FLORIDA LOOKOUTS
BUSHNELL
Sumter County
T21S R22E
T21S R22E
September 13, 1972: "Sumter County Commission, in an effort to alleviate the critical space problem in the courthouse and its annex, agreed to ask the state to make available most of the buildings of Florida Forest Service at Bushnell tower site.
The administrative services at Bushnell have been removed to Brooksville, and most of the buildings are now available for other use." (The Orlando Sentinel)
The administrative services at Bushnell have been removed to Brooksville, and most of the buildings are now available for other use." (The Orlando Sentinel)
December 8, 1972: "District forester Gene Lain of the Division of Forestry, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, discussed with Sumter commissioners Wednesday the basic terms of a lease to be negotiated between the service and the county for use of most of the buildings at the recently deactivated Bushnell tower site.
The forestry service will reserve the office and tower, but will remove a small portable building to another site. The gasoline pumping facilities will be placed in an inactive status.
Three complete residences, one air conditioned, and a large shop building will permit moving of the county agent's offices to the area, to help alleviate the present space problem at the Sumter County courthouse and jail annex building." (The Orlando Sentinel)
March 12, 2001: "Floyd Hutton takes volunteering to new heights--literally and figuratively.
As a fire-tower ranger for the past seven years, Hutton regularly climbs 135 stairs up to a 10-foot-by-10-foot room, from which he looks for brush fires in the making.
Hutton is 87.
State Division of Forestry spokesman Dave Fogler said, 'We could sure use a few more people like Floyd Hutton.
'Lake County has no volunteer fire tower rangers at all, and Floyd is the only volunteer ranger in Sumter County. Many of our towers go unmanned in times like this, when we need every forest ranger we have to fight the wildfires all over the region.'
Hutton is not just known as the oldest forest ranger on the job, but one of the best." (The Orlando Sentinel)