Sharpes is a census-designated place (CDP) in Brevard County, Florida. The population was 3,115 at the 2020 United States census, down from 3,411 at the 2010 United States census. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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History

thumb|right|FEC Sharpes Depot

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

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 52.46%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Sharpes had a population of 3,115. The median age was 49.0 years. 19.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.1 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,332 households in Sharpes, of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.4% were married-couple households, 27.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 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.<!--the paper deliberately misidentifies the location as being the larger, more recognizable CDP of "St. John"--->

The Brevard County Jail Complex is located in Sharpes. It is owned and maintained by the Board of County Commissioners and operated by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. 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.

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The Brevard Correctional Institution is located west of the county jail. Despite its name, it is operated by the state. 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.

References

  • Brevard County Sheriff's Office
  • Flagler Museum: Florida East Coast Railway