Florida has some cities that pay their council members and others that do not pay their council members. Even among the paid council members, the compensation of elected town leaders varies greatly across Florida. Traditionally, in the Panhandle, the compensation is relatively meager ($1000 to $6000 a year). In larger cities, such as Tallahassee, the pay is considerably more, but the time required for the job is also much more. Leaders of large cities must attend many more meetings than their small-town counterparts.

The municipal charter spells out compensation for elected officials, along with guidelines for changes in pay. Many town charters put in place restrictions that any pay changes cannot take effect until the following term.

The charter committee, local citizens, and the feasibility study firm have discussed compensation for council members of around $5000 to $6000 per elected official.