The number missing from every listing. What CDD fees are, which Orlando communities have them, what they cost year-by-year, how to find the exact amount before you make an offer, and when they expire.
A Community Development District (CDD) is a special-purpose government entity created under Florida law (Chapter 190) to finance, construct, and maintain infrastructure within a master-planned development. When a developer builds a large community — roads, utilities, drainage systems, common area infrastructure — they can finance these costs through a CDD by issuing tax-exempt bonds. Those bonds are then repaid over 20–30 years through annual assessments collected from homeowners via their property tax bills.
CDDs are not HOA fees. They appear as a separate line item on your Polk, Osceola, Orange, or Lake County annual property tax bill — labeled something like “CDD Debt” or “CDD Operations.” When a listing advertises an HOA fee of $280/month, the CDD is an additional annual charge that is entirely separate and entirely real.
The most important thing to understand: CDD fees cannot be negotiated away. They are governmental assessments attached to the property — not optional fees you can waive or opt out of. If you buy in a community with an active CDD, you pay the CDD assessment every year until the bond matures. This is the number most frequently missing from online listings and the most frequently miscalculated when buyers compare total cost of ownership.
CDD assessments typically have two parts:
Debt Service: Repayment of the original infrastructure bond. This is the larger number and decreases as the bond is paid down. It will eventually reach zero when the bond matures — typically 20–30 years after the original community bond issuance.
Operations & Maintenance: Ongoing costs to maintain the CDD’s infrastructure (roadways, stormwater, common systems). This component may continue indefinitely after the debt service ends, though at a lower amount. Not all CDDs have this component.
Important: CDD amounts vary by phase and lot within the same community. The ranges below are based on publicly reported data and buyer accounts — always verify the exact amount for any specific property by requesting the seller’s most recent tax bill or checking the county property appraiser website.
| Community | County | CDD Annual (est.) | Monthly Impact | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solivita | Polk/Osceola | $800–$1,800/yr | $67–$150/mo | Active — varies significantly by phase. Earlier phases paying down longer. |
| Twin Lakes | Osceola | $1,200–$2,200/yr | $100–$183/mo | Active — relatively new community, bond balance near peak |
| Del Webb Sunbridge | Osceola | $1,400–$2,400/yr | $117–$200/mo | Active — newest community, highest CDD burden |
| Tohoqua Reserve | Osceola | ~$1,000–$2,000/yr | $83–$167/mo | Active — new construction, verify with Pulte |
| Four Seasons at Orlando | Osceola | Verify per parcel | ~$75–$150/mo est. | Verify with seller — Osceola location likely carries CDD |
| Del Webb Orlando | Polk | $0–$1,200/yr (varies by phase) | $0–$100/mo | Some phases paid off — others still active. Request tax bill. |
| High Vista | Polk | Verify per phase | ~$0–$75/mo est. | Older community — some phases likely retired |
| Kings Ridge | Lake | ~$0 | None | Pre-CDD era construction — no significant CDD burden |
| Summit Greens | Lake | ~$0 | None | Early 2000s construction — minimal to no CDD |
| Heritage Hills | Lake | Minimal | ~$0–$50/mo | Verify by phase — Lake County construction often minimal |
| Esplanade Highland Ranch | Lake | Minimal | ~$0–$50/mo | Taylor Morrison financing — verify per phase |
| Trilogy Orlando | Lake | Verify per phase | ~$0–$100/mo | Newer Shea Homes phases may carry CDD — request disclosure |
| VillageWalk Lake Nona | Orange | Minimal–moderate | ~$50–$100/mo est. | Mid-2000s Pulte — many phases partially retired. Verify per parcel. |
| Palms at Serenoa | Lake | Verify | ~$0–$75/mo | Newer Lake County construction — request disclosure |
CDD debt service bonds typically run 20–30 years from the original bond issuance. For communities built in the late 1990s and early 2000s (Kings Ridge, Summit Greens), most CDD debt service has already matured or is near maturity — which is why those communities carry minimal CDD burden. For communities built from 2015 onward (Twin Lakes, Del Webb Sunbridge, Tohoqua Reserve), buyers purchasing today are purchasing near the peak of the CDD obligation and will pay the full assessment for most of the remaining bond term.
Phase matters more than community. Within a community like Solivita, Phase 1 (built around 2000) may have a very different remaining CDD obligation than Phase 12 (built around 2018). Two comparable homes in Solivita at the same list price can have annual CDD costs that differ by $600–$800/year simply because of which phase they are in. Always verify the specific parcel — never accept a community-level CDD estimate as your actual number.
When the debt service component of a CDD expires, the operations and maintenance component may continue — often at $200–$800/year. In some communities this is absorbed into the HOA. In others it continues as a separate tax bill line item. For communities with maturing CDDs, buyers benefit from reduced annual costs but should understand the O&M component will likely remain.
The simplest way to understand CDD impact is to add it directly to the HOA for comparison purposes. A listing showing “HOA: $280/month” at Solivita with a $1,300/year CDD ($108/month) has an effective community overhead of $388/month — not $280.
When comparing communities, always normalize to: HOA + CDD/12 = effective monthly community overhead.
Kings Ridge at $310 HOA with no CDD: $310 effective monthly overhead.
Solivita at $280 HOA with $1,300/year CDD: $388 effective monthly overhead.
Del Webb Sunbridge at $290 HOA with $1,900/year CDD: $448 effective monthly overhead.
The CDD flips the comparison. Communities that appear to have lower HOAs than competitors may have higher total community overhead once CDD is included.
We can pull the tax bill records, run the all-in monthly cost at your purchase price, and compare it against communities with and without CDDs.