City of Florence

What City of Florence does

The City of Florence is the municipal government of Florence, Alabama, operating as a political subdivision of the State of Alabama. It delivers a consolidated bundle of public services to approximately 42,000+ residents and local businesses, including water, sewer, natural gas, and electric utilities (operated under the trade name Florence Utilities), police and fire-rescue services, solid waste collection and landfill operations, parks and recreation facilities (golf, campgrounds, athletic complexes, and the recently opened Tennis & Pickleball Complex at Veterans Memorial Park), planning and building services, animal services, municipal court, emergency management, and an airport. The Florence Recycling Center accepts cardboard, paper, aluminum, steel, oils, electronics, and plastics, and in November 2025 commissioned 'Eddy and Maggie,' a fully automated eddy current aluminum and magnetic steel sorting line — Alabama's first such installation — funded by a $95,797 Alabama Recycling Fund grant and partnered with Constellium Muscle Shoals, the largest used-beverage-can recycling facility in North America.

The revenue model blends recurring utility rates (a proposed $20/month residential water/sewer increase with 3-5% annual escalators over five years), property and sales taxes, commercial garbage collection tiers ranging from $34/month for shared carts to $729/month for 8-yard dumpsters picked up six times weekly, landfill tipping fees of $40/ton (effective November 2025), and grant funding from Alabama state agencies (ADEM, ADECA, Alabama Recycling Fund) and HUD. Customer-facing technology consists of a public GIS mapping portal (KC SGIS) for zoning and parcel data, an online utility billing system (ebiz.florenceutilities.com), the Neighborly Software portal for Florence First small business grants, the Smore email platform for mayoral communications, and GovernmentJobs.com for hiring. Distribution is direct-to-citizen: services are delivered in person through City Hall (110 West College St.), the Mayor's Office (102 South Court St.), and operational sites including the recycling center, landfill, and Street Department, with no commercial resellers or third-party service providers.

Name

City of Florence

Legal name

City of Florence

Website

https://florenceal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1800

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The City of Florence, Alabama is a municipal government providing utilities (water, sewer, gas, electric), public safety, solid waste and recycling, parks and recreation, and planning services to approximately 42,000+ residents and local businesses in Florence and the surrounding Shoals region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Public Finance Activities (921130), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Administration of Economic Programs (9261)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Refuse Systems (4953), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Airports, Flying Fields & Airport Terminal Services (4581)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Municipal Finance, Treasury, Budget & Procurement (BPAIACAC), Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI), Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN), Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance) (BPAIALAD), Municipal Tax & Revenue Administration (Local) (BPAIACAD), Municipal Wastewater Collection (Sewer Networks) (BPALAMAA)

Keywords

• Municipal utility services
• Public safety services
• Waste management recycling
• Parks recreation facilities
• Community development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Florence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Utility Fees: Revenue from water, sewer, gas, and electric utility services. Proposed water/sewer rate increase of approximately $20/month for residential customers to address rising costs and aging infrastructure.
2. Property and Sales Taxes: Revenue from municipal taxes including property taxes, sales taxes, and business licenses collected from commercial establishments.
3. Federal and State Grants: Grant funding from Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM), Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), and HUD for environmental, community development, and homeless services programs.
4. Commercial Garbage Collection Fees: Monthly fees for commercial garbage collection services based on dumpster size (4, 6, or 8 yard) and collection frequency (2-6 times per week). Minimum monthly fee of $34 for shared dumpsters or roll-out carts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The City of Florence provides comprehensive municipal government services to its residents and businesses, including water, sewer, gas, and electric utilities; police and fire-rescue public safety; solid waste collection, landfill, and recycling processing; parks and recreation facilities (golf course, campground, athletic complexes, tennis and pickleball courts); building permitting, inspections, and zoning administration; planning and community development programs including economic development grants; and digital services such as an online GIS mapping portal and utility bill payment system. Revenue is generated through utility fees, taxes, federal and state grants, and service charges.

Product overview

The City of Florence, Alabama operates as a municipal government providing comprehensive public services to residents and businesses. Rather than a single product or platform, the city's offerings consist of interconnected core municipal services including water/sewer/utility provision, public safety (police, fire-rescue, animal services), parks and recreation facilities (including the Tennis & Pickleball Complex at Veterans Memorial Park, Blackberry Trails Golf Course, McFarland Campground, and the Florence-Lauderdale Coliseum), solid waste management and recycling (with the automated 'Eddy and Maggie' metals sorting line), planning and community development programs (Florence First grants, CDBG programs), building and development services, and digital services such as the Online Mapping Portal (GIS), Florence Utilities Online Bill Payment, and employment via GovernmentJobs.com. The city also manages civic programs like the Walk of Honor at River Heritage Park and Beautification Board initiatives including business awards and the Urban Forestry Conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water and Sewer Utilities
• Florence Utilities (Electric, Gas, Water)
• Florence Fire-Rescue
• Florence Police Department
• Parks & Recreation
• Tennis & Pickleball Complex
• Florence Recycling Center
• Blackberry Trails Golf Course
• Florence-Lauderdale Coliseum
• McFarland Campground
• Building & Development Services
• Planning & Community Development
• Solid Waste Collection & Landfill
• Florence Utilities Online Bill Payment
• Online Mapping Portal (GIS)
• Florence-Lauderdale Animal Services
• Municipal Court
• Emergency Management
• Florence Airport

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,660 lbs of litter removed during 2024 Citywide Cleanup with 270 volunteers from 13 organizations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SafePlace, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Nonprofit subrecipient providing emergency shelter and rapid rehousing assistance to victims of domestic violence. Part of $400,100 ESG funding through City of Florence.
• Community Action Agency of Northwest AlabamacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Nonprofit subrecipient providing homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing services. Part of $400,100 ESG funding through City of Florence.
• Salvation Army of the ShoalscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Nonprofit subrecipient providing emergency shelter services for individuals and families. Part of $400,100 ESG funding through City of Florence.
• MOM's Inc. (Mission of Mercy Shoals)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Nonprofit subrecipient providing help to people suffering from effects of alcoholism and drug addiction. Part of $400,100 ESG funding through City of Florence.
• Constellium Muscle ShoalscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2025Local aluminum manufacturing partner that recycles beverage cans from Florence's program. Facility has capacity to process over 20 billion cans annually (largest UBC recycling facility in North America), employs approximately 1,300 team members, operating 24/7.
• University of North Alabama (UNA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2025Partnership with UNA for recycling initiatives including new receptacles at Bank Independent Stadium (10,000-seat facility) and surrounding athletic fields. Jointly received $145,585 ADEM grant. UNA President Dr. Ken Kitts stated partnership sets strong example for sustainability and school spirit.
• Alabama Small Business Development Center at UNAminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2020Resource partner for Florence First small business grant program, providing assistance to local businesses through COVID-19 relief and ongoing economic development initiatives.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• City of Madison, Alabama: Alabama municipal government serving a comparable scale community with utility, recreation, public safety, and planning services. Direct peer for municipal service operations within the same state regulatory environment.
• City of Decatur, Alabama: North Alabama municipal government providing water/sewer/electric utilities, public safety, parks, and solid waste services. Comparable geographic region, similar municipal operating model, and overlapping service portfolio to Florence.
• City of Athens, Alabama: Small North Alabama municipal government of similar population scale (~25k-30k range) operating comparable utility, public safety, parks, and sanitation services. Direct peer for benchmarking municipal operations, budget structure, and service delivery at sub-50k scale.

Broad incumbents

• City of Birmingham, Alabama: Largest Alabama municipal government and broad incumbent operating comprehensive utility, public safety, parks, and redevelopment programs. Provides upper-bound benchmarking for municipal service scope and budget scale in the same state.
• City of Montgomery, Alabama: Alabama state capital municipal government with comparable utility, recreation, public-safety, and recycling operations. Relevant broader-incumbent peer for state-level funding and regulatory context.
• City of Huntsville, Alabama: Alabama's largest city operating comparable municipal services including utilities, public safety, parks/recreation, and recycling. Comparable as a vertically integrated municipal government with utility ownership, but operates at substantially larger scale and budget than Florence.
• City of Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Larger Alabama municipal government operating full utility, recreation, and public-safety portfolio with significant recycling and infrastructure programs. Relevant broader-incumbent peer for scaling municipal operations.

Regional players

• City of Muscle Shoals, Alabama: Shoals region municipal neighbor providing overlapping utility, public safety, and parks services. Comparable geographically as adjacent competitor within the same Shoals labor market and industrial recruitment footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/user76019108
• Facebookfacebook.com/CityofFlorenceAlabama
• Instagraminstagram.com/florence_alabama
• Xx.com/cityoflorenceal

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about City of Florence