BUSHNELL, Fla. — Sumter County officials have demolished a “nuisance” home in Bushnell, reportedly one of the oldest open code enforcement cases in the county.

Neighbors say squatters had taken over the home and records show deputies had to be dispatched there frequently.

Caroline Campbell says she waited to buy a new home until she found one she knew would be just perfect. Ultimately, she landed on one in Bushnell, a waterfront property with a dock and a view.

Down the street, she was aware there was a home with a different sort of view. She said it was apparent the house was an eyesore, but she didn’t predict the resulting headache.

“Someone told me that it was an active foreclosure case with code (enforcement), but I didn’t know that it had been active for seven years,” said Campbell.

Campbell and other neighbors accused squatters on the property of drug use, and county records show deputies had been called to the home more than 30 times since March 2023.

Call logs indicate they responded to a fire, drunks, animals, and a hit-and-run at the address in 2023 alone. From late December to early January, deputies were called out more than a dozen times for extra patrols.

Campbell says she began documenting the issues with the nearby property, and had been pushing for its demolition since she moved in down the road.

On Thursday, she saw a resolution after a yearslong fight.

“Watching this, it really does make me feel like Christmas Day,” Campbell said as crews tore down the home. 

Sumter County officials have demolished a “nuisance” home in Bushnell, reportedly one of the oldest open code enforcement cases in the county. (Caroline Campbell)

Documents show as of October, Sumter County had 71 code-related foreclosures, and 217 total open code enforcement cases.

Experts say it’s not unusual for counties to have a long list of cases to work through. In Orange County, Central Florida’s most-populous county, there are 5,600 open and active code enforcement cases. Records show that some go back many years, and a majority of the cases have resulted in a lien on the home in question.

After a lien is placed on a home, officials say it can be quite a task to move forward with foreclosure and demolition. According to Todd Hoagland, with the Florida Association of Code Enforcement, one of the first steps is trying to locate the property owner's family.

“We try to find — through an investigation, neighbors or the obituary — other family members that could be responsible for the property,” said Hoagland. “Sometimes it’s going to find there’s a family attorney, or the executor has been named, and we start reaching out to them and letting them know what the safety issues are at that property.”

Based on the legal factors of it all, “people tread lightly when it comes to cases that involve a demolition,” said Hoagland.

Plus, he said money can be a factor, as a demolition involves labor and crews.

“It may be months or years before the city or county recovers that cost for the taxpayers,” said Hoagland.

As for the home in Bushnell, county officials say the property will be donated to one of their affordable housing partners.

“It’s nice to know that it’s going to help the whole community and not just the residents on our street,” said Campbell.

Sumter County officials have demolished a “nuisance” home in Bushnell, reportedly one of the oldest open code enforcement cases in the county. (Caroline Campbell)