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Florida County
Sumter County, Florida
The Villages and the world's largest retirement community - from The Villages' 135,000+ residents (the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States for over a decade) and its extraordinary self-contained town squares, golf cart infrastructure, and recreation amenities to Bushnell's Dade Battlefield State Park commemorating the 1835 Dade Massacre that sparked the Second Seminole War, and a county whose population has grown faster than any other in America driven almost entirely by one planned retirement community.
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Office: Sumter County Emergency Management – (352) 689-4400 | sumtercountyfl.gov
Alert System: Florida FDEM; CodeRED; NOAA Weather Radio
Notes: Central Florida retirement county; Bushnell is county seat; The Villages (the largest retirement community in the world) dominates Sumter County demographics and economy; hurricane risk (Charley 2004; Irma 2017); severe thunderstorms; sinkholes; The Villages creates unique emergency management challenges (very large, very elderly population requiring evacuation assistance)
7-8. ROADS/BUILDING
Roads: Florida Turnpike (north-south through the county); US-301 (US-301 through Wildwood and Bushnell); US-27 through The Villages corridor; SR-44
Building: Sumter County is the fastest-growing county in the US by percentage (consistently for multiple years); The Villages’ expansion is continuous; commercial development serving the retirement community is extensive
9-10. VETERANS/HEALTH
VA: Malcom Randall VAMC (Gainesville – about 30 miles north); The Villages VA CBOC – (352) 674-3274; Bay Pines accessible south; The Villages has one of the highest veteran concentrations of any US community
Hospitals: The Villages Regional Hospital (HCA – (352) 751-8000; a hospital literally built to serve The Villages); UF Health Leesburg accessible; Ocala hospitals accessible
Libraries
LIBRARIES
System: Sumter County Library System – 4 branches; The Villages libraries are well-funded and serve an extremely engaged reading public; Bushnell branch; Wildwood; The Villages (multiple library services within the community)
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
The Villages: The Villages is a complete self-contained world – 3 town squares (each with nightly live entertainment, dancing, and dining); 50+ golf courses (the most golf holes per resident of any community in the world); hundreds of clubs and activities; recreation centers; the community’s scale and self-sufficiency is extraordinary; residents may go months without leaving The Villages for any necessity; the community has its own radio stations, TV station, news outlets, and commercial district; population of approximately 130,000+
State Parks: Withlacoochee State Trail (the longest paved rail-trail in Florida at 46 miles; runs through Sumter County from Citrus County to Dade City; excellent cycling); Dade Battlefield Historic State Park (Bushnell – the site of the Battle of Dade (December 28, 1835) – the ambush of Major Francis Dade’s column by Seminole warriors; 108 of 110 soldiers killed; this massacre triggered the Second Seminole War, the longest and most expensive Indian War in US history; the battlefield is well-interpreted with annual reenactment)
Notes: The Villages is one of the most remarkable demographic phenomena in US history – a planned retirement community that has become the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States (measured by percentage growth); the population skews extremely elderly (median age approximately 72); the golf cart transportation network (The Villages has over 2,000 miles of golf cart paths – many residents use golf carts as their primary local transportation) is unique; the community’s social activity (pickleball, dancing, clubs, square dancing) creates an unusual vitality for such an elderly community; Dade Battlefield (the massacre that started the Second Seminole War) is a critically important Florida historical site
13-15. GIS/ANIMALS/ENVIRONMENT
Key Issues: The Villages water supply (the enormous retirement community consumes prodigious quantities of water for irrigation of golf courses, residential landscapes, and common areas; the Floridan Aquifer is the water source; water consumption management is significant); sinkhole risk (The Villages is built on karst limestone – sinkhole formation has occurred in the community); Withlacoochee State Trail management; rapid growth impacts on eastern Lake County and Marion County (The Villages is expanding beyond Sumter County borders into both adjacent counties); the Spanish Springs and Lake Sumter Landing town squares generate significant evening and weekend activity requiring planning and management
About Sumter County
Sumter County is defined by The Villages – the planned retirement community that has transformed a rural Central Florida county into the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States, with a resident population exceeding 135,000 (spread across Sumter, Lake, and Marion counties).
The Villages operates as a nearly self-contained community for residents 55 and older – dozens of golf courses, hundreds of miles of golf cart paths connecting town squares, recreation centers, swimming pools, and entertainment venues create a lifestyle community with minimal need to leave. Nightly free entertainment in the town squares draws thousands of residents. The community’s political engagement – high voter turnout among a well-organized retiree population – makes it one of Florida’s most politically significant communities per capita.
Bushnell (the county seat, population ~3,500) predates The Villages and functions as the county’s governmental center. The Dade Battlefield State Park preserves the site where Seminole warriors led by Osceola ambushed and killed 108 of 110 US Army soldiers on December 28, 1835 – the attack that began the Second Seminole War (1835-1842), the longest and most costly Indian war in US history.
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The Sumter County Property Appraiser at 7375 Powell Road, Wildwood, FL 34785, phone 352-689-4540, assesses at just value. No FL estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Sumter County Clerk of Court at 215 E. McCollum Avenue, Bushnell, FL 33513, phone 352-569-6600, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF COURTS (Records, Marriage Licenses)
209 N. Florida St., Bushnell, FL 33513
(352) 569-6600
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Sumter County Clerk of the Circuit Court (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
On Top of the World Genealogical Society and Mount Dora Genealogy Group (both member societies of the Florida State Genealogical Society) serve areas near Sumter County; no dedicated Sumter County genealogical society itself was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Sumter County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Probate Division 215 E. McCollum Avenue, Bushnell, FL 33513 (352) 793-0215
Sumter County sits in Florida’s 5th Judicial Circuit. Sumter County is home to a large portion of The Villages retirement community.
IMPORTANT – a major statewide law change just took effect: Florida’s summary administration threshold DOUBLED from $75,000 to $150,000 effective July 1, 2026, under CS/HB 1337 (Chapter 2026-57, Laws of Florida). Confirm which threshold applies based on date of death when helping someone (see
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
405 N. Florida St., Bushnell, FL 33513
(352) 569-1600
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS
209 N. Florida St., Bushnell, FL 33513
(352) 569-6700
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
FL Dept of Health — Sumter
1025 S. Florida St., Bushnell, FL 33513
(352) 569-6500
FL DCF — Sumter
(352) 793-6100
FL Medicaid
(800) 299-4833
The Villages Regional Hospital
thevillagesregionalhospital.com (The Villages Health system)
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Bushnell
Population: 140,000
Area: 547 sq mi
Established: 1853
Tier: 2
Public Records
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