‘Most corrupt city in Florida’ avoids having city-status stripped from it as it disbands ENTIRE police force and relinquishes notorious highway speed trap



Hampton remains on map after state decision-makers gave city last chance

Changes to be made include resignation of all elected officials



State audit in February found corruption and unexplained use of funds



Former mayor in jail accused of selling oxycodone pill for $20 in November

Speed trap earned city $600,000 in three years - unclear how money spent



A Florida city dubbed the most corrupt in the state has won its battle for survival after lawmakers tried to have it wiped off the map.

The bid to have Hampton, Florida, stripped of its city status came after a scathing audit which revealed that city hall workers had run up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and committed 31 violations of the city's charter, as well as violations of federal codes and laws.

And the audit came just months after the city's Mayor was accused of allegedly dealing drugs.

There are just 477 residents in sleepy Hampton, where a scathing audit found that the city had run up hundreds of thousands in debt

Hampton in the state of Florida is located in Bradford County and lies between Savannah and Orlando

Now, Hampton, a town of 477 residents, with a size of just one square mile, has been granted a final lifeline after being ordered to change its ways.



And the conditions imposed on the city are severe: included disbanding the 19 person strong police force and handing over power to the County Sheriff's office as well as the resignation of all elected officials currently in power.



The decision to save the city and strip it of its corrupt structure came after it was agreed that recommendations by State Representative Charles Van Zant and Senator Rob Bradley would be followed, First Coast News reported.



After the meeting at Victory Church in the city centre, the state officials agreed to keep Hampton and withdrew the bill to dissolve it.



During the campaign to keep the city alive, a Facebook group 'Save Our Town of Hampton, Fla', was set up.



On Saturday, a post on the site read 'Hampton lives!!'. Another, today, said: 'I'm so glad to see things turned around.'



The city's limits were stretched so that funds could be boosted from the speed trap

Hampton came into the limelight after a notorious speed trap was set up on a road on its outskirts on Highway 301.



In order to create the trap, the city limits were extended 1,260 feet down the width of the busy highway.



Some of the money raised from the fines, $600,000 in three years, was then used to hire more police officers until the total number reached 19 - one for each of the 25 residents in Hampton.

One of the officers was nicknamed 'Rambo' because he carried a gun to write out a speeding ticket.

It was unclear how the rest of the funds were used, triggering a criminal investigation by the state of Florida in February.

Beginning of the end: The town became infamous for all the speeding tickets it issued between 2010 and 2012, the city collected over $600,000 in fines

The town with just 477 inhabitants had 19 police officers until the ruling - one for every 25 inhabitants

Once the investigation was underway, auditors found that $132,000 had been charged to a convenience store - through a city account.

It was also revealed that a number of city employees were paid excesses, on top of their salary, of $9,000 and the city credit card had $27,000 of unexplained spending for 'no public purpose'.

Hampton had already become the focus of criticism after Mayor Barry Layne Moore was accused of selling oxycodone, an opiod pain medication, following an undercover sting. Moore is now behind bars and has resigned.



Resigned: The city's mayor Barry Layne Moore was arrested for allegedly trying to sell an oxycodone tablet to an undercover officer around Thanksgiving. He remains in jail unable to cover the $4,500 bond

But former Mayor Jim Mitzel, who left office two years ago, still has faith in the city.



He told CNN : 'The government bailed out General motors, the government bailed out Chrysler, why can't the state of Florida bail out Hampton?'

State Senator Rob Bradley, whose district includes Hampton, and who conducted the investigation into the city's books told Time: 'It’s like something out of a Southern Gothic novel .'



Former mayor Jim Mitzen agreed that the town should have been saved. He told CNN: 'The government bailed out General Motors, the government bailed out Chrysler, why can't the state of Florida bail out Hampton?' A decision was made at Victory Church, Hampton Florida to keep the city on the map