Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Estero, Cape Coral — the real tax numbers for active adult buyers in Lee County. Effective rate, homestead exemption, Save Our Homes cap, and the first-year tax surprise nobody warns you about.
Lee County's combined millage rate (county general fund plus school board, water management district, and other levies) results in an effective property tax rate of approximately 1.05–1.15% of market value for most residential properties. For planning purposes, use 1.10% as your working estimate.
This rate is meaningfully higher than neighboring Collier County's effective rate of approximately 0.67–0.82%. On a $600,000 home, the Lee vs Collier tax gap is roughly $1,680–$2,580 per year — before CDDs. Over 20 years, that's $33,600–$51,600 in cumulative tax difference, which is a real factor in the Fort Myers vs Naples community decision.
Florida's homestead exemption reduces your assessed value by $50,000 for tax purposes ($25,000 for all levies plus an additional $25,000 for all levies except school board). In Lee County 2025, the effective homestead benefit is approximately $50,722. This saves a typical homeowner $500–$575/year at Lee County's millage rate — meaningful but not transformative on a $600K+ home purchase.
Florida property taxes use assessed value, not market value, as the tax base — but the two are closely aligned for new purchases. Here is the step-by-step:
| Step | Example ($600K Purchase) |
|---|---|
| 1. Market value | $600,000 |
| 2. Assessed value (resets to market value on purchase) | $600,000 |
| 3. Subtract homestead exemption | – $50,722 |
| 4. Taxable value | $549,278 |
| 5. Apply effective millage (~18 mills / 1,000) | × 0.018 |
| Year 1 annual tax estimate | ~$9,887 |
| Monthly equivalent | ~$824/month |
When you purchase a home in Lee County, the assessed value resets to full market value — your purchase price. The seller may have owned the home for 15 years with an assessed value capped at 40–60% of current market value by Save Our Homes. Their tax bill might be $3,000/year. Yours will be $8,000–$12,000+ based on what you paid. This is the single most common financial surprise for buyers purchasing existing homes in Southwest Florida. Pull the Lee County Property Appraiser's projected new-owner tax estimate before closing — not the current owner's tax bill.
After your first year as a Florida homestead owner, Florida's Save Our Homes (SOH) amendment limits assessed value increases to 3% per year or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. This means:
The SOH benefit is the reason long-term Lee County homeowners often have tax bills that appear extremely low relative to their home's current market value. That benefit belongs to them, not you. When you buy, you start the clock from zero.
| Home Price | After Homestead | Annual Tax Est. | Monthly Est. |
|---|---|---|---|
| $350,000 | $299,278 taxable | ~$5,387 | ~$449 |
| $450,000 | $399,278 taxable | ~$7,187 | ~$599 |
| $550,000 | $499,278 taxable | ~$8,987 | ~$749 |
| $700,000 | $649,278 taxable | ~$11,687 | ~$974 |
| $900,000 | $849,278 taxable | ~$15,287 | ~$1,274 |
Estimates use 18 mills effective rate. Actual millage varies by municipality and district. Use these as planning estimates; verify with the Lee County Property Appraiser for your specific address.
Community Development Districts (CDDs) are special-purpose local governments that finance infrastructure development — roads, utilities, amenity centers — through bond debt repaid via annual assessments. In Lee County, many of the largest active adult communities carry CDDs: Pelican Preserve, Heritage Cove, Cascades at River Hall, and others.
CDD assessments appear on your Lee County property tax bill as non-ad valorem assessments — they are listed separately from your main property tax and are not affected by the homestead exemption or the Save Our Homes cap. Annual CDD assessments in Lee County typically run $1,000–$4,500/year ($83–$375/month), but vary widely. Always pull the full tax bill for any specific address and identify all non-ad valorem lines before calculating your true monthly cost.
If you're comparing Fort Myers/Bonita Springs/Estero (Lee County) communities to Naples (Collier County) communities at similar price points, the 20-year tax gap is material:
| Home Price | Lee County (20-yr) | Collier County (20-yr) | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| $400,000 | ~$132,000 | ~$84,000 | ~$48,000 |
| $600,000 | ~$198,000 | ~$126,000 | ~$72,000 |
| $800,000 | ~$264,000 | ~$168,000 | ~$96,000 |
Assumes SOH cap compounds at 2.5%/yr average; uses Lee ~1.10% and Collier ~0.75% effective rates. CDDs excluded — add where applicable. These are planning estimates.
We can help you calculate the true all-in monthly cost — HOA, CDD, taxes, insurance — for any community in Lee or Collier County before you make a decision.
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