Sumter County, FL Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Sumter County's Nuisance Abatement Ordinance treats a dangerous building as a nuisance in its own right. Section 6-104(3) declares any dwelling, house, building, structure, or the real property or premises where one sits, to be a nuisance whenever it is unsafe, as that term is defined in the county's separate Unsafe Building and Abatement Code, and a menace to the health, safety, or general welfare of county residents. Section 6-103 defines related terms broadly: dilapidated means deterioration so substantial the structure is no longer adequate for its intended purpose, and abatement of a structural nuisance can mean bringing the structure up to code after obtaining the necessary building permits, removing violating structures after obtaining demolition permits, or boarding up and securing the structure to keep out trespassers.

When the county's administrative officer finds an unsafe structure, § 6-105 requires certified-mail notice with a deadline to correct or remove the hazard, and § 6-106 lets the owner appeal to the Board of County Commissioners within 20 days. If the owner does not act, § 6-107 directs the county to take the minimum action necessary, such as boarding up openings for security, but expressly allows full demolition where that is the only practical way to abate the danger; the actual cost of that work, plus administrative and legal expenses, becomes a special assessment lien against the property under §§ 6-107 and 6-108.