Sumter County Opens Service Center in Sumterville

Sumter County opened the Gloria Rowe Hayward Service Center on Tuesday at 215 Gloria Rowe Hayward Way in Sumterville, consolidating library, tax collector, and clerk of court services in a single 32,441-square-foot facility.

The center sits on 18.24 acres of county land. Construction began in November 2024. AJAX Building Company led the project, with Clemons Rutherford and Associates, Kimley-Horn and Associates, H2Engineering, and BBM Structural as partners.

County Administrator Bradley Arnold said the facility improves residents' access to services. The county designed the building with expansion space to the west for future growth.

A public meeting room seats more than 400 people and includes live-streaming capability. The county will hold its bi-monthly Board of County Commissioners meetings there, along with Code Enforcement and Zoning meetings.

The center honors former Clerk of Court Gloria Rowe Hayward, who served from 1996 to 2024. During her tenure, she established the Teen Court Program and developed procedures for the Offender-Based Tracking System.

Hours: The library operates Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Tax Collector's office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Clerk of Court office operates Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Existing service locations continue normal operations.