Photo: Connor J. Williams · CC BY 3.0How is Tavares run?
Tavares’ city government spent $37.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,862 per resident. Water and other utilities ($5.1 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Tavares is run
Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.
About $1,862 per resident a year, or $5.10 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,556 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Tavares’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,556 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 67 Florida cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,525, and the middle half spent $1,160–$2,204. Tavares spent more than 51% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($9.9 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 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Tavares itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 37% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Tavares 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: $1,556 · 2024: $1,862. Per resident it went from $1,556 to $1,862 (up 20%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 17,832 to 20,372.
full-time in March 2025, up from 173 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,118 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.83% 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 Tavares’ 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 Tavares’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Tavares →
Recent meetings
From Tavares’ own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.
No upcoming meetings are posted yet.
Recent meetings
- Oct27Code Enforcement Special Magistrate HearingTuesday · 4:00 pm · City Hall - Council Chambers, 201 E. Main StreetCode Enforcement HearingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct21Council Regular MeetingWednesday · 4:00 pm · Tavares City Council Chambers, 201 E. Main StreetCity Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct15Planning and Zoning BoardThursday · 3:00 pm · City Hall - Council Chambers, 201 E. Main StreetPlanning and Zoning Board MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Oct7Council Regular MeetingWednesday · 4:00 pm · Tavares City Council Chambers, 201 E. Main StreetCity Council MeetingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Sep22Code Enforcement Special Magistrate HearingTuesday · 4:00 pm · City Hall - Council Chambers, 201 E. Main StreetCode Enforcement Hearing - CANCELEDMeeting page ↗
- Sep17Planning and Zoning BoardThursday · 3:00 pm · City Hall Council Chambers, 201 E. Main StreetPlanning and Zoning Board MeetingAgenda ↗Minutes ↗Meeting page ↗
- Sep16Council Public Hearing MeetingWednesday · 4:00 pm · Tavares City Council Chambers, 201 E. Main StreetCity Council Meeting and Budget HearingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
- Sep3Council Public Hearing MeetingThursday · 5:05 pm · Tavares City Council Chambers, 201 E. Main StreetCity Council Public HearingAgenda ↗Meeting page ↗
Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.
Agenda portal ↗Who’s in charge in Tavares
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time city employee for every 101 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (20,372).
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.
Lake County School District
Tavares’ K–12 school district, shared with Astatula, Clermont, Eustis, Fruitland Park, Groveland and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $11,288 per pupil, $6,588 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.
Tavares’ votes are counted by county
Florida reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Tavares alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Lake County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.8%140,500 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.2%84,546 votesOthers: 1.1% (2,468 votes).
Most votes in Lake County: Donald J Trump
Florida: Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.0%
100% of Tavares lies in Lake County. Every 2024 race in Lake County is on the county’s page.
Lake 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 Tavares.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: tavares.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 Tavares compares with the towns next door
Tavares spent $1,556 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,157. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Eustis | $1,157 | $1,902 |
| Tavares | $1,556 | $2,118 |
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 Tavares’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Tavares’ government
How much does Tavares spend per resident?
About $1,862 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 $1,556 was more than 51% of 67 Florida cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Tavares?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,118 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.83% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see tavares.org.
Who runs Tavares’ government?
See tavares.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Tavares yet.
How did Tavares vote in 2024?
Florida counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Tavares alone. Lake County, where 100% of Tavares lies, voted Trump 61.8%, Harris 37.2% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Tavares?
201 full-time and 2 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.2M (about $14.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Tavares in the state legislature?
State Senate District 13 (Keith Truenow) and State House District 26 (Nan Cobb). The House district also covers six other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Tavares’ 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 →