Two move-in-ready Highland Homes sit across from each other on Rapallo Avenue in VillaMar, in southeast Winter Haven. On the builder's page, the Aurora at 4490 Rapallo is marked down from $287,355 to $259,900. The Sophia at 4491 Rapallo is marked down from $334,570 to $312,900. The builder's page labels the community a "Final Opportunity." Further down, under community details, it says "CDD? Yes."
That second line matters most when you compare these homes with a resale. The price cut is a one-time number that a soft market has already pushed down. The CDD assessment is a yearly charge set in a public budget, and it changes from phase to phase within the same community. If you're weighing a discounted VillaMar home against an older Winter Haven home at the same price, compare the yearly cost. The sticker price won't tell you enough.
The assessment comes in two parts, and only one is the same everywhere
VillaMar Community Development District adopted its FY2027 budget at a July 22, 2026 meeting. The budget splits each home's assessment into two pieces.
The first is operations and maintenance, and it's the same for every single-family lot. For FY2027 it's $891.74 per home, up $134.90 from $756.84 the year before. That money runs the amenities, including pool maintenance, security, janitorial service, amenity electric, and a playground and furniture lease.
The second is debt service, the yearly payment on the district's special assessment bonds. VillaMar has issued bonds in series from 2019 through 2024, and each area of the community pays toward its own series. These are the FY2027 gross per-unit amounts from the adopted budget:
| Area and bond series | FY2027 debt service per home | Plus $891.74 O&M |
|---|---|---|
| Area 1, Series 2019 | $1,303.76 | $2,195.50 |
| Area 2, Series 2020, lots labeled Adams | $1,451.61 | $2,343.35 |
| Area 2, Series 2020, lots labeled D.R. Horton | $1,344.09 | $2,235.83 |
| Area 3, Series 2022 | $1,339.48 | $2,231.22 |
| Area 3, lots labeled "Paid Down" | $669.89 | $1,561.63 |
| Area 4, Series 2022 | $1,343.00 | $2,234.74 |
| Area 5, Series 2023 | $1,344.03 | $2,235.77 |
| Area 5, second lot class | $672.02 | $1,563.76 |
| Area 6, Series 2024, lots labeled Meritage | $1,450.53 | $2,342.27 |
| Area 6, Series 2024, other lots | $1,772.87 | $2,664.61 |
The newest phase carries the highest debt figure in the community. Builders are discounting their final homes there now. Most homes with a full assessment land between about $2,200 and $2,665 a year. The lower classes in Areas 3 and 5 run about half the debt amount, and Area 3's budget labels that class "Paid Down." Two homes listed at the same price can carry yearly bills several hundred dollars apart, depending on the phase.
HOA dues are a much smaller line. Highland lists them at $211.25 per year. Most of the yearly carrying cost beyond the mortgage comes from the CDD.
How long it lasts
The debt service has an end date, but it's a long way off. The amortization schedule for VillaMar's Series 2019 bonds, the Area 1 debt, runs to a final principal payment on May 1, 2050. The schedule shows the full $5,710,000 balance on that series still outstanding as of November 1, 2026, before the first principal payment is due in May 2027. The research didn't pull final maturity dates for the later series, so a buyer in Areas 2 through 6 should read their series' schedule in the same budget document.
The operations-and-maintenance piece has no end date. The budget narrative says the district levies it on all sold and platted parcels to pay operating costs for each fiscal year. It rose this year, and the budget sets it again every year.
Putting the Rapallo Avenue discounts next to the bill
The listing IDs for both Rapallo Avenue homes begin with "VM6," which points to Area 6. The budget doesn't say which Area 6 lot class these two homes fall in, so the math below uses both rates.
- The Aurora's cut is $27,455. At $2,664.61 a year in combined CDD charges, that cut covers a bit more than 10 years of assessments. At the Meritage-labeled rate of $2,342.27, it covers about 11.7 years.
- The Sophia's cut is $21,670. That covers about 8 years at the higher Area 6 rate.
- Add the HOA and the higher-rate total comes to about $2,876 a year, roughly $240 a month, on top of principal, interest, taxes, and insurance.
So the discount on either home roughly equals a decade of CDD payments. A resale home outside any community development district carries no CDD assessment at all. The fair comparison between the two is the full monthly cost, which the asking prices don't show.
Builder payment estimates leave this line out. Starlight Homes' October offer at Sunset Hills advertises a 3.75% initial rate on a 5/1 ARM, with a sample payment of $1,772 a month on a $335,740 purchase with 20% down. Starlight's own fine print says that estimate excludes mortgage insurance, HOA dues, and CDD fees. We couldn't confirm whether Sunset Hills sits inside a CDD, so treat that as an open question to settle before signing. Don't assume the answer is no. The rate offer is also a limited promotion. Contracts have to be written between October 1 and October 31, 2026, and close by November 30, 2026.
Highland's October sale advertises up to $47,810 in price reductions on select move-in-ready homes, up to $22,200 toward closing costs and prepaids, and a 2.5% closing-cost concession for a rate buydown. The terms depend on using the builder's financing partner and signing between 10/01/26 and 10/31/26. The offer page doesn't list which Winter Haven homes qualify, so confirm VillaMar eligibility for the specific address.
Florida law does require the disclosure. Section 190.048 of the Florida Statutes says the contract for the initial sale of a parcel inside a CDD must include a conspicuous statement that the district may levy taxes or assessments. The statute requires a notice that the district can levy assessments. It doesn't require a dollar figure. You'll find the dollar figure in the adopted budget on the VillaMar CDD's FY2027 budget document.
Why the builder side has room to move
The price cuts follow from where the regional market sits right now. The East Polk County Association of REALTORS® reported 83 residential sales in August 2026, down from 130 in August 2025. Active inventory also fell, from 631 to 556 listings. Sales fell faster, though, so months of inventory rose from 4.85 to 6.70. These figures cover all of East Polk, not just the City of Winter Haven. They point to fewer buyers rather than a wave of new listings.
The discounted VillaMar homes are priced in East Polk's busiest resale range. In August 2026, the $250,000 to $299,999 bracket recorded 16 sales against 96 listings, and $300,000 to $349,999 recorded 12 sales against 86 listings. Homes in those brackets sold at about 97% of list price. Average days on market was 92 across all price points. A buyer at these prices has plenty of resale homes to compare against, and many of them carry no district assessment.
The district's own boundaries reflect the same slowdown. In February 2026, Winter Haven adopted Ordinance O-26-06. It removed the planned Phase 8, about 51.62 acres near Thompson Nursery Road, from the VillaMar CDD and shrank the district from 583.79 acres to 532.17. According to Daily Ridge's coverage of the first reading, the land's designation changed from residential to commercial, possibly for a small retail store or gas station. City spokesperson Katrina Hill offered this reading of the change:
"The change … may reflect shifting market conditions and a potential softening in demand for new housing in the area, prompting developers to adjust plans accordingly."
The CDD's February 25 minutes approved a notice of the amended boundaries and released Phase 8 from the master assessment lien. Boundary activity hasn't stopped, though. On September 23, 2026, the district passed Resolution 2026-10, responding to a separate petition from VMAR DEV, LLC over land labeled "VillaMar Phase 9." Pull the latest agenda packets before you buy near the edge of the community.
Common questions
Does a VillaMar resale home also pay the CDD assessment? Yes. The district levies its maintenance assessment on all sold and platted parcels, and each area's debt service follows the lot. When you compare a VillaMar resale with a new VillaMar build, look up which area and lot class each one falls in.
Can the assessment go up? The maintenance portion rose $134.90 per home for FY2027, and the board adopts a new budget every year. In this budget, the debt-service amounts for every area stayed the same as FY2026.
Where does the Phase 8 land stand now? It's out of the district, and its assessment lien has been released. The research didn't turn up a named tenant, site plan, or construction start for the commercial use.
If you're deciding between a discounted VillaMar home and a Winter Haven resale at the same price, Craig Burke Real Estate Group can help you work out the full yearly cost of each address, CDD assessment included, before you make an offer. Talk with Craig, and get a free home valuation if you have a home of your own to sell first.
