Photo: StarkeDCD · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Starke run?
Starke’s city government spent $8.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, about $1,398 per resident. Water and other utilities ($10.3 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Starke is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,398 per resident a year, or $3.83 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: administration & buildings, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,477 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Starke’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,477 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 97 Florida cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,449, and the middle half spent $1,034–$2,140. Starke spent more than 52% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.6 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Florida cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Starke itself left out).
Day-to-day spending has held about steady since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Starke reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,477 · 2023: $1,398. Per resident it went from $1,477 to $1,398 (down 5%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 5,471 to 5,822.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,027 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.48% of the home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Starke’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Starke’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Starke →
Who’s in charge in Starke
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Starke’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofstarke.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 70 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (5,822).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Bradford County School District
Starke’s K–12 school district, shared with Brooker, Hampton, Lawtey. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,025 per pupil, $5,898 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Florida districts overall: 55% local, 29% state, 15% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Starke’s votes are counted by county
Florida reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Starke alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Bradford County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican78.3%10,920 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat21.1%2,946 votesOthers: 0.6% (86 votes).
Most votes in Bradford County: Donald J Trump
Florida: Trump 56.1%, Harris 43.0%
100% of Starke lies in Bradford County. Every 2024 race in Bradford County is on the county’s page.
Bradford County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Starke.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofstarke.org ↗
- 2Florida HouseState representatives
- 3Florida SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Florida
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Starke’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Starke’s government
How much does Starke spend per resident?
About $1,398 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,477 was more than 52% of 97 Florida cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Starke?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,027 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.48% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.76% across Florida. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofstarke.org.
Who runs Starke’s government?
See cityofstarke.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Starke yet.
How did Starke vote in 2024?
Florida counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Starke alone. Bradford County, where 100% of Starke lies, voted Trump 78.3%, Harris 21.1% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Starke?
83 full-time and 5 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $322,920 (about $3.9M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Starke in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Jennifer Bradley) and State House District 10 (Chuck Brannan). The House district also covers 14 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Starke’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →