Physical Characteristics.  Sumter County is in central Florida and is bordered by Marion, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Polk and Lake counties.  The county has 561.21 square miles of land and 18.90 square miles of water for a total of 580.11 square miles.  The average January temperature is 58.4 degrees fahrenheit, and the average August temperature is 81.0 degrees fahrenheit.  The average annual rainfall is 51.44 inches.

History.  Sumter County was established from a portion of Mosquito County in 1853 and named for General Thomas Sumter (1736-1832), a South Carolinian prominent in the Revolutionary War.