In Clermont's newer master-planned communities, the yearly cost of owning a home depends partly on a decision made years before the buyer showed up. When the developer financed a phase, it issued a particular bond series, and that series set a Community Development District assessment that stays with the lot for about 30 years. The list price leaves it out. It arrives each November on the Lake County property tax bill, and two similar houses a few streets apart in the same district can pay different amounts.
The schedules for the November 2026 bills are already public. Avalon Groves CDD, the district behind Serenoa off Sawgrass Bay Boulevard, has published combined per-home assessments ranging from about $1,996 to $2,442 a year for single-family homes in its four neighborhoods. Every one of those homes pays the same maintenance rate. The gap comes from the debt.
The Disclosure Sits Right Above Your Signature
Florida doesn't let builders keep the district a secret. Section 190.048 of the Florida Statutes requires a conspicuous, boldfaced disclosure right before the buyer's signature in every contract for the first sale of a home inside a CDD. The required language says the district may impose taxes or assessments for public facilities and services, on top of other government charges.
The disclosure tells a buyer the district exists. The district's own budget is where the dollar amounts live. Each district adopts that budget every year, and it breaks the assessment down by neighborhood, lot width and bond series. The rest of this post works through those budgets.
Same Maintenance Rate, Different Debt: Serenoa
Avalon Groves CDD, which also goes by Serenoa, holds its meetings at 17555 Sawgrass Bay Blvd. in Clermont 34714. Its budget divides the community into four assessment areas: Palms at Serenoa, Serenoa Village, Serenoa Lakes and Edgemont. Each area was financed separately, through Series 2017A, 2017A-1, 2019, 2021 and 2022 bonds.
Here's what the fiscal year 2026–2027 schedule shows for single-family homes:
| Neighborhood | Lot | O&M | Total annual CDD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palms at Serenoa | Phases 1–4 | $953.87 | $2,010.60–$2,010.61 |
| Serenoa Village | 40'–45' | $953.87 | $1,995.61 |
| Serenoa Village | 50' | $953.87 | $2,099.78 |
| Serenoa Village | 60' | $953.87 | $2,203.95 |
| Serenoa Lakes | 40' | $953.87 | $2,057.74 |
| Serenoa Lakes | 50' | $953.87 | $2,180.39 |
| Serenoa Lakes | 60' | $953.87 | $2,425.69 |
| Edgemont | Single-family | $953.87 | $2,441.79 |
Take two 60-foot lots inside the same district. The one in Serenoa Lakes pays $221.74 more a year than the one in Serenoa Village. The budget says these figures are for the November 2026 Lake County tax bill and already include county collection costs and early-payment discounts.
The two parts of the bill behave differently over time. Avalon Groves' own explainer describes the bond assessment as lasting "about 30 years," says it "does not change, and can be paid off early," and puts it at roughly 45 to 55 percent of the total. The O&M portion "may change from year to year, but it never goes away." In Serenoa Village, the Series 2017A-1 debt makes its last scheduled principal payment on May 1, 2048.
Wellness Ridge Shows How Phase Timing Shows Up On The Bill
In Wellness Ridge, the same kind of gap shows up between earlier and later phases of a single community. Wellness Ridge CDD is a City of Clermont district. Lennar lists Clermont homes under the Wellness Ridge and Sanctuary at Wellness Ridge names. Its maintenance rates didn't move in the FY2027 adopted budget. A 22-foot townhome pays $506.93, a 50-foot single-family lot pays $1,152.11 and a 60-foot lot pays $1,382.54, all identical to FY2026.
The debt rates depend on which series financed the lot:
- Series 2023: $573 a year for a 22-foot townhome, $1,303 for a 50-foot lot and $1,563 for a 60-foot lot
- Series 2024: $688 for a 22-foot townhome, $1,564 for a 50-foot lot and $1,876 for a 60-foot lot
- Series 2026: $688 for a 22-foot townhome, $1,564 for a 50-foot lot and $1,877 for a 60-foot lot
Each series covers its own set of lots. These are alternatives, so you don't add them together for one home. A 50-foot lot under the later financing pays about $261 a year more in debt service than a 50-foot lot under Series 2023. The district's engineer's report ties the 2024 project to Assessment Area Two, Phases 2 and 3, with 427 planned units. The Series 2024 amortization schedule runs through June 15, 2055.
Combine the published O&M rate with the Series 2024 debt rate, and a 50-foot lot in that assessment area comes to about $2,716 a year in gross CDD charges. HOA dues are separate and come on top. You won't see that figure in the list price, and you won't see it in a price-per-square-foot comparison against a resale home a few miles away.
A First-Year Credit Covers One Bill Out Of Roughly Thirty
Builders know buyers weigh these costs, and they market against them. Lennar's Fall Super Sale offered up to one year of HOA and CDD assessments paid on select Central Florida homes, along with up to $35,000 in price reductions and an FHA 5/1 ARM fixed at 4.375% for five years, 7.527% APR. The fine print capped the assessment payment at $7,035.96 for 12 months, based on the homesite's budget at closing, with special and one-time assessments excluded. Contracts had to be signed between October 7 and October 11, 2026, so that offer has closed. It still shows how these credits are built.
A price reduction lowers what you pay at closing. An assessment credit pays the first bill. Neither touches the bond schedule. In the Wellness Ridge example, a credit covers year one, and the Series 2024 debt keeps amortizing until 2055.
Incentives are running high right now. Lennar reported companywide incentives of about 12.9% for its second quarter ended May 31, 2026, and said the gap from its normal 4% to 6% range was narrowing. D.R. Horton's July 21, 2026 release forecast elevated incentives for the next quarter. Resale sellers are giving ground too. In July 2026, 68% of Realtors surveyed by the Orlando Regional Realtor Association reported more seller concessions than a year earlier. In August 2026, the regional market posted a $400,676 median, 4.9 months of supply and 64 average days on market. Those figures cover a five-county area, not Clermont alone, but they describe the market these builders are competing in.
When both sides are discounting, the right comparison is the annual cost of each house, not the sticker prices. That means mortgage, taxes, insurance, HOA and the CDD line together.
More Districts Are Coming To South Lake
This won't stay limited to Serenoa and Wellness Ridge. On September 1, 2026, Lake County approved rezoning for Panther Run near Clermont. ClickOrlando reported the 2,200-plus-acre plan could allow up to 2,624 homes and more than 1 million square feet of commercial and employment space. It still needs further approvals, and construction could begin as early as 2027. How that land will be financed hasn't been published. As more South Lake new construction comes online, more buyers will be comparing communities that each have their own assessment structure.
How To Read The Number Before You Commit
Every number in this post came from public documents. The Lake County Property Appraiser homepage links to the county tax bill search. Its property detail records are organized around values and estimated ad valorem taxes, so the Tax Collector bill is where to look for the CDD charge. Avalon Groves says its non-ad valorem assessment appears on the annual county Tax Collector bill. Its homepage also has a link to ask about a bond payoff or request an estoppel, and its FAQ says payoff is possible "in most cases." Wellness Ridge publishes contact details for its district manager.
For a specific lot, four facts tell you most of what you need:
- Which assessment area or phase the lot is in
- Which bond series covers it, and that series' final maturity date
- The current O&M rate, and whether the board has proposed a change
- Whether the debt portion can be prepaid, and what the payoff estimate is
Quick Answers
Will a CDD assessment change after I buy? According to Avalon Groves' explainer, the bond portion stays fixed and the O&M portion is set each year by the elected board.
Do builders pay assessments on unsold lots? Avalon Groves says assessments apply to undeveloped and under-construction lots too, with the developer or builder paying the lot's portion.
Is the CDD the same as the HOA? No. A district can charge assessments in addition to other government charges, and HOA dues are a separate obligation. Lennar's promotion bundled the two together, so the dollar cap in its offer isn't a standalone HOA rate.
This post is general information about how these districts and contracts work. It isn't legal, tax or financial advice, so please confirm the details of your own purchase with the right professional.
If you're comparing a Serenoa resale, a Wellness Ridge new build and a home with no district at all, Nickolas Amburgey can pull the assessment schedule for each lot you're considering and line the full annual costs up side by side before you make an offer. Schedule your free consultation.
