City of Florence

What City of Florence does

The City of Florence, South Carolina is a municipal government entity founded in 1890 that provides essential public services to the residents and businesses of Florence, SC. Operating under a council-manager form of government led by Mayor Lethonia Barnes and an elected City Council, the organization delivers a comprehensive portfolio of services including water and wastewater utilities through its RISE (Reliable Infrastructure for a Sustainable Environment) Utilities division, stormwater management, public safety (police and fire), public works, sanitation, parks, recreation, and sports tourism, community development, and general municipal administration. The city employs between 501 and 1,000 personnel and serves as the primary local government authority within its jurisdiction.

The city's technology stack centers on operational technology for utility management, including SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) industrial automation systems for real-time monitoring of water and wastewater infrastructure, GIS mapping tools, and three ArcGIS StoryMaps-based public portals (Water Portal, Stormwater Portal, and Sewer Portal) that present master plan and infrastructure data to residents. The city is executing an $85 million utility modernization program that expands surface water treatment capacity from 10 to 15 million gallons per day, while groundwater treatment systems currently supply approximately 63% of drinking water. Citizen-facing technology includes the 'Ask Cy' chatbot, an AI-powered conversational agent accessible via text at (855) 964-3929 or through the website, designed to handle service requests and information inquiries.

As a public sector entity, the City of Florence does not generate revenue through commercial sales. Operating funds are sourced from property taxes, utility fees, business license revenue, and other municipal charges managed through the Finance Department and Utility Finance division. Capital projects such as the $85M utility modernization program are funded through bond issuances and supplemented by external grant funding. The primary customer segments are city residents (individual households receiving utility, public safety, and recreation services) and local businesses requiring licensing, permits, and commercial utility connections, with visitors and tourists as a secondary segment consuming hospitality, event, and sports tourism services.

Name

City of Florence

Legal name

City of Florence

Website

https://cityofflorence.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The City of Florence, SC is a municipal government providing water, sewer, stormwater, public safety, and recreation services to Florence, South Carolina residents and businesses. With 501-1000 employees, it operates an $85M utility modernization program through its RISE Utilities division.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Government Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance) (BPAIALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ), Stormwater Management & MS4 Compliance Services (BPALAMAL), Real-Time Monitoring & Smart Stormwater (Sensors, SCADA/IoT, RTC) (EUANAEAK), Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)

Keywords

• Municipal water utilities
• Wastewater management
• Stormwater services
• Business licensing
• Public safety services

Headquarters

HQ city

Florence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The City of Florence is a municipal government in Florence, South Carolina that provides essential public services to residents and businesses, including drinking water production and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, stormwater management, public safety (fire and police), parks and recreation, sanitation, planning and zoning, and business licensing. The city operates the RISE (Reliable Infrastructure for a Sustainable Environment) Utilities division and supports these operations with SCADA monitoring, GIS mapping, and an AI-powered citizen engagement chatbot called Ask Cy.

Product overview

The City of Florence, SC operates a comprehensive municipal utility and services platform centered around its RISE Utilities division, which manages the water distribution system (including both surface water treatment expanded to 15 MGD and groundwater treatment supplying 63% of drinking water), stormwater collection, and sanitary sewer systems. The city provides various online portals (Water Portal, Stormwater Portal, Sewer Portal) built on ArcGIS StoryMaps for public access to infrastructure data and master plans, supported by GIS mapping tools and SCADA industrial automation for real-time operational monitoring. The portfolio also includes sanitation services, recreational facilities, public safety operations, and community development programs, all accessible through the city's main website with digital service tools like the 'Ask Cy' chatbot.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RISE Utilities The municipal water and wastewater utility division providing drinking water production, treatment, and distribution, as well as sewer collection and wastewater management for Florence residents and businesses.
• Water Distribution System Municipal drinking water distribution service delivering potable water from surface and groundwater treatment plants to residents and commercial customers, supported by cross-connection control and backflow prevention programs.
• Stormwater Management System Stormwater collection, compliance, and maintenance service that manages runoff, detects illicit discharges, and supports infrastructure improvements for flood resilience within the City of Florence.
• Sanitary Sewer Collection System Sanitary sewer collection service that gathers wastewater from residents and businesses, operates pre-treatment and fats/oils/grease programs, accepts hauled waste, and maintains the collection network.
• Surface Water Treatment Treatment of raw water from surface sources, currently being expanded from 10 to 15 million gallons per day under the $85M utility modernization program.
• Groundwater Treatment Groundwater treatment systems that currently supply approximately 63% of the city's drinking water, with ongoing optimization under the utility modernization plan.
• Business Licensing Regulatory service that issues business licenses to commercial entities operating within the City of Florence, enabling legal operation and providing city revenue.
• Zoning Compliance Permit Permitting service that reviews and approves zoning compliance for commercial operations, new construction, and development projects within the city.
• Public Bid Information Procurement service that advertises municipal contract opportunities, enabling vendors and contractors to bid on city projects.
• Water Quality Reports Annual drinking water quality reports and testing results documenting contaminant levels and compliance with federal drinking water standards, published for public review.

Quantifiable outcome

• Surface water treatment capacity expansion from 10 to 15 million gallons per day
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Tyler Technologies (Munis): Large incumbent vendor of municipal ERP/citizen engagement software (Munis) used broadly by mid-size U.S. cities for utility billing, permitting, and HR — directly comparable to Florence's online portal and licensing infrastructure.

Direct peers

• City of Greenville, SC: Another South Carolina municipal government delivering water/wastewater, stormwater, public works, and civic tech services at a similar council-manager scale. Comparable governance structure and utility operating model.
• City of Spartanburg, SC: Upstate South Carolina city government of comparable population and economic profile to Florence, providing the same suite of municipal water, sewer, stormwater, and public works services.
• City of Columbia, SC: South Carolina's capital municipal government operating comparable utility, stormwater, and public works functions for a similar mid-sized service territory, with analogous regulatory and infrastructure challenges.
• City of Rock Hill, SC: South Carolina city government of comparable size operating similar municipal utility, public works, and parks/recreation functions with parallel capital programming needs.
• City of Anderson, SC: Another SC municipality of similar scale running parallel water, sewer, and stormwater operations and analogous council-manager governance structures.
• City of Sumter, SC: Mid-sized South Carolina municipal government with a comparable utility/public works operating footprint and similar regulatory environment under state and federal water/wastewater rules.

Regional players

• City of Myrtle Beach, SC: SC municipal government emphasizing stormwater management, public works, and tourism-driven services; comparable in regulatory exposure and infrastructure intensity, but serving a different economic base.
• City of Charleston, SC: Larger SC coastal municipal government with the same core utility/public works functions plus tourism-driven scale; serves as a regional benchmark for SC municipal operations.

Others

• Esri ArcGIS: Provider of the ArcGIS StoryMaps platform underlying Florence's Water/Stormwater/Sewer public portals; an enabling technology vendor whose platform is the basis for the city's GIS-based citizen-facing infrastructure transparency tools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/scflorencecity
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcszww8m3ic_vy10wzVC6UQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/cityofflorence
• Instagraminstagram.com/cityofflorencesc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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