PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — Palm Beach County taxpayers now have a new look at how their money moved through county government during Fiscal Year 2025.
The Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller has released the latest edition of Checks & Balances: Your Guide to County Finances, an 18-page public finance report that breaks down how Palm Beach County collects, budgets, spends and invests taxpayer money.
The report is designed for residents, not accountants. It uses charts, summaries and plain-language explanations to show where county money comes from, how it is managed and what it pays for across Palm Beach County.
This year’s report shows several record-level figures for local taxpayers.
Revenue from property taxes reached $1.9 billion in Fiscal Year 2025, the largest single source of county funding. The report says property taxes accounted for just over half of total governmental revenues, with the increase tied to higher taxable values and new construction.
Palm Beach County’s housing market also reached another high point. The median sales price for a single-family home rose to about $633,000, continuing a long climb in the local housing market. The report says that marked the 13th consecutive year of increases for single-family home median sales prices in the county.
Tourism also remained a major source of local revenue. Tourist Development Tax revenues increased by 7.9% in Fiscal Year 2025, according to the report.
The Clerk’s office also reported $222.6 million in investment income for Palm Beach County taxpayers through management of the county’s investment portfolio. Over the last five fiscal years, the office says that investment management has generated $685 million.
“Your tax dollars support core services our community relies on every day,” said Mike Caruso, C.P.A., Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller for Palm Beach County. “One of our most important responsibilities is making sure residents have clear, transparent information about how those dollars are used. It’s a critical layer of accountability for our local government and builds public trust in our institutions.”
The Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller serves several financial and recordkeeping roles in Palm Beach County. The office pays county bills, audits county expenditures, manages the county investment portfolio, records public documents and serves as clerk to the Board of County Commissioners.
The report also explains how authority is divided among county financial offices. The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser assesses taxable property value. The Constitutional Tax Collector collects taxes. The Board of County Commissioners levies county property taxes and approves the budget. The Clerk’s office pays county bills and invests county tax dollars until the money is needed.
For residents, the report also lays out the annual property tax cycle. Property values are assessed in January. Millage rates are set in July. Proposed tax notices are mailed in August. Tax bills are mailed in November.
The report says the Board of County Commissioners kept the county operating millage rate for Fiscal Year 2025 at 4.5000 mills, the same rate used in Fiscal Year 2024.
The county’s total budget for Fiscal Year 2025 was $9.05 billion, a 15% increase over the prior year. The report attributes much of that increase to unspent money from prior fiscal years that had been set aside for capital projects, population growth and higher property values.
Public safety remained the largest governmental expense category in Fiscal Year 2025, with expenses listed at nearly $1.5 billion. General government expenses were listed at about $660 million, and transportation expenses were listed at about $275 million.
The county also reported total reserves of about $1.92 billion as of Sept. 30, 2025. Reserves are money set aside for planned and unexpected expenses, including capital projects, operating needs and debt service.
The Clerk’s office said this is the 20th consecutive year it has released Checks & Balances. The report is also known as the Popular Annual Financial Report, or PAFR.
Most of the information in Checks & Balances comes from the Clerk’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, a much larger financial document that includes nearly 350 pages of detailed county financial data. More details on the Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller website.
Boca Post publishes Palm Beach County news with a local-first focus — from county government and courts to the neighborhoods where people live and work.
