Sharpes, Florida
Census-designated place
Location in Brevard County and the state of Florida
Location in Brevard County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 28°26′29″N 80°45′40″W / 28.44139°N 80.76111°W / 28.44139; -80.76111
Country United States of America
State Florida
County Brevard
Area
[1]
 • Total5.86 sq mi (15.17 km2)
 • Land2.40 sq mi (6.22 km2)
 • Water3.46 sq mi (8.95 km2)
Elevation
20 ft (6 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total3,115
 • Density1,297.38/sq mi (500.85/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
32959
Area code321
FIPS code12-65525[2]
GNIS feature ID0290941[3]

Sharpes is a census-designated place (CDP) in Brevard County, Florida. The population was 3,411 at the 2010 United States Census.[4] It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

FEC Sharpes Depot c. 1920

Sharpes may have been named after William H. Sharpe, part of the board of trustees formed to construct the City Point Community Church in Cocoa, FL in early 1885. Henry Flagler extended his Florida East Coast Railroad south from Daytona, building a station at Titusville in 1892.

Geography

Sharpes is located at 28°26′29″N 80°45′40″W / 28.44139°N 80.76111°W / 28.44139; -80.76111 (28.441281, -80.761019).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16 km2), of which 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2) is land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km2), or 52.46%, is water.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
20203,115—
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 3,415 people, 1,478 households, and 947 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,144.7 inhabitants per square mile (442.0/km2). There were 1,680 housing units at an average density of 563.1 per square mile (217.4/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 91.92% White, 3.54% African American, 0.88% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.70% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.34% of the population.

There were 1,478 households, out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 21.4% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $27,692, and the median income for a family was $33,825. Males had a median income of $27,500 versus $19,231 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $16,039. About 12.6% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The Florida Power and Light (FPL) "Cape Canaveral" plant is located here. In 2010, FPL razed its two 45-year-old landmark towers, each 397 feet (121 m), each weighing 7,200 short tons (6,500 t).[7] The destruction of the 1960s-era plant paved the way for U.S.-produced natural gas-fired plants. In 2011, construction was started on $1.1 billion gas-fired plants. Up to 600 workers were employed for the construction.[8]

The Brevard County Jail Complex is located in Sharpes.[9] It is owned and maintained by the Board of County Commissioners and operated by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.[10] The jail is accredited through the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission. The main jail opened in 1986 with beds for 386 inmates. Currently the Jail Complex routinely houses over 1,800 inmates daily with 1,321 permanent inmate beds. There has been a jail as long as there has been a sheriff and a county court. The jail was formerly located in Titusville, Florida, in the Courthouse complex. In 2013, the jail re-introduced chain gangs as a deterrent on crime in a pilot project. Ex-convict Larry Lawton was critical of this, saying a better use of law enforcement resources would be to combat drug addiction because he says it is a "contributing factor" to criminal activity.[11][12]

The Brevard Correctional Institution is located west of the county jail. Despite its name, it is operated by the state.[13] It was built in 1977. It houses up to 1,000 inmates. It employs 238 people. In 2010, it cost $30.8 million to operate. In 2011, it needed $6.2 million to repair. The state decided to close it in March 2011.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 27, 1996. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Sharpes CDP, Florida". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 27, 1996. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  5. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  7. ↑ "FPL stacks bite dust in Sunday demolition".
  8. ↑ McCarthy, John (April 6, 2011). "FPL plant growing". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. pp. 6C. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 21, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ↑ Ford, Andrew (May 2, 2013). "Backing the Chain Gang". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. pp. A1, 3A. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  12. ↑ Ford, Andrew. "Florida sheriff reintroduces chain gang". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Brevard Correctional Institution -- Fl Dept. Of Corrections". Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  14. ↑ Torres, John A. (March 16, 2011). "238 local prison jobs to go". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. pp. 1A.
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