About Sumter County

bushnell-courthouse (1)
The Sumter County Bushnell Courthouse

Only an hour from both the Orlando and Tampa Bay Metro Regions, Sumter County is one of Florida’s best-located counties and best-kept secrets. Sumter County’s central location opens up all kinds of possibilities.

Sumter County invites you to explore all the possibilities of our diverse and dynamic Central Florida location. Here are some links to find out more about Sumter County’s “old Florida” character and phenomenal growth.

 

 

Location, Location, Location

Complementing Sumter County’s geographic advantages is a unique transportation network. Strategically located at the center of the state, at the confluence of I-75, Florida’s Turnpike and CSX Rail’s main eastern-seaboard freight line, Sumter County represents a distribution hub unique in the state. Additionally, high quality transportation access to the Ports of Tampa, Manatee, Jacksonville, Canaveral, and Miami make Sumter County an extremely attractive destination for distribution.

 

Agriculture

Agriculture and food industries are also big, and set to grow ever larger, with over 800 agricultural based businesses residing in the county. A $24 million expansion was recently completed at Central Beef Industries, already the Southeastern United States’ largest meat processing facility. Webster Cattle Market, one of the largest cattle markets in the southeastern US, transacts $36 Million in cattle trades each year.

 

Becoming a National Model for Healthcare

Another top aim of county leaders is leveraging its abundant health care delivery sector to cultivate new jobs and businesses in medical products and services, research and development, health administration services and information systems. With the addition of a new Moffit Cancer Center, three new hospitals and an abundance of supporting medical facilities, Sumter County is well on its way to achieving its goals of becoming a national model for health care delivery.

 

Average Income Climbs

Sumter County is blessed with a unique and highly successful large planned community for retirees, The Villages® Development, which has continued to grow between 200 to 300 units per month despite the worst national housing downturn in the past 30 years. The 89,000 residents of The Villages® community bring an average income of over $92,000 per household, which has led to retail sales gains of 172% in Sumter County as a whole, according to the most recent economic census data released in 2011.

 

Contact the Economic Development Office at (352) 689-4400 to discuss your business relocation or expansion needs and learn how you can find your business a home in Sumter County.