Commercial property for sale in Starke, FL: a buyer's checklist

What public records should I check before buying commercial property in Starke?

Three Bradford County offices hold the paper trail for a parcel. The Property Appraiser's site says its job is "placing a fair and equitable market value on every parcel of property both real estate and tangible in our county," and the site has a "Record Search / GIS Map" section.^[1] The Clerk "is the recorder of all instruments required or authorized to be recorded in one general series of" Official Records books, and the Clerk's examples of recorded documents include "deeds, mortgages, liens, contracts, affidavits, subdivision plats, declarations of condominiums."^[2] The Tax Collector's site says it offers "real time payments on Property Taxes and more history information that you can print."^[3]

What to do with this: for any Starke parcel you are considering, look up its appraiser record first, then ask the Clerk's Official Records department for the recorded deeds, mortgages, liens and plats that touch it, and print the tax payment history before you make an offer. The Property Appraiser's office is at 945 North Temple Ave Suite A, Starke, Florida 32091.^[1]

What does Florida charge when commercial property changes hands?

Section 201.02 of the Florida Statutes sets the documentary stamp tax on deeds: "on each $100 of the consideration therefor the tax shall be 70 cents."^[4] The statute defines consideration broadly. It "includes, but is not limited to, the money paid or agreed to be paid; the discharge of an obligation; and the amount of any mortgage, purchase money mortgage lien, or other encumbrance, whether or not the underlying indebtedness is assumed."^[4] It also reaches some entity deals: when property is conveyed to a conduit entity and an ownership interest in that entity is later transferred for consideration "within 3 years of such conveyance, tax is imposed."^[4]

What to do with this: if the seller holds the property in an entity, or the deal carries a loan with it, ask a Florida real estate attorney or the title company how the stamp tax is measured on that structure before you set your closing budget. This page does not calculate a tax for any deal.

Will property taxes on a Starke commercial building change after I buy?

They can. Section 193.1555 says "property assessed under this section shall be assessed at just value as of January 1 of the year following a qualifying improvement or change of ownership or control."^[5] It defines the trigger as "any sale, foreclosure, transfer of legal title or beneficial title in equity to any person, or the cumulative transfer of control or of more than 50 percent of the ownership of the legal entity that owned the property when it was most recently assessed at just value."^[5] After that, "the property shall be reassessed annually on January 1," and a change "may not exceed 10 percent of the assessed value of the property for the prior year."^[5]

The rate is a separate question. The Property Appraiser's site says "The taxing authorities, which include the Board of County Commissioners, School Board, City Council, and the Water Management District, set the tax rate for all property."^[1] The Florida Department of Revenue's Table 1 for Bradford County lists the City of Starke at 4.3879 mills in recent years.^[6]

What to do with this: if you are underwriting a Starke purchase, do not carry the seller's current tax bill forward as your own. Ask the Property Appraiser whether the parcel is assessed under section 193.1555 and what a reassessment at just value could mean after your sale, and ask a tax professional how the county, school, city and water district rates add up for that parcel.

Which Starke zoning district fits the commercial use I have in mind?

The Land Development Code the city posts names six business and industrial districts: Neighborhood Commercial B-1, Community Commercial B-2, Highway Commercial B-3, Business Professional BP, Light Industrial I-1 and General Industrial I-2.^[8] The code says the B-2 district is meant "to provide for existing or potential office, business, and commercial facilities which occur outside planned centers and are designed to serve the general needs of the City of Starke."^[8] The B-3 district is meant "to accommodate those forms of business that primarily serve the needs of the traveling public, and which therefore require adequate and convenient commercial locations adjacent to major transportation arteries."^[8]

When a use is not on a district's list, the code says "the Administrative Official shall determine which use is most similar or allied to the use requested."^[8]

What to do with this: if a Starke building was built for one use and you plan another, ask the Building and Zoning Department in writing which district the parcel sits in and whether your use is listed there, before you remove your contingencies. Ask for the current code text, since the posted copy may have been amended. The commercial land page covers the industrial districts and rezoning.

Does a commercial buyer in Starke need a site plan?

The code is broad on this point. It lists a site plan "received and approved" for a site with "Any commercial activity," and says "Site plans are required prior to construction and should be prepared by a registered professional engineer."^[8] It adds that "The applicant is encouraged to meet with the Administrative Official and other City Departments or Agencies as the case may require to discuss basic site plan requirements."^[8]

A recent local example is Chick-fil-A. The Bradford County Telegraph reported that its "plans for a Starke restaurant took a key step forward with the approval of its site plan Oct. 6."^[13] One approval is a fact about one site, not a trend.

What to do with this: if you buy an existing Starke building and plan to change how it is used, ask the city whether a site plan review applies and who must prepare it, and put the engineer's fee in your budget. The commercial land page lists what the code asks a site plan to show.

Is a Starke commercial property in a flood zone?

The code incorporates "The Flood Insurance Rate Map for Starke, as may be amended."^[8] It adds that "No building shall be moved onto or constructed on land subject to flooding in any zone, nor shall any existing building so located be enlarged, repaired, or altered except in accordance with the floodplain regulations in sections 6-61 - 6-75 of this Code."^[8] The city's Building & Zoning page posts a "Floodplain Permit Application for Floodplain Development."^[7]

Our October 2026 research did not check any individual Starke parcel against the flood map, so this page cannot say whether a given property sits in a flood zone.

What to do with this: before you offer on a building, ask the city which flood map panel covers the parcel, ask an insurance agent for a flood quote, and, if you plan to enlarge, repair or alter the building, ask whether the floodplain regulations apply to that work.

What utilities, fees and inspections come with a Starke commercial building?

The city's utility page says the City of Starke "provides electric, water, sewer, garbage collection, and natural gas services to residents."^[10] The city's building and zoning FAQ states "The City of Starke has no impact fees for the development of any kind," and that "The city's building inspector conducts inspections during the morning hours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays."^[9]

Our October 2026 research did not check what Bradford County charges for property outside the city limits, and did not find the city's building fee schedule in text we could quote.

What to do with this: if you plan tenant improvements, build the inspection window into your schedule, and ask the city for its current fee schedule in writing. A statement about impact fees is not a list of every permit or utility charge.

Does the city or the county handle permits for Starke property?

It depends on the parcel. Bradford County's building page says that if the property "is within the CITY LIMITS OF STARKE or has City of Starke utilities, you will have to contact the City of Starke Building and Zoning Department."^[11] For parcels outside the city, see who handles zoning on the commercial land page.

What to do with this: a Starke mailing address does not tell you who permits the property. Ask the Property Appraiser or the city whether the parcel is inside the city limits, and whether it takes city utilities, before you choose which office to call.

What is changing along US 301 that a buyer should know about?

The Telegraph reported that the Starke City Commission "voted unanimously Sept. 3 to award a $5.86 million contract to extend water and sewer service to the U.S. 301 bypass, a project that came in less than half of what the city had budgeted for it."^[12] The report we could read covers the contract award. Our October 2026 research did not find which parcels the extension reaches or when it will be finished.

What to do with this: if a property you are weighing sits near the bypass, ask the city whether public water and sewer will reach it and on what schedule, and read the development tracker for the status of each public project.

What do prices and comparable sales look like for Starke commercial property?

Our October 2026 research did not find a dated price, capitalization rate or sale comparable for commercial property in Starke or Bradford County, so this page quotes none.

What to do with this: if someone hands you a number for a Starke property, ask for the recorded sale behind it. The Clerk records deeds and the Property Appraiser keeps the parcel record, so a real sale can be traced to a public document.