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Florida County
Bradford County, Florida
Starke's strawberry capital and Florida's corrections corridor - from Bradford County's designation as the Strawberry Capital of Florida (the annual Starke Strawberry Festival celebrating a local agricultural tradition dating to the 1920s) to the Florida State Prison complex at Raiford on the Bradford-Union county line, and a small North-Central Florida county where agricultural heritage and the corrections industry have defined the local economy through decades of rural stability.
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Office: Bradford County Emergency Management – (904) 966-6327 | bradfordcountyfl.com
Alert System: Florida FDEM; CodeRED; NOAA Weather Radio
Shelter Info: Bradford County High School; contact OEM
FEMA Region: Region 4
Notes: North-central Florida rural county; Starke is county seat; hurricane risk (inland, but tropical storm impacts); severe thunderstorms; wildfire risk (pine flatwoods); flooding (New River, Santa Fe River); Florida State Prison (Raiford) and Union Correctional Institution are in Bradford County – the Florida Death Row is here; the county’s economy has historically been tied to correctional facilities
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
County Roads: Bradford County Road Department – (904) 966-6327
Transit: None; completely auto-dependent
Notes: US-301 (north-south through Starke – a significant trucking and commerce route that bypasses I-75 and I-95; connects to Jacksonville north and Gainesville south); SR-100 (east-west through Starke); Bradford County is about 40 miles south of Jacksonville via US-301 and about 30 miles northeast of Gainesville; rural and remote; no public transit
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Bradford County Building – (904) 966-6327
Services: County permits; Starke (separate), Lawtey, Hampton, Brooker small communities
Notes: Very limited development; correctional facility infrastructure; agricultural structures; limited residential activity; some Jacksonville commuter residential development
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Bradford County Veterans Services – (904) 966-6327
VA Medical: VA Jacksonville CBOC (about 40 miles via US-301); Malcom Randall VAMC (Gainesville – about 30 miles via US-301 south)
Services: Benefits claims; both Jacksonville and Gainesville VA accessible
Notes: Good VA access given the county’s position between Jacksonville and Gainesville; small veteran population; prison system employs veterans; active local VSO
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Bradford County Public Library – (904) 966-6195
Address: Starke
Services: Books, public computers, Wi-Fi, children’s programs; north Florida heritage; strawberry farming heritage
Notes: Single library serving a small rural county; Starke’s strawberry heritage (Plant City is better known but Bradford County also has strawberry farming history); north Florida agricultural heritage
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park (Keystone Heights area, Clay County border – accessible; beautiful ravine ecosystem; swimming in the Gold Head spring; one of north Florida’s finest state parks); Santa Fe River (excellent kayaking and camping; dark tannin-stained river through cypress swamps); Olustee Battlefield nearby (Baker County); Bradford County farmers markets (strawberries in season); Kingsley Lake (Clay County border – one of Florida’s finest natural lakes; round shape; white sand beaches; very popular)
Notes: Bradford County’s natural assets are solid given its position in north central Florida; the Santa Fe River (joining the Suwannee to the west) provides excellent paddling through remote cypress swamp; Kingsley Lake (just across the county line in Clay County) is one of Florida’s finest inland swimming lakes
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
GIS Portal: Bradford County GIS; Florida DEP GIS; Suwannee River WMD maps
Notes: Basic county GIS; Santa Fe River watershed mapping; prison facility locations mapping
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Shelter: Bradford County Animal Control – (904) 966-6327
Solid Waste: Bradford County Solid Waste – (904) 966-6327; transfer station; limited services
Environmental: Florida DEP; Suwannee River Water Management District; Santa Fe River watershed; agriculture nonpoint source management; prison wastewater management (large institutional wastewater streams require management)
Notes: The Santa Fe River’s water quality is part of the broader springs protection issue in north Florida; agricultural runoff management; prison facilities’ wastewater treatment is a specialized environmental management consideration; Bradford County’s rural character means limited overall environmental management demands
About Bradford County
Bradford County is a small North-Central Florida agricultural county – a strawberry-growing and timber community whose proximity to the Florida State Prison complex has made corrections employment a major economic pillar alongside farming.
Starke (the county seat, population ~6,000) is Florida’s Strawberry Capital – the county’s sandy loam soils produce strawberries of exceptional quality, and the annual Starke Strawberry Festival draws visitors from the surrounding region. The city’s modest downtown serves the surrounding agricultural community.
The Florida State Prison – located on the Bradford-Union county line near Raiford – houses Florida’s death row and execution chamber. Prison employment directly and indirectly supports a significant portion of Bradford County’s workforce, a common economic pattern in Florida’s rural inland counties.
Lawtey and Hampton – two small incorporated communities – are among Florida’s smallest incorporated cities, each with populations under 1,000.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
The Bradford County Property Appraiser at 945 Temple Avenue N, Starke, FL 32091, phone 904-966-6216, assesses at just value. No FL estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Bradford County Clerk of Court at 945 Temple Avenue N, Starke, FL 32091, phone 904-966-6280, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF COURTS (Records, Marriage Licenses)
945 N. Temple Ave., Starke, FL 32091
(904) 966-6280
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Bradford County Clerk of the Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Bradford County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Bradford County Clerk of the Court, Probate Division Bradford County Courthouse, 945 N. Temple Avenue, P.O. Drawer 340, Starke, FL 32091 (904) 966-6280 / (904) 966-6221 Bradford County sits in Florida’s 8th Judicial Circuit. Probate Judge: Hon. David P. Kreider.
IMPORTANT – a major statewide law change just took effect: Florida’s summary administration threshold DOUBLED from $75,000 to $150,000 effective July 1, 2026, under CS/HB 1337 (Chapter 2026-57, Laws of Florida). Confirm which threshold applies based on date of death when helping someone (see
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
945 N. Temple Ave., Starke, FL 32091
(904) 966-2276
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS
945 N. Temple Ave., Starke, FL 32091
(904) 966-6266
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
FL Dept of Health — Bradford
1100 SW 12th St., Starke, FL 32091
(904) 966-4350
FL DCF — Bradford
(904) 966-6865
FL Medicaid
(800) 299-4833
Shands Starke
ufhealth.org/starke
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Florida DOH in Bradford County – (904) 966-5365 | bradford.floridahealth.gov
Services: Basic health department; immunizations; WIC; STI testing; vital records; behavioral health; prison population health coordination
Hospital: Shands Starke Regional Medical Center (Starke – small community hospital operated by UF Health; (904) 368-2300); UF Health (Gainesville) for specialty care
Notes: Small community hospital; UF Health Gainesville for major care; prison population creates unique public health considerations (communicable disease management in large institutional settings is a significant challenge); behavioral health limited; substance use challenges
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Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Starke
Population: 28,000
Area: 294 sq mi
Established: 1858
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Bradford County residents.
