Starke, FL development tracker

Infrastructure: water and sewer to the US 301 bypass

Agency: City of Starke. Status, in the Telegraph's words: 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."^[1] The same report adds that it was "a project that came in less than half of what the city had budgeted for it."^[1]

What to do with this: if you are pricing land along the bypass, ask the city which parcels the extension reaches and when service is expected, and for a parcel it does not reach, get the cost of wells, septic or a private extension before you make an offer. The public report covers the award, not the completion date.

Utility capital projects also came up in the city's budget talks: "Starke city officials spent nearly an hour Aug. 18 picking apart the numbers behind next year's utility budget," and "much of the conversation circled back to a handful of big-ticket capital projects."^[2]

Infrastructure and public property: the Southside Elementary exchange

Agencies: Bradford County School Board and City of Starke. "The Bradford County School Board has signed off on a property swap with the city of Starke."^[3] The deal would "send the former Southside Elementary School campus to the city and give the school district the city's maintenance and purchasing facility on North Orange Street."^[3] Status and date: "The board approved the amended property exchange agreement Sept. 23."^[3] The headline adds the caveat: "School board OKs land swap with Starke; timeline hinges on funding."^[3]

What to do with this: if you own or are buying property near the former Southside Elementary campus or the North Orange Street facility, ask the city and the school district what each plans for its new site. The report does not say, so this page does not guess.

Private projects: Chick-fil-A site plan

The Telegraph's headline: "Chick-fil-A plan approved, work could begin by year's end." The report says the "plans for a Starke restaurant took a key step forward with the approval of its site plan Oct. 6."^[4] On timing, "City Manager Drew Mullins said construction could start before the end of the year."^[4]

What to do with this: if you lease or own retail space nearby, ask the city for the approved site plan to see the access points and parking, and treat one approval as a fact about this site, not a trend.

Private property: former gas station on State Road 100

Agency: City of Starke. "The Starke City Commission is nearing the end of a code enforcement case involving a vacant former gas station on State Road 100."^[5] The report says the city attorney told commissioners "that the city has been cleared to move forward with taking ownership of the property."^[5]

What to do with this: if you own property near the former gas station on State Road 100, ask the city what it plans for the site once it takes ownership. The report does not say.

City plans: Starke's 2026-27 budget

Agency: City of Starke. "Starke city commissioners adopted a tentative property tax rate and a $61 million budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year."^[6] If a purchase depends on city services, read the final adopted budget, not the tentative one, for the capital items it funds.

City plans and county plans that cover Starke

Bradford County capital improvement plan. County commissioners were "presented a preliminary five-year capital improvement plan Aug. 4 calling for $28.89 million in road, facility, fleet and emergency equipment projects," covering spending "between the 2026-27 and 2030-31 fiscal years, with roughly three-quarters of that spending concentrated in the coming year."^[7] The report calls the plan preliminary, and this page does not list which of its projects, if any, fall inside Starke; ask the county for the adopted plan.

Bradford County economic development strategic plan. "Bradford County commissioners got a detailed look at a new economic development strategic plan at their May 21 meeting," where "a senior planner and project manager with Halff Associates, presented the results of a state-funded Community Planning Technical Assistance grant."^[8] The report describes it as "The $75,000 grant written in the summer of 2025." The report's headline: "Plan offers look at future fairgrounds, airport and bypass development."^[8]

Our October 2026 research did not find a dated, public status for an update to the City of Starke comprehensive plan, so this page lists none. If you need the future land use for a specific parcel, ask the city's building and zoning office for the current map.

What this tracker does not cover

Bradford County approvals that their sources place near Lawtey or elsewhere in the county, rather than in Starke, are on the market outlook, not here. Residential subdivisions are left out unless they include commercial space. Items drop off this page when the record shows them finished or withdrawn.