Bradford County, FL elected officials: commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Bradford County: 40 seats on 13 elected bodies. 1 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 8 local governments in Bradford County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
1
Cities, towns, villages and townships
4
4
School districts (school boards)
1
1
Special districts (elected boards)
2
1
Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).
About these counts
The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments, though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.
Who lives in Bradford County
27,885people
40.2median ageU.S.: 38.9
$63,050 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
16.8%below the U.S.: 12.5%
15.2%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$212,500median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.7%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
3.2%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
8.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
11.6%U.S.: 8.4%
56.4%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
27.9%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5% · White 72.9% · Black 15.4% · Asian 0.7% · Other or more than one race 5.9% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).
About these figures
The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.
Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.
Jobs in Bradford County
5.1%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 4.9%. Florida: 4.2%.
541people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
10,041people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
10,582in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
5.1%
541
10,041
10,582
August 2026
5.5%
579
9,959
10,538
July 2026
5.8%
604
9,866
10,470
June 2026
5.6%
586
9,945
10,531
May 2026
5.2%
546
9,969
10,515
April 2026
5.5%
577
9,917
10,494
March 2026
5.3%
559
9,982
10,541
February 2026
5.7%
604
9,961
10,565
January 2026
5.8%
603
9,847
10,450
December 2025
5.0%
514
9,869
10,383
November 2025
5.6%
584
9,876
10,460
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
4.9%
512
10,004
10,516
August 2025
4.9%
509
9,948
10,457
July 2025
4.8%
499
9,959
10,458
June 2025
4.6%
487
10,003
10,490
May 2025
4.0%
421
10,044
10,465
April 2025
3.8%
394
10,061
10,455
March 2025
3.8%
402
10,128
10,530
February 2025
3.9%
411
10,057
10,468
January 2025
4.3%
449
10,057
10,506
December 2024
3.7%
387
10,027
10,414
November 2024
4.0%
421
9,988
10,409
October 2024
3.9%
408
10,092
10,500
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.5%
471
10,001
10,472
2024
3.8%
394
10,043
10,437
2023
3.3%
339
10,034
10,373
2022
3.4%
353
10,015
10,368
2021
4.5%
463
9,752
10,215
2020
6.5%
668
9,539
10,207
2019
3.5%
359
10,006
10,365
2018
3.6%
385
10,230
10,615
2017
4.0%
427
10,357
10,784
2016
4.6%
480
9,966
10,446
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Florida's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.4% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.
Crime reported in Bradford County
342.8 per 100,0002020. Florida: 383.6.
948.0 per 100,0002020. Florida: 1,769.4.
2murders2020, 98 violent crimes in all.
2020 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2020
98
342.8
271
948.0
2019
112
400.9
443
1,585.7
2018
96
351.5
382
1,398.6
2017
100
367.2
388
1,424.8
2016
130
478.6
349
1,284.9
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Bradford County Sheriff's Office
2024
50
121
21,565
Starke Police Department
2020
62
188
5,415
Lawtey Police Department
2020
2
7
725
Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in Florida · the U.S.
Police staffing
2.23 per 1,000 residents2023, 3 agencies serving 26,897 people.
60sworn officers2023, full-time, as of October 31.
55civilian staff2023, full-time.
2023 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.
Agencies counted (3), 2023
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Bradford County Sheriff's Office
44
53
20,338
Starke Police Department
12
2
5,898
Lawtey Police Department
4
0
661
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2023
60
2.23
55
3
2022
61
2.10
42
3
2021
55
1.95
55
3
2020
61
2.17
49
3
2019
60
2.19
49
3
2018
63
2.35
48
3
2017
61
2.28
49
3
2016
57
2.14
19
3
Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.
Quick answers
Who is the Bradford County Clerk of Court?
Denny Thompson (Republican) is the Clerk of Court of Bradford County, Florida.
Who is the Bradford County Property Appraiser?
Kenny Clark (No party affiliation) is the Property Appraiser of Bradford County, Florida.
Who is the Bradford County Sheriff?
Gordon Smith (Republican) is the Sheriff of Bradford County, Florida.
Who is the Bradford County Supervisor of Elections?
Amanda Seyfang (Republican) is the Supervisor of Elections of Bradford County, Florida.
Who is the Bradford County Tax Collector?
Teresa Phillips (Republican) is the Tax Collector of Bradford County, Florida.
Who are the Bradford County commissioners?
Carolyn Brown Spooner (District 1); Kenny Thompson (District 2); Chris Dougherty (District 3); Danny Riddick (District 4); Diane Andrews (District 5).
Who is on the Bradford County School Board?
Sheila Fayson Cummings (District 1); Gayle Shuford Nicula (District 2); Julie Johnson (District 3); Candace Osteen (District 4); Lynn Melvin (District 5); Will Hartley (Superintendent of Schools).
What is the population of Bradford County?
About 27,885 people, with a median age of 40.2; the median household income is $63,050 and 16.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Bradford County?
5.1% in September 2026 (preliminary): 541 people unemployed in a labor force of 10,582, against 4.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Bradford County?
8 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal, 1 school district and 2 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Bradford County?
4: Brooker, Hampton, Lawtey, Starke. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from each county Supervisor of Elections' official lists and candidate filings and the bodies' own websites; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.
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