Written by Sumter County commissioners meet Tuesday night with a full agenda that touches emergency response, State Road 44 traffic, and the new tourism tax voters just approved.
When and where: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 6 p.m., Gloria Rowe Hayward Sumter County Service Center, 215 Gloria Rowe Hayward Way, Sumterville. The meeting is open to the public and includes a public forum.
What’s on the agenda
- Automatic aid with Villages Public Safety: An agreement with the Village Center Community Development District would send the closest available ambulance or fire engine to serious emergencies in a zone along the line between The Villages Public Safety Department and Sumter County Fire & EMS, no matter which agency covers the address. County staff recommend approval. It would run from Nov. 10, 2026, through Nov. 30, 2027.
- SR 44 traffic signals: A state agreement under which FDOT would reimburse an estimated $1,335,603 in construction costs within state right-of-way for new signals at SR 44 and CR 470 and at SR 44 and CR 475. The project also adds turn lanes on CR 470 and CR 475, paid for by the county.
- Lake Sumter Landing apartments: Public hearings on two requests from The Villages Operating Company to drop the rule limiting apartments to upper floors in certain Lake Sumter Landing buildings. The county’s special master and staff recommend approval.
- Villages Christmas parade: A request to allow golf cart access at Buena Vista Boulevard and Southern Trace from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, for the parade at The Villages Polo Complex.
- Live Local Act: An amended resolution keeping the county’s opt-out from a state property tax break for some apartments rented to households earning 80% to 120% of area median income.
- Tourist tax: An informational item notes the state will begin collecting the new 2% tourist development tax on Jan. 1, 2027, with the first payment to the county expected around late March.
- Leadership: Commissioners will elect a chairman, vice chairman and second vice chairman and set committee assignments.
Source: Gazette News report on the Nov. 10 agenda packet; Sumter County meeting calendar.
Do the new SR 44 signals matter on your commute? Tell us in the comments which intersection you’d fix first.