Starke, Florida

Episode 421 / 7 September 2023 / 176 min / full

Three Murders & Six Congenital Idiots

"We are going down to Stark, Florida. STARKE, Florida ... this is in Bradford County." about 0:05:14

The case: Murder of Cecil Batie (January 6, 1985); Murder of Joe Bannister (February 2, 1985); Murder of Sandra Black (February 21, 1985). Read the case file.

The figures, as told in 2023

Population

5,669

Median age

37.1

Median household income

$33,958 a year

Median home value

$205,000

Two-bedroom rent

$920

Religious

45.8%

Property crime

▲ a little bit above the average

Violent crime

▲ almost double

History, in brief

• Prior to the 1850s the area was open and sparsely settled. about 0:07:00
• A railroad was announced to connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico, and settlers began arriving. about 0:07:07
• The first post office opened in 1857, established by George W. Cole. about 0:07:16
• In 1859 Cole obtained 40 acres of land around the post office, described as the original town of Starke. about 0:07:38
• The Bradford County Telegraph began publication in 1879 and is the oldest weekly newspaper in Florida. about 0:07:50
• The town grew tremendously in the 1880s and 1890s because of the citrus industry. about 0:08:45
• The great freeze of the winter of 1894 and 1895 ruined the orange groves and pushed the citrus industry further south. about 0:09:45
• Starke expanded when the highway came through. about 0:10:09
• Camp Blanding, a World War II camp, was near the town. about 0:10:14
• After the Second World War people continued to settle and many army men stayed. about 0:10:18
• The Strawberry Festival began in the town's early days. about 0:10:25
• In the late 1980s the town drew national media attention during the Ted Bundy case because the prison at Raiford is nearby. about 0:10:31
• Under Governor Lawton Chiles, Starke was notorious as a speed trap and warning billboards were placed at the highway exits. about 0:10:38

The reviews read out

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