Portable shower-restroom trailer combination rentals in Bushnell, Florida.

Landfill odor complaints kept Bushnell and Sumter County in dispute

Bushnell’s June 2025 notice threatened to revoke Heart of Florida Landfill’s city permit if odor and other cited conditions were not corrected. The city later extended the compliance deadline after reviewing the operator’s corrective-action plan; it also hired Arcadis to monitor the facility, while residents continued to report strong smells.

In December 2025, Bushnell renewed its landfill contract despite residents’ complaints. The dispute widened in September 2026, when Sumter County filed a court complaint seeking an injunction. At that point, the county had made an allegation; no court had ruled that the landfill violated the law.

In September, FDEP’s response shifted some of the discussion: the agency said information it reviewed showed several violations cited in a July warning had not occurred, while requiring revised groundwater monitoring and an updated contamination evaluation plan. It expected an odor-control project to run from October through March.

A train struck the rear of a school bus in Bushnell without injuring students

A CSX train clipped the rear of Sumter County school bus 2517 at East Central Avenue and North Market Street in Bushnell on April 2, 2026. The bus carried 29 students and an adult aide; officials said nobody was hurt, though students described being frightened when the train struck the back of the bus.

The driver was arrested and cited, and the district said the driver was no longer employed. Superintendent Logan Brown said buses would avoid the crossing and use one of four crossings controlled by traffic signals; the district also planned a review of driver qualifications and crossing procedures.

Sumter County's school support center brought bus and maintenance operations together

Sumter County School District’s 65,000-square-foot Educational Support Center in Bushnell replaces a century-old maintenance building and two separate transportation facilities. The two-story campus brings transportation, facilities, maintenance, and food-service operations together.

Spiezle’s project description lists five double-height bus bays, a warehouse, wood and metal shops, and training space. The campus supports 88 buses and 20 district vehicles and includes covered parking, fueling, and a bus wash. The architect says construction finished under budget.

Wind helped a Bushnell nursery fire spread across stacked plastic trays

About 200 pallets of polystyrene potting trays caught fire at Speedling Nursery, 2722 Southeast 60th Avenue, on the evening of March 20, 2025. Sumter County said wind gusts and sustained winds around 15 to 20 mph helped the flames spread through the outdoor stacks.

County Fire and EMS called in mutual aid from The Villages and Lake County. The fire was contained by 8:30 p.m.; thick smoke briefly closed State Road 471 between County Roads 564 and 476 because visibility was poor. The county said no evacuation was necessary, as smoke was drifting over open land, and investigators believed an overhead electrical line may have been involved.