Sumter County, FL Sign Regulations: Political Signs (2026)

Under Sumter County Code § 13-1002, no person may erect or display a permanent sign or temporary display, which includes campaign and political signage, on any property the Board of County Commissioners owns, or leases under terms requiring the board to maintain it. The prohibition covers county parks, administrative buildings, and other BOCC-controlled land in unincorporated Sumter County. Signs placed by BOCC agents or employees for traffic control, public safety, or other governmental purposes are not covered by the restriction. The ordinance allows one exemption for political speech: temporary signs soliciting votes may be placed at polling locations and early-voting sites owned or controlled by the board, but strictly during polling hours on days when voting is occurring, and only if the signs do not conflict with election law, obstruct access to the property, or create a hazardous condition.

Separately, the BOCC may license or approve specific signs or displays for placement on its own property, which are then exempt from the general prohibition and its penalties. When an unauthorized sign turns up, agents or employees notify anyone in the immediate vicinity and give them time to remove it immediately; if it is not removed or is left unattended, the county photographs it, removes and destroys it, and logs the location and appearance for the record. That log and photographic evidence support hearings before the county's special master when a penalty is contested.