Florida Fire and Trash Fees by County: a 2025 data study
Florida tax bills carried $1.86 billion in solid-waste assessments and $1.41 billion in fire assessments on the 2025 tax rolls — $3.27 billion together, about half of every non-ad valorem dollar in the state. Neither shows up in a millage rate: both are flat charges that land on a $200,000 house and a $900,000 one alike. Where counties publish the per-home rate, fire and trash together run from $152 to $602.84 a year on a single-family home.
Florida counties and cities pay for fire service and garbage collection in two ways: out of the millage, where the cost rises with a home's taxable value, or with a non-ad valorem assessment, a set charge per home (or per unit, per square foot or by building value) collected on the same November tax bill under Fla. Stat. §197.3632. More and more counties use the assessment, and the rates moved sharply on the 2025 bill. This study puts both layers in one place: what every county levied, from the Florida Department of Revenue, and what a homeowner actually pays where the county publishes its rate.
What the numbers show
- Trash costs Florida more than fire on the tax bill. Solid-waste assessments came to $1.86 billion, about $172 for every parcel in the state; fire assessments came to $1.41 billion, about $129 a parcel.
- Miami-Dade leads on trash, Broward on fire. Miami-Dade County averages $505 in solid-waste assessments per parcel and Broward County $544 in fire assessments, the highest of the 67.
- Several counties raised rates hard for 2025. Marion's solid-waste charge rose from $87 to $215 a home and its fire-rescue charge from $199.91 to $283.97; Escambia's fire charge rose from $125.33 to $226.78.
- 18 counties levy no solid-waste assessment, and 25 levy no fire assessment. In 2 of the 18, unincorporated homes hire a private hauler or use county drop-off sites, so garbage is a bill of its own rather than a line on the tax bill. Calhoun, Gadsden, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, Nassau, Okaloosa and Washington levy neither.
What a home pays where the county publishes it
These are the charges on a single-family home's 2025 tax bill in the areas each county's rate resolution or assessment page covers. Cities inside these counties often set their own, and a dash means the service isn't billed as an assessment there (or isn't covered here). The median of the areas below is $415 a year for both.
| County | Area | Fire | Solid waste | Both |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | Mainland unincorporated Charlotte | $278.20 | $324.64 | $602.84 |
| Marion | Unincorporated Marion (outside The Villages) | $283.97 | $215 | $498.97 |
| St. Lucie | Unincorporated St. Lucie | — | $468 | $468 |
| St. Lucie | Port St. Lucie | — | $467.33 | $467.33 |
| Hernando | Unincorporated Hernando | $362.38 | $98.04 | $460.42 |
| Alachua | Unincorporated Alachua and five small cities | $423.67 | — | $423.67 |
| Lake | Unincorporated Lake | $415 | — | $415 |
| Indian River | Unincorporated Indian River | — | $381.80 | $381.80 |
| Clay | Unincorporated Clay | — | $358 | $358 |
| St. Johns | Unincorporated St. Johns | — | $334 | $334 |
| Sarasota | City of Sarasota and nearby unincorporated Sarasota | $234 | — | $234 |
| Escambia | Unincorporated mainland Escambia and Century | $226.78 | — | $226.78 |
| Citrus | Unincorporated Citrus | $125 | $27 | $152 |
- Alachua fire: $132.47 a parcel plus $7.28 per $5,000 of building value; shown for a $200,000 building.
- Lake fire: homes over 800 sq ft; $370 at 800 sq ft or less.
- Sarasota fire: $11.70 per 100 sq ft of building; shown for 2,000 sq ft.
How the rates changed
Every figure below is the county's own published rate or a report of the vote that set it; the county pages carry the source links.
| Area | Charge | 2024 bill | 2025 bill | Change | 2026 bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unincorporated Marion | Solid waste | $87 | $215 | +$128 | — |
| Unincorporated Escambia | Fire | $125.33 | $226.78 | +$101.45 | — |
| Unincorporated Marion | Fire-rescue | $199.91 | $283.97 | +$84.06 | — |
| Unincorporated St. Lucie | Solid waste | $385.44 | $468 | +$82.56 | — |
| Unincorporated St. Johns | Solid waste | $254 | $334 | +$80 | — |
| Unincorporated Citrus | Fire | $79 | $125 | +$46 | $125 |
| Sarasota, 2,000 sq ft home | Fire | $207 | $234 | +$27 | — |
| Mainland Charlotte | Fire-rescue | — | $278.20 | $294.90 | |
| Mainland Charlotte | Sanitation | — | $324.64 | $335.51 | |
| Port St. Lucie | Solid waste | — | $467.33 | $482.16 | |
| Unincorporated Citrus | Solid waste | — | $27 | $35 | |
| Unincorporated Lake, 800 sq ft or less | Fire | $415 | $370 | −$45 | $370 |
Where the county averages are highest
The per-parcel average divides a county's total by every parcel on its roll — homes, vacant lots, farms and businesses alike — so it shows how heavily a county leans on these assessments, not the charge on any one home.
| County | Fire assessments | Fire, average per parcel | Solid-waste assessments | Solid waste, average per parcel | Unincorporated garbage service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Dade | $36,342 | under $1 | $298,353,748 | $505 | A public agency collects |
| Palm Beach | $32,659,979 | $48 | $285,819,334 | $416 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Indian River | $0 | $0 | $36,468,694 | $383 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Monroe | $0 | $0 | $27,931,184 | $315 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Hillsborough | $0 | $0 | $165,175,532 | $308 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| St. Lucie | $0 | $0 | $54,633,354 | $287 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Clay | $0 | $0 | $26,196,951 | $250 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Martin | $1,821,813 | $19 | $23,166,955 | $237 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Duval | $0 | $0 | $95,411,544 | $236 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Lee | $124,316,105 | $222 | $131,450,848 | $235 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| County | Fire assessments | Fire, average per parcel | Solid-waste assessments | Solid waste, average per parcel | Unincorporated garbage service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broward | $416,966,116 | $544 | $66,620,540 | $87 | County service district, hauler not named |
| Hernando | $43,513,038 | $362 | $8,688,501 | $72 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Manatee | $81,675,199 | $349 | $0 | $0 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Sarasota | $102,323,967 | $333 | $58,808,789 | $191 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Alachua | $38,893,467 | $328 | $13,131,240 | $111 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Columbia | $12,229,632 | $327 | $4,778,968 | $128 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Osceola | $68,295,540 | $322 | $34,391,351 | $162 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Lake | $64,450,042 | $298 | $33,691,193 | $156 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Polk | $105,683,334 | $244 | $56,481,911 | $130 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Charlotte | $55,488,163 | $240 | $34,291,320 | $148 | County contract or franchise hauler |
Every county
| County | Fire assessments | Fire, average per parcel | Solid-waste assessments | Solid waste, average per parcel | Unincorporated garbage service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alachua | $38,893,467 | $328 | $13,131,240 | $111 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Baker | $988,524 | $76 | $409,393 | $31 | Not verified |
| Bay | $14,538,638 | $109 | $0 | $0 | Private haulers by subscription |
| Bradford | $1,714,058 | $110 | $1,194,625 | $77 | Not verified |
| Brevard | $58,043,803 | $166 | $60,284,981 | $173 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Broward | $416,966,116 | $544 | $66,620,540 | $87 | County service district, hauler not named |
| Calhoun | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Charlotte | $55,488,163 | $240 | $34,291,320 | $148 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Citrus | $12,512,828 | $85 | $2,172,222 | $15 | Private haulers by subscription |
| Clay | $0 | $0 | $26,196,951 | $250 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Collier | $0 | $0 | $38,980,030 | $106 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Columbia | $12,229,632 | $327 | $4,778,968 | $128 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| DeSoto | $2,660,056 | $130 | $3,239,042 | $159 | Not verified |
| Dixie | $1,453,051 | $89 | $1,770,312 | $108 | Not verified |
| Duval | $0 | $0 | $95,411,544 | $236 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Escambia | $34,624,352 | $214 | $0 | $0 | A public agency collects |
| Flagler | $0 | $0 | $4,232,095 | $48 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Franklin | $557,750 | $30 | $0 | $0 | Not verified |
| Gadsden | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Not verified |
| Gilchrist | $1,564,419 | $107 | $1,007,750 | $69 | Not verified |
| Glades | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Not verified |
| Gulf | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Not verified |
| Hamilton | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Not verified |
| Hardee | $2,830,748 | $192 | $1,365,803 | $93 | Not verified |
| Hendry | $4,749,929 | $133 | $3,740,099 | $105 | Not verified |
| Hernando | $43,513,038 | $362 | $8,688,501 | $72 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Highlands | $14,168,662 | $126 | $11,281,184 | $100 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Hillsborough | $0 | $0 | $165,175,532 | $308 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Holmes | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Not verified |
| Indian River | $0 | $0 | $36,468,694 | $383 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Jackson | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Jefferson | $1,396,055 | $117 | $1,532,640 | $129 | Not verified |
| Lafayette | $0 | $0 | $187,466 | $25 | Not verified |
| Lake | $64,450,042 | $298 | $33,691,193 | $156 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Lee | $124,316,105 | $222 | $131,450,848 | $235 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Leon | $11,686,009 | $105 | $1,648,800 | $15 | Private haulers by subscription |
| Levy | $5,762,345 | $120 | $2,628,607 | $55 | Not verified |
| Liberty | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Not verified |
| Madison | $1,110,767 | $68 | $1,911,300 | $117 | Drop-off sites, no county curbside |
| Manatee | $81,675,199 | $349 | $0 | $0 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Marion | $20,029,083 | $70 | $36,520,008 | $128 | Private haulers by subscription |
| Martin | $1,821,813 | $19 | $23,166,955 | $237 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Miami-Dade | $36,342 | under $1 | $298,353,748 | $505 | A public agency collects |
| Monroe | $0 | $0 | $27,931,184 | $315 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Nassau | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Not verified |
| Okaloosa | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Okeechobee | $4,902,746 | $157 | $5,539,306 | $177 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Orange | $5,914,258 | $12 | $85,406,577 | $173 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Osceola | $68,295,540 | $322 | $34,391,351 | $162 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Palm Beach | $32,659,979 | $48 | $285,819,334 | $416 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Pasco | $0 | $0 | $29,245,470 | $92 | Private haulers by subscription |
| Pinellas | $5,328,294 | $12 | $1,896,480 | $4 | Private haulers by subscription |
| Polk | $105,683,334 | $244 | $56,481,911 | $130 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Putnam | $0 | $0 | $12,661,966 | $130 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Santa Rosa | $25,587,413 | $227 | $0 | $0 | Not verified |
| Sarasota | $102,323,967 | $333 | $58,808,789 | $191 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Seminole | $0 | $0 | $22,026,988 | $123 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| St. Johns | $2,273,229 | $11 | $40,382,315 | $194 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| St. Lucie | $0 | $0 | $54,633,354 | $287 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Sumter | $11,005,119 | $106 | $0 | $0 | Private haulers by subscription |
| Suwannee | $3,387,211 | $105 | $4,280,455 | $133 | Drop-off sites, no county curbside |
| Taylor | $0 | $0 | $1,697,052 | $90 | Drop-off sites, no county curbside |
| Union | $0 | $0 | $325,115 | $44 | Not verified |
| Volusia | $1,442,371 | $5 | $28,165,563 | $91 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Wakulla | $4,699,181 | $177 | $3,204,008 | $120 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Walton | $1,789,224 | $19 | $0 | $0 | County contract or franchise hauler |
| Washington | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Not verified |
The garbage-service column is from the trash pickup by county study, which names each county's hauler and the page to check. The property-tax lookup adds a home's fire and trash fees where the county's rates can be figured, and the pickup day lookup finds the collection day for an address.
What this means for a buyer
Fire and trash assessments stay with the home and don't reset when it sells, unlike the assessed value behind the millage. Read the non-ad valorem section of the seller's last tax bill, and check whether the county or city has already adopted a new rate for the next bill — the table above shows how far one year can move it. A home in a city that collects its own garbage may also pay a separate utility bill that never appears on the tax bill.
Methodology and sources
County totals: the Florida Department of Revenue's 2025 Non-Ad Valorem Assessments by Function reports for fiscal year 2025-26 — the fire control and solid waste columns, levied by counties, by cities and by independent special districts, added together, as in the non-ad valorem assessments study. Emergency medical services are a separate DOR column and aren't counted as fire here. Parcel counts are every parcel on the 2026 statewide parcel layer, all property types. Per-home rates: each county's own rate resolution, assessment page or MSBU record, or a news report of the adopting vote, as linked on that county's page; Indian River's and Clay's trash figures add the disposal and collection charges. Figures are planning information from official data, never a bill and never tax advice; a parcel's TRIM notice and tax bill control.
Download the data and cite this study
All 67 counties, with the per-home rates where published, are free to download as a spreadsheet-ready file: florida-fire-and-trash-fees-by-county-2025.csv. The data is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license: reporters, researchers, and writers may reuse and adapt it freely, as long as they credit and link this page:
ParcelMath, "Florida Fire and Trash Fees by County: a 2025 Data Study," https://parcelmath.com/research/florida-fire-and-trash-fees-by-county-2025/
Related research: non-ad valorem assessments by county · who picks up the trash, by county · millage rates by taxing authority · Florida property tax by county · Amendment 3 by county.
Data verified as of October 2026.