Florida Firefighter Salary (2026) – Miami-Dade, Tampa, Jacksonville & City Pay

Florida firefighter pay cannot be reduced to one clean statewide range. Some departments hire Firefighter/EMTs, others require or strongly reward paramedic certification, and retirement systems differ between counties and major cities. Even the meaning of “salary” varies: Miami-Dade publishes base pay plus recurring incentives, Tampa publishes a firefighter scale excluding incentives and holiday pay, and Jacksonville's active 2026 posting gives a single entry salary.

This guide keeps those differences visible rather than averaging them into a number no real department actually pays.

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What Is the Average Firefighter Salary in Florida?

The latest BLS-based 2025 wage data show a Florida firefighter median of $58,550 per year, or $28.15 per hour. The statewide 25th percentile is $45,900, the 75th percentile is $75,840, and the published 10th-to-90th percentile range is $37,260 to $93,310.

Metro medians also vary. The same dataset reports$75,710 for Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, $59,660 for Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, $58,940 for Jacksonville and $45,520 for Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford.

Those metro figures are occupational wage estimates, not the salary scale of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Tampa Fire Rescue or Orlando Fire Department. Current employer numbers are listed below.

Florida Firefighter Salary by Department — Current Public Pay

These figures are intentionally not ranked from highest to lowest. A trainee salary, Firefighter/EMT range, Firefighter/Paramedic range and pay scale with recurring incentives included are different compensation structures.

Miami-Dade Firefighter Salary

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue publishes one of the most detailed firefighter compensation breakdowns in Florida.

The current recruitment page lists $44,962.53 annually for Firefighter Trainee. After graduating from the training program, the posted annual firefighter range is $75,177 to $111,873.75.

That post-academy figure is not base salary alone. Miami-Dade shows the components:

• Base salary: $56,378.14–$86,092.14
• EMT or State of Florida Paramedic License Incentive — Non-Protocol: 23.5%
• Hazardous-duty pay: $4,550 annually
• Flex benefits: $1,000 annually

Employees with a State of Florida paramedic license who are approved for Paramedic Protocol receive a higher published total range of $77,995.91 to $116,178.40, using a 28.5% paramedic protocol incentive.

Jacksonville Firefighter Salary in 2026

Jacksonville's active Firefighter 56 recruitment opened July 27, 2026 and lists $54,120 annually for the entry-level civil-service position.

The job covers structural firefighting, emergency medical calls, hazardous-material incidents and other emergency response. Jacksonville also has step-based firefighter and promotional pay schedules under its labor agreement, but the cleanest current applicant number is the salary attached to the open 2026 entry posting.

Orlando Firefighter Salary in 2026

Orlando Fire Department's current recruitment page advertises a starting salary of $64,219.23 for certified firefighters. The City also says paramedic and special-team incentives are available.

OFD uses a one-day-on/two-days-off schedule with every eighth shift off, which the City describes as approximately ten shifts per month.

An older Orlando benefits table remains accessible online with lower first-year figures, but the current OFD recruitment page publishes the higher $64,219.23 starting salary. For an applicant in September 2026, the live recruiting page is the more relevant source.

Tampa Firefighter Salary in 2026

Tampa Fire Rescue currently publishes a firefighter pay scale of $62,275.20 to $121,680. The City explicitly says that range does not include incentive or holiday pay.

Tampa requires applicants to hold both Florida firefighter certification and EMT or paramedic credentials. New hires who are not already paramedics must obtain State of Florida Paramedic certification within three years.

The department also advertises paramedic incentive pay, educational incentives, tuition reimbursement toward paramedic school and longevity bonuses.

St. Petersburg Firefighter and Paramedic Pay

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue is currently accepting candidates in its Certified Firefighter/EMT and Firefighter/Paramedic pathway. The public careers page does not display a current certified-firefighter base salary table, so this guide does not insert an old firefighter salary and label it 2026.

The same official page publishes a detailed FY26 Paramedic scale from $57,654 at Step 1 to $91,952 at Step 10. It also states that overtime work and City special-event opportunities are available.

Clearwater Firefighter/EMT vs. Fire Medic Pay

Clearwater's June 2026 recruitment gives a clean certification-based comparison:

• Firefighter/EMT entry salary: $59,280.26
• Fire Medic entry salary: $70,720

That is a difference of about $11,439.74 in published entry salary. It is one of the clearest current examples of how paramedic certification can affect firefighter compensation in Florida.

Pasco County Firefighter Salary in 2026

Pasco County opened separate Firefighter/EMT and Firefighter/Paramedic recruitments in August 2026.

• Firefighter/EMT: $55,000–$82,506
• Firefighter/Paramedic: $64,600–$94,869

Pasco states that all new hires start at the bottom of the range for the Firefighter/EMT posting. That makes the $55,000 entry figure more useful to a new applicant than the $82,506 maximum.

Palm Beach Gardens Firefighter Salary

Palm Beach Gardens' May 2026 Firefighter recruitment listed $67,351.13 annually. The position requires Florida Firefighter Minimum Standards, State of Florida EMT certification and a current CPAT.

How Much More Do Firefighter Paramedics Make in Florida?

There is no statewide paramedic premium. Departments use very different systems:

• Miami-Dade: 23.5% EMT/non-protocol paramedic incentive; approved paramedic protocol increases the published incentive to 28.5% of base.
• Clearwater: 2026 entry pay is $59,280.26 for FF/EMT versus $70,720 for Fire Medic.
• Pasco County: 2026 FF/EMT range starts at $55,000; FF/Paramedic starts at $64,600.
• Orlando: the City advertises a paramedic incentive but does not place one universal dollar figure on the main recruitment page.
• Tampa: paramedic certification is required within three years and the City advertises separate paramedic incentive pay.

Florida Firefighter Overtime: What Is Actually Verifiable?

The old article used a generic statewide total-compensation estimate. That has been removed.

Overtime is common in the fire service, but the amount depends on staffing, FLSA treatment, holdovers, callbacks, hurricanes, special events and individual availability. Public sources support the existence of overtime, not a uniform statewide add-on.

• St. Petersburg explicitly advertises overtime and City special-event opportunities.
• Tampa says its published firefighter scale excludes incentive and holiday pay.
• Miami-Dade separates base, recurring licensing/credential incentives and fixed supplements, which makes it easier to identify what is and is not overtime.
• Jacksonville hires into a 56-hour firefighter classification, so annual pay should be compared using the actual city schedule rather than a standard 40-hour calculation.

Hurricanes and extended emergency operations can produce extra hours, but they are event-driven and should not be treated as guaranteed annual income when choosing a department.

Florida Firefighter Pensions: FRS Is Not Universal

The previous version implied that Florida firefighters generally choose between the FRS Pension Plan and Investment Plan. That is not true for every municipal firefighter.

FRS Special Risk Class does include qualifying firefighters employed by participating FRS employers. For those members, the employee contribution is currently 3% of salary whether they participate in the Pension Plan or Investment Plan.

Effective July 1, 2026, the FRS Special Risk employer blended contribution is 37.74% under the Pension Plan funding table, while the employer contribution deposited into a Special Risk Investment Plan account is 16.00%. Those employer percentages are not deductions from the firefighter's paycheck.

For the FRS Pension Plan, Special Risk service generally uses a 3% value per year of creditable service in the benefit formula.

But major Florida departments may use local pension systems instead:

• Miami-Dade County: eligible employees receive retirement benefits through FRS, with enrollment automatic for eligible full- and part-time County employees.
• Orlando: has its own Firefighters' Pension Fund. The City says normal retirement after 20 years provides 60% of the applicable average monthly income, with 4% added for each year beyond 20 up to a maximum of 80% after 25 years.
• Tampa: sworn full-time firefighters participate in the City Pension Fund for Firefighters and Police Officers, commonly called the Tampa Fire & Police Pension Fund.
• St. Petersburg: the current careers page lists a local pension with a 3% multiplier per creditable year and vesting after 10 years.

Florida State Income Tax and Firefighter Take-Home Pay

Florida does not impose a personal state income tax on individuals. That is a real take-home difference compared with states that withhold state income tax from wages.

It does not mean a firefighter's gross salary is close to net pay. Federal income tax, Social Security/Medicare treatment where applicable, pension contributions, healthcare, union dues and other deductions can still reduce the paycheck.

Housing, property insurance, flood/wind exposure and commuting costs can also vary dramatically between Miami-Dade, Tampa Bay, Orlando, Jacksonville and smaller Florida communities. Those costs should be compared separately rather than turned into a fake “salary equivalent.”

How to Compare Two Florida Fire Departments

1. Use the actual recruit or first-step salary from the active posting.
2. Check whether the published number includes EMT/paramedic, hazard, flex or holiday pay.
3. Separate academy/trainee pay from post-academy firefighter pay.
4. Confirm whether paramedic certification is required at hire or can be earned after hire.
5. Identify FRS versus a local pension plan and the employee contribution.
6. Ask how 24/48, 48-hour, 56-hour or Kelly-day schedules affect FLSA compensation.
7. Use overtime only when the department provides a reliable schedule or payroll figure.
8. Then compare housing, insurance and commuting costs in the actual service area.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average firefighter salary in Florida?

The latest BLS-based 2025 data show a $58,550 median annual wage for Florida firefighters. The statewide 10th-to-90th percentile range is $37,260–$93,310.

How much does a Miami-Dade firefighter make?

MDFR publishes $44,962.53 for Firefighter Trainee. After academy, the posted annual firefighter range is $75,177–$111,873.75 when its listed EMT/non-protocol incentive, hazard pay and flex benefit are included.

How much does a Jacksonville firefighter make in 2026?

Jacksonville's July 2026 Firefighter 56 recruitment lists $54,120 annually.

How much does a Tampa firefighter make?

Tampa Fire Rescue currently lists a firefighter pay scale of $62,275.20–$121,680, excluding incentive and holiday pay.

How much does an Orlando firefighter make?

Orlando's current firefighter recruiting page advertises a $64,219.23 starting salary for certified firefighters.

Do Florida firefighters get FRS?

Some do, including qualifying firefighters working for participating FRS employers such as Miami-Dade County. Other major cities maintain local firefighter pension systems. FRS Special Risk members currently contribute 3% of salary.

Does Florida have state income tax on firefighter pay?

No. Florida does not impose personal state income tax on individuals, although federal and payroll taxes and benefit deductions still apply.

Sources and Data Notes

• O*NET / BLS 2025 Florida firefighter wage data.
• Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Firefighter Job.
• Jacksonville Firefighter 56 — 2026 recruitment.
• Orlando Fire Department recruitment.
• Tampa Fire Rescue Employment Opportunities.
• St. Petersburg Fire Rescue Careers.
• Clearwater 2026 Fire Medic / Firefighter EMT recruitment.
• Pasco County Firefighter/EMT — August 2026.
• Palm Beach Gardens Firefighter — 2026.
• MyFRS contribution rates — July 1, 2026.
• FRS benefit calculation.
• Miami-Dade FRS retirement eligibility.
• Orlando Firefighters' Pension Fund retirement options.
• Tampa Fire & Police Pension Fund.
• Florida Department of Revenue tax information.

Editorial note: Florida departments update pay scales through contracts, budgets and recruit cycles. Figures were checked against public sources available September 8, 2026. When a department page publishes a total that includes recurring incentives, the article identifies those components instead of presenting the total as base salary.

Interested in working as a firefighter in Florida? See our firefighter career guide for Florida certification, CPAT, written exams and academy basics.