Baker County & First Coast Communities, CDD Fees Explained Simply

A plain-English look at what different communities actually cost to live in — before you fall in love with the floor plan.

Amanda Kinard - Baker County & Northeast Florida Real Estate
Amanda Kinard REALTOR®
Guidance From

Amanda Kinard

"Faith-led, family-focused real estate across Baker County & the full First Coast. Top 500 Producer."

What These Numbers Actually Mean for Your Family

CDD assessments and HOA dues aren't just a line item buried in the tax bill — they're part of what a home really costs you every year, and they vary more from one community to the next than most buyers ever realize until closing day.

Subdivision Location Community Type CDD Status Bond Payoff Intelligence
Eagle Harbor Fleming Island (Clay Co.) Golf & Water Park Master Plan Has CDD (ask Amanda for the parcel figure) Many older bond debt portions paid off!
Fleming Island Plantation Fleming Island (Clay Co.) Master Planned Community Has CDD (ask Amanda for the parcel figure) Partial bond payoffs common
Pace Island Fleming Island (Clay Co.) 24/7 Gated Sanctuary No CDD Fee Standard HOA dues only
Oakleaf Plantation Orange Park (Clay Co.) Mega Master Plan Has CDD (ask Amanda for the parcel figure) East vs West CDD board variations
Two Creeks Middleburg (Clay Co.) Family Master Planned Has CDD (ask Amanda for the parcel figure) Active bond debt outstanding
Seven Pines Jacksonville (Duval Co.) Modern Master Plan No CDD Fee Legacy infrastructure without CDD
eTown Jacksonville (Duval Co.) Smart-Home Master Plan Has CDD (ask Amanda for the parcel figure) Smart energy master plan bond
Bartram Springs Jacksonville (Duval Co.) Family Master Planned Has CDD (ask Amanda for the parcel figure) Bonds approaching full payoff
Mandarin Oaks Mandarin (Duval Co.) Established River Corridor No CDD Fee No CDD fees; established lots
Wildlight Yulee (Nassau Co.) Modern Master Plan Has CDD (ask Amanda for the parcel figure) Town center & trail system CDD
Macclenny Country Lots Macclenny (Baker Co.) Acreage & Single Family No CDD Fee Zero CDD tax line items

⚡ Want to Know Exactly What a Specific Address Will Cost You?

Did you know two homes on the very same street — say in Eagle Harbor, Fleming Island Plantation, or eTown — can carry noticeably different tax bills, purely depending on whether the original CDD construction bond has already been paid off?

Eagle Harbor is in The Crossings at Fleming Island Community Development District (thecrossingsatflemingislandcdd.com). Confirm the line on the Clay County tax bill for the address — I’ll pick up the phone and check it with you.

Fleming Island Plantation carries a CDD layer separate from Eagle Harbor’s. Confirm the district name on the Clay County tax bill or the Florida special-district list. Confirm the line on the Clay County tax bill for the address — I’ll pick up the phone and check it with you.

eTown is in the Cypress Bluff Community Development District (cypressbluffcdd.com). Debt and O&M differ for Del Webb versus the rest of eTown. Confirm the line on the Duval County tax bill for the address — I’ll pick up the phone and check it with you.

I pull the direct county tax records myself to verify the exact non-ad-valorem line items on any property before you ever submit an offer. A Community Development District (CDD) assessment repays the bonds that built a community's roads, utilities, and amenities — usually over a couple of decades — and it shows up on the tax bill on top of whatever the HOA charges separately. The amount is different for every community, and often for every phase within it, so I always pull the real number for the specific lot rather than quote you a range and hope it's close. If a community's CDD bond is getting near payoff, that's real leverage for you as a buyer — worth knowing before you write the offer, not after.

What kind of incentives do builders actually offer right now?

It changes constantly — rate buydowns, credits toward closing costs through their in-house lender, sometimes design-center dollars. The number moves month to month and community to community, so I get you the current incentive sheet in writing and we look at it against the full price of the home, not as a headline discount by itself.

Do I need to worry about which schools a neighborhood feeds into?

If you've got kids, or think you might down the road, it's worth knowing before you sign anything — not after. I won't quote you a made-up premium for one school zone over another, because that isn't a number anyone can honestly pin down street by street. What I will do is sit down with you and go through the actual zoned schools and feeder pattern for any community on this list.

Is a cash offer better than listing my home the traditional way?

That depends on what matters most to you. A cash offer means speed and certainty — no repairs, no showings, a fast close. Listing takes patience and some work getting the home ready, but it lets buyers compete for your house, which is usually how you land the stronger price. I'll lay out both paths honestly so you can pick the one that actually fits your family's situation, not just the one that's easiest to sell you on.