Photo: Rey Valls · CC BY 3.0How is Southwest Ranches run?
Southwest Ranches’ town government spent $14.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, about $1,925 per resident.
What stands out about how Southwest Ranches is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Broward County School District
Southwest Ranches’ K–12 school district, shared with Coconut Creek, Cooper City, Coral Springs, Dania Beach, Davie and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $13,412 per pupil, $8,250 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.
About $1,925 per resident a year, or $5.27 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,725 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Southwest Ranches’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,725 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 97 Florida cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,449, and the middle half spent $1,034–$2,140. Southwest Ranches spent more than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.4 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 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Southwest Ranches itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 6% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Southwest Ranches 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: $1,725 · 2023: $1,925. Per resident it went from $1,725 to $1,925 (up 12%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 7,932 to 7,502.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $8,648 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.95% 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 Southwest Ranches’ 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 Southwest Ranches’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Southwest Ranches →
Who’s in charge in Southwest Ranches
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Southwest Ranches’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on southwestranches.org ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 536 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (7,502).
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.
Southwest Ranches’ votes are counted by county
Florida reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Southwest Ranches alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Broward County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat57.8%507,328 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican40.9%358,952 votesOthers: 1.3% (10,982 votes).
Most votes in Broward County: Kamala D Harris
Florida: Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.0%
100% of Southwest Ranches lies in Broward County. Every 2024 race in Broward County is on the county’s page.
Broward 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 Southwest Ranches.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: southwestranches.org ↗
- 2Florida HouseSouthwest Ranches 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 Southwest Ranches compares with the towns next door
Southwest Ranches spent $1,725 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,310 to $2,323. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Cooper City | $1,310 | $5,180 |
| Davie | $1,582 | $4,551 |
| Weston | $1,714 | $8,347 |
| Pembroke Pines | $2,323 | $3,959 |
| Southwest Ranches | $1,725 | $8,648 |
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 Southwest Ranches’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Southwest Ranches’ government
How much does Southwest Ranches spend per resident?
About $1,925 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,725 was more than 62% of 97 Florida cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Southwest Ranches?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $8,648 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.95% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see southwestranches.org.
Who runs Southwest Ranches’ government?
See southwestranches.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Southwest Ranches yet.
How did Southwest Ranches vote in 2024?
Florida counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Southwest Ranches alone. Broward County, where 100% of Southwest Ranches lies, voted Harris 57.8%, Trump 40.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Southwest Ranches?
14 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $121,868 (about $1.5M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Southwest Ranches in the state legislature?
Southwest Ranches is split among 2 State House districts, so your address decides. The Florida Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 35 (Barbara Sharief). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Southwest Ranches’ 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 →