Hampton, Florida

Hampton, Florida
City

Seal

Location in Bradford County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 29°51′51″N 82°8′12″W / 29.86417°N 82.13667°WCoordinates: 29°51′51″N 82°8′12″W / 29.86417°N 82.13667°W
Country  United States
State  Florida
County  Bradford
Incorporated 1925
Area
  Total 1.0 sq mi (2.7 km2)
  Land 1.0 sq mi (2.7 km2)
  Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation 151 ft (46 m)
Population (2010)
  Total 500
  Density 483/sq mi (186.4/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 32044
Area code(s) 352
FIPS code 12-28575[1]
GNIS feature ID 0283671[2]

Hampton is a city in Bradford County, Florida, United States. The population was 500 at the 2010 census.[3]

History

Map of Hampton, showing narrow neck of land in the west, annexed in the 1990s, which connects to the former speed trap

Early history

Hampton was incorporated in 1925.[4] In the mid 1990s, Hampton annexed a short stretch of U.S. Highway 301 west of the city in order to get revenue from traffic tickets issued to motorists driving on that highway.[4]

2013–14 controversies

In November 2013, the city's mayor was arrested for selling Oxycodone.[4]

On February 10, 2014 auditors from the Florida Joint Legislative Auditing Committee presented 31 violations of state law, city charter and federal tax requirements to state legislators.[5] The city made $211,328 ticketing people driving its 1,260 feet of U.S. Highway 301 during 2012,[6] giving the city an unenviable reputation as a "speed trap".[7] The committee asked State Attorney Bill Cervone to investigate any potential criminal activity, and a number of state representatives and senators pursued the dissolution of Hampton.[8] In the wake of the controversy, many city officials resigned.[9] State legislators visited Hampton on March 28, 2014 to see if the issues had been solved.[10] They agreed to let Hampton stay incorporated, because the city retracted the annexation of U.S. Highway 301 and decommissioned its police force. Hampton also accounted for budget shortfalls, and reformed its city council proceedings.[11]

Geography

Hampton is located in southern Bradford County at 29°51′51″N 82°8′12″W / 29.86417°N 82.13667°W (29.864261, -82.136761).[12] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.12 square miles (2.9 km2), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 431 people, 160 households, and 110 families residing in the city. The population density was 417.0 people per square mile (161.6/km²). There were 190 housing units at an average density of 183.8 per square mile (71.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.01% White, 11.14% African American, 0.23% Native American, and 1.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population.

There were 160 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,091, and the median income for a family was $29,375. Males had a median income of $23,250 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,620. About 20.4% of families and 26.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.8% of those under age 18 and 38.3% of those age 65 or over.

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Hampton city, Florida". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Berman, Mike (March 11, 2014). "Welcome to Hampton, the small Florida town that could get erased". Washington Post. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  5. Deslatte, Aaron (February 10, 2014). "Lawmakers want tiny town of Hampton abolished over 'cash register justice'". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  6. Alvarez, Lizette (March 10, 2014). "A Dot on the Map, After Scandal, Could Be Wiped Off". New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  7. O'Neill, Ann (March 9, 2014). "Speed trap city accused of corruption, threatened with extinction". CNN.com. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  8. Dixon, Matt (February 10, 2014). "'Gestapo in Hampton'". Florida Times-Union. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  9. O'Neil, Ann (March 11, 2014). "Barry Layne Moore, mayor of corrupt Hampton, Florida, resigns -- from jail". CNN.com. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  10. O'Neil, Ann (March 28, 2014). "Has Hampton been scared straight?". CNN.com. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  11. O'Neil, Ann (March 29, 2014). "City too corrupt for Florida is spared". CNN.com. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  12. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.