Florida reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Homestead alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Miami-Dade County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican55.2%605,590 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat43.8%480,355 votesOthers: 1.0% (11,264 votes).
Most votes in Miami-Dade County: Donald J Trump
Florida: Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.0%
100% of Homestead lies in Miami-Dade County. Every 2024 race in Miami-Dade County is on the county’s page.
Miami-Dade 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 Homestead.
- 1Your cityMayorSteven D. Losneras listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2Florida HouseHomestead 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 Homestead compares with the towns next door
Homestead spent $1,574 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,400. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Florida City | $1,400 | $2,263 |
| Homestead | $1,574 | $3,928 |
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 Homestead’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Homestead’s government
How much does Homestead spend per resident?
About $1,560 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 $1,574 was less than 63% of 35 Florida cities of 50,000–99,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Homestead?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,928 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.03% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofhomestead.com.
Who is the mayor of Homestead?
Steven D. Losner, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on cityofhomestead.com.
How did Homestead vote in 2024?
Florida counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Homestead alone. Miami-Dade County, where 100% of Homestead lies, voted Trump 55.2%, Harris 43.8% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Homestead?
444 full-time and 31 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.2M (about $50.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Homestead in the state legislature?
Homestead is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Florida Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 40 (Ana Maria Rodriguez). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Homestead’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 →