Curious why some Saint Johns neighborhoods offer resort-style amenities and also show a separate charge on your property tax bill? You are likely looking at a Community Development District, or CDD. If you are weighing a move within St. Johns County, understanding how CDDs work will help you budget confidently and choose the right fit.
In this guide, you will learn what a CDD is under Florida law, how assessments are structured and billed, what daily life and amenity access look like, what typical local fees run, and the exact checks to complete before you write an offer. Let’s dive in.
CDD basics in Florida
A Community Development District is a special-purpose unit of local government created under Florida’s Uniform Community Development District Act of 1980. CDDs plan, finance, build, operate, and maintain community infrastructure and facilities through public budgets and special assessments. You can read the statute and governance framework in Chapter 190 of the Florida Statutes. Chapter 190 explains CDD powers, budgets, hearings, and disclosures.
In practical terms, a CDD Board of Supervisors adopts an annual budget, sets the assessment roll, and oversees infrastructure and amenities that serve the district. In master-planned parts of Saint Johns, that often includes roads and entry features, stormwater systems, landscaping of common corridors, lighting, parks, clubhouses, pools, fitness centers, courts, and staffed or programmed recreation. Boards hold public hearings and publish audits and budgets, and sellers provide disclosure language in certain sale documents so buyers know a CDD applies.
How Saint Johns CDD assessments work
CDDs typically collect two parts in one annual assessment. Understanding the split helps you project near-term and long-term costs.
Debt service component
This is the annual repayment of bonds a district issued to build infrastructure. The amount follows the bond amortization schedule and continues until maturity or until an owner prepays according to district rules. Debt schedules are public and often appear within adopted budgets or supporting documents. For example, district packages in Saint Johns include bond series, remaining principal, and coupon details in their budget archives. See how CDD budgets display debt schedules and assessments.
Operations and maintenance (O&M) component
This is the annual cost to run and maintain common infrastructure and amenities. O&M covers line items like landscaping, lakes and stormwater care, aquatics, fitness, staffing, insurance, utilities, and recreation programming. The Board adopts O&M each year during the budget process described in Chapter 190.
How assessments are billed
Most Saint Johns districts place the CDD assessment on the county property tax bill as a non-ad valorem special assessment. It shows as a separate line. Some districts also allow direct billing in certain cases or facilitate early payoff of the debt portion through an estoppel process. For parcel-specific numbers in Nocatee’s Tolomato CDD, the district publishes a resident lookup that breaks out debt and O&M at the parcel level and explains estoppel requests. Use Tolomato’s resident assessment lookup and estoppel steps.
Amenities and daily life in a CDD
In many Saint Johns master-planned communities, the CDD funds, maintains, and programs large amenity centers. Budgets often include aquatics operations, fitness facilities, courts, youth and adult programming, event fields, and seasonal camps. You can see how these lines are organized within local adopted budgets. Julington Creek Plantation’s budget archive is a useful example.
Access, cards, and guests
CDD amenity policies set the rules for resident cards, guest access, and tenants. Policies spell out how cards are issued, how many are allowed per household, replacement fees, and how owners can assign amenity rights to tenants for the lease term. Some districts also offer a non-resident purchase option for an annual fee. The Tolomato CDD policy is a clear example of all three. Review Tolomato’s published amenity policies for details on cards, tenants, and non-resident options.
CDD vs HOA responsibilities
A CDD is a governmental entity that funds and operates certain public improvements and district-level amenities. An HOA or POA enforces neighborhood covenants and manages items assigned in its governing documents, such as architectural review and pocket-area landscaping. In many Saint Johns communities, you will pay both the CDD assessment on your tax bill and separate HOA dues. The statute outlines the CDD’s role, while district and HOA documents define the rest. Read the statutory overview in Chapter 190.
Typical CDD costs in Saint Johns
Assessment amounts vary by district, lot type and width, and whether a parcel still carries debt. The most reliable sources are the district’s adopted budget and any parcel-level assessment lookup.
Here are documented examples for context. Always confirm the exact parcel before you buy.
- Julington Creek Plantation CDD, FY2025: A typical single-family lot shows a projected total assessment of about $1,384.31 per year. That is roughly $115 per month. See the FY2025 assessment summary in the district archive.
- Tolomato CDD (Nocatee), FY2026: An Austin Park 70-foot lot example lists Debt about $1,422.52 + O&M about $798.74 = Total about $2,221.26 on the county tax roll. Verify your Nocatee parcel in the resident assessment lookup.
- St. Johns Forest CDD, FY2026: Supporting schedules show per-unit totals such as SF 60-foot about $1,213.83; SF 70-foot about $1,280.92; SF 80-foot about $1,489.79. Review the adopted budget and assessment tables.
- Durbin Crossing CDD, FY2026: O&M assessment tables list examples such as 80–83-foot about $1,885.53; 70–73-foot about $1,662.49; 63-foot about $1,462.19; Townhomes about $774.96. See Durbin’s adopted budget tables.
Big picture, many single-family lots in Saint Johns CDDs fall in the low to mid thousands per year, while townhomes and smaller product types often fall in the several hundreds to low thousands. The exact number depends on your lot, your district, and whether debt remains. District budgets and lookups provide the definitive amount.
What the numbers look like on a bill
Most buyers will see the CDD as a separate line on the St. Johns County property tax bill. The line will show the total for the year. If you want to estimate a monthly equivalent for budgeting, divide the annual total by 12. If you plan to prepay debt at closing or later, request an estoppel from the district so you have the authoritative payoff figure and any applicable fees. Tolomato’s lookup includes estoppel instructions that illustrate the process.
Buyer checklist for Saint Johns CDD homes
Use this list before you write an offer or during the contract period. Confirm each item with the seller, title company, the district, the county tax office, and your lender.
Get the parcel-level CDD amount that will appear on the next tax bill. Ask the seller for their last bill and cross-check with the district’s adopted budget or assessment lookup. For Nocatee addresses, start with the Tolomato resident assessment lookup.
Request an estoppel if you need the exact debt payoff for closing. The estoppel is how you obtain the legally actionable payoff and any proration details. Many districts publish instructions and a processing fee in their public documents. The Tolomato lookup shows the steps.
Confirm how the assessment is collected. Most local districts use the county tax roll, but some situations allow direct billing. Budgets and the St. Johns County Tax Collector can confirm. See how adopted budgets describe collection methods.
Add the annual CDD to your monthly housing estimate along with HOA dues, property taxes, and insurance. Check for optional program fees like camps or swim teams in the district’s budget under charges for services. Julington Creek’s budget archive shows how these lines appear.
Ask your lender how they treat the CDD. If it is on the tax bill, many lenders include it as a recurring housing expense or escrow item. Confirm early, since it can affect debt-to-income ratios.
Review the latest adopted budget and recent meeting minutes. Look for planned capital projects, reserve contributions, or new bond issuances that could change future assessments. District archives post both budgets and minutes.
Compare CDD scope with HOA scope so you do not double-count services. Districts usually handle large shared areas, while HOAs handle covenants and neighborhood-level items. Read both sets of documents.
Where to verify quickly
- Start with the county’s list of special taxing districts to confirm whether a parcel is inside a CDD and to identify the district name. Use the St. Johns County Office of Management and Budget page.
- Then pull the district’s adopted budget and assessment schedules. Local archives are the best sources: Julington Creek Plantation CDD, St. Johns Forest CDD FY2026 budget, and Durbin Crossing CDD FY2026 budget. For Nocatee, use Tolomato’s parcel lookup and amenity policy.
The bottom line for Saint Johns buyers
Living in a CDD community often means well-maintained infrastructure and robust amenities, managed by a public district with transparent budgets. In return, you pay a defined annual assessment that usually appears on your property tax bill. If you verify the parcel’s exact number, review the budget and minutes, and understand the HOA versus CDD split, you can compare neighborhoods on a true apples-to-apples basis.
If you want a second set of eyes on a CDD budget, help confirming a parcel’s assessment, or guidance on comparing Saint Johns communities, connect with The Newcomer Group. We can help you navigate the details so your next move aligns with your budget and lifestyle.
FAQs
What is a CDD in Florida and how is it governed?
- A CDD is a special-purpose local government created under Florida’s Chapter 190 that plans, finances, builds, operates, and maintains community infrastructure through public budgets and special assessments.
How are CDD assessments billed in Saint Johns?
- Most districts place a non-ad valorem assessment on your county property tax bill as a separate line, while some allow direct billing in special cases.
Will my CDD charge ever go away or be reduced?
- The debt portion ends when bonds are repaid or prepaid, while O&M continues as long as the district operates facilities; request an estoppel for exact debt payoff options.
Can tenants use CDD amenities if I rent out my home?
- Many districts allow owners to assign amenity rights to tenants via a documented process for the lease term, as shown in Tolomato’s published amenity policy.
How is a CDD different from an HOA in Saint Johns?
- A CDD funds and operates public improvements and district-level amenities, while an HOA enforces covenants and manages neighborhood services in its governing documents; many homes pay both.
