Sumter County commissioners approve $10,000 settlement to transfer county‑held parking lot to condominium owners

Sumter County commissioners voted unanimously Nov. 25 to offer a county‑owned parking lot at Warren Plaza to the adjacent condominium owners for $10,000, on the condition that the owners amend their declarations to incorporate the parcel as common area and meet settlement terms to resolve pending code enforcement cases.

County Attorney Ms. Ray outlined three options for the parcel: convey the land to the condominium association by amending the legal description and declarations (the recommended and fastest path), pursue the active code enforcement cases and potentially foreclose a lien, or retain county title and shoulder maintenance and liability or impose a municipal service benefit unit to assess the condo owners. "The work going forward on the county's end would simply be drafting and conveyance of a deed to the condo owners," Ms. Ray said, adding that recording an amended declaration would change how the parcel is assessed.

Ms. Ray told the board the parcel’s assessed value in the property appraiser’s records is $647,610 while it is treated as a commercial parcel, and that unpaid taxes tied to the parcel before county title amounted to about $170,000; attorney fees and related costs cited in the discussion were described as under $10,000. Ms. Ray explained that when the county takes title by operation of the tax deed process, the prior unpaid tax liability is effectively cleared for purposes of the county's ownership.

Commissioners said they did not want the county to continue owning and maintaining the parking lot because of potential liability exposure. "If somebody gets hurt on it, we're going to get sued because we're the owner," one commissioner said during debate. The board then approved a motion instructing staff to contact the condominium owners and pursue a settlement in which the owners would provide $10,000 to the county and record amended declarations to includethe parcel in their common area.

Mr. Arnold, county staff, said the offer would be treated as part of a settlement to resolve the code enforcement cases and would include conditions such as payment and legal documentation. The board’s motion directed staff and the county attorney to prepare the necessary settlement agreement and conveyance documents.

The action resolved two related code enforcement cases concerning Units 101 and 102 of Warren Plaza; the board voted to accept the conveyance option and settlement terms by voice vote with no recorded nay votes. The board did not provide an individual roll‑call tally in the public record; the clerk recorded the motion as carried unanimously.

Next steps: staff will prepare the settlement and deed conveyance documents and work with the condominium association to record amended declarations reflecting the parcel as common area. The board did not set a separate implementation deadline at the meeting.

(Reporting note: quotations and attributions are taken from the Nov. 25 meeting transcript; speakers are identified as County Attorney Ms. Ray, Mr. Arnold (county staff), and commissioners as recorded in the transcript.)