A market-level comparison of where Community Development District exposure runs low and where it runs high — and why the pattern usually comes down to how old the community is
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Talk to a Specialist →A Community Development District (CDD) fee is one of the most common financial surprises in Florida 55+ real estate — it's a special-purpose government charge that appears as a separate line item on your property tax bill, not your HOA statement, and it funds the roads, utilities, and amenity infrastructure a developer financed through bonds rather than paying for upfront. We've already published the full mechanics — what it is, how the bond-vs-operations split works, and typical dollar ranges — in CDD Fees Explained. This guide doesn't repeat that explanation. It answers the question buyers actually ask next: which Florida markets tend to carry this cost, and which tend not to?
The short version: it is not random. Across every market we've researched on this site, CDD exposure tracks closely with how the community was financed and built — older, established resale-heavy communities built before CDD financing became standard practice (or built by developers who chose not to use it) usually carry little or none. Newer master-planned construction corridors — where a developer financed roads, water, and amenity centers all at once through bonds — usually carry it, and carry it at higher dollar amounts the newer the phase.
This pattern shows up most clearly within a single market: The Villages. The original "North of 466" villages, built 1983–2002, typically carry $0–$20,000 in bond balance — many have none at all. The mid-era villages south of 466 run $20,000–$50,000. The newest districts, Fenney and Eastport (2015–present), run $40,000–$80,000. Same developer, same overall community, same lifestyle fee structure — but the bond obligation scales directly with how recently that specific section was built and financed. That's the CDD pattern in miniature, and it repeats at the market level across the state.
The same logic explains why Ocala's Marion County market — dominated by resale-heavy communities like Oak Run, Spruce Creek Country Club, SummerGlen, and On Top of the World's original sections, most built in the 1990s and 2000s — carries little CDD exposure, while Orlando's Osceola and Polk County corridor, built on newer master-planned bond financing at Solivita, Twin Lakes, and Del Webb Sunbridge, carries it consistently. It also explains why Tampa Bay's Sun City Center — built by Del Webb before CDD financing existed as a common tool — has no community-wide bond at all, while newer Del Webb product elsewhere in the state does.
| Market | General CDD Exposure | Why | Notable Exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocala / Marion County | Low | Resale-heavy market — Oak Run, Spruce Creek Country Club, Spruce Creek South, SummerGlen, Royal Highlands, and On Top of the World's original sections were largely built without CDD financing; Trilogy at Ocala Preserve confirms no CDD anywhere in the community | Del Webb Stone Creek and Ocala Preserve are active-build communities — verify CDD status by phase |
| Tampa Bay (Sun City Center / Kings Point) | Low | Sun City Center was built by Del Webb before CDD financing existed as a standard tool — no community-wide bond, HOA plus county tax only | Solivita, Del Webb Bexley, and Latitude Margaritaville Daytona — all in the same broader Tampa research market — carry active CDDs |
| Treasure Coast — Martin & Indian River Counties | Low | Martin County (Stuart, Hobe Sound, Palm City) rarely carries CDDs and pairs that with the lowest tax rate on the coast (~0.88%); many Vero Beach (Indian River County) communities also skip it | — |
| Naples / Collier County | Moderate | Mixed — Del Webb Naples, Fiddler's Creek, Treviso Bay, and Heritage Bay carry CDDs, but Valencia Trails, Valencia Sky, Isles of Collier Preserve, Island Walk, VeronaWalk, Lely Resort, and Pelican Bay do not | Verify per community — Collier's CDD status varies more within the county than any other market on this list |
| Sarasota (Lakewood Ranch corridor) | Moderate–High | CDDs are common, particularly in Lakewood Ranch and other newer developments — appears as a line item on the property tax bill, separate from HOA | Established Sarasota-proper communities like Lakeridge Falls generally carry less exposure than newer Lakewood Ranch and Wellen Park product |
| Fort Myers / Lee County | Moderate–High | CDD assessments are common and can add $1,200–$5,000+/year on top of Lee County's ~1.10% base tax rate — Pelican Preserve, Verandah, Del Webb Oak Creek, and Cascades at River Hall all carry them | Colonial Country Club, Seven Lakes, and several older Fort Myers communities do not |
| Orlando (Osceola / Polk corridor) | Moderate–High | Solivita ($800–$1,800/yr), Twin Lakes (~$1,200–$2,200/yr), Del Webb Sunbridge, and Tohoqua Reserve all carry active CDDs | Kings Ridge, Summit Greens, Esplanade at Highland Ranch, and other established Clermont/Lake County communities carry little or no CDD burden |
| Port St. Lucie (St. Lucie County) | High | Highest property tax rate on the Treasure Coast (~1.31%) plus most new-construction master plans (Tradition's sub-communities, PGA Village Verano) carry CDD bonds | Riverland's Valencia communities (Cay, Grove, Walk, Vista) were deliberately financed without a CDD — the standout no-CDD option in PSL |
| The Villages | Variable — scales with district age | Bond balance ranges from $0–$20K (North of 466, built 1983–2002) to $40K–$80K (Fenney & Eastport, 2015–present) — the clearest single-market illustration of the age-to-CDD-exposure pattern in Florida | Older sections effectively function as a "low-CDD" sub-market within a market otherwise known for its bond |
Figures reflect what each market's own research page on this site publishes. CDD status and amount vary by phase and even by individual lot — always verify the specific parcel's current CDD status with the county property appraiser before making an offer, not community marketing materials.
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Ocala combines Marion County's ~0.85% tax rate with a resale-heavy inventory that mostly skipped CDD financing entirely — HOA plus property tax, no separate bond line to track.
Sun City Center, in the Tampa Bay market, is the one major Del Webb Florida community built before CDD financing existed as a common tool — genuinely no community-wide bond.
Martin County pairs the Treasure Coast's lowest property tax rate (~0.88%) with communities that rarely carry a CDD on top of it.
Riverland's Valencia communities, covered in our Treasure Coast research, prove new construction and no-CDD aren't mutually exclusive — GL Homes financed the entire master plan without one.
Within The Villages itself, the original North of 466 villages carry the lowest bond balances — often $0–$20K versus $40K–$80K in the newest districts.
Naples/Collier County has both models side by side — Valencia Trails, Island Walk, and VeronaWalk without a CDD; Fiddler's Creek and Treviso Bay with one. Worth comparing directly before choosing.
This page is a market-comparison hub — for the specific communities, exact dollar figures, and county-by-county CDD math, these are the deep-dive pages already on this site:
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