Community Development Districts (CDD) have become common place in Tampa Florida. People moving from out of the area have little understanding of what the benefits of a CDD are. Here is a simple explanation and a few benefits of the CDD. The pressure is on developers to offer a number of amenities to the residents, such as community pools, public parks and playgrounds. The additional cost of building these amenities is passed on to the homeowner in the form of a CDD tax. Payable over a predetermined amount of time and included in the tax bill as non ad valorum taxes.(that’s a whole other blog) The amout of the CDD varies and is generally determined by the size of the property, not the home. Residents choose to live in a well maintained community with easy access to amenities.CDD has the power to make improvements to the community, such as in Covington Park in Southern Hillsborough county. A new community center was opened in 2007 with a fitness center, a community room and a heater installed in one of three community pools. Generally there are two components to the CDD a bond taken out by the developer which is fo a specific amount of time, usually 20 years, and then the operation and management of the amenities. The bond portion of the CDD can be paid off by the homeowner usually without penalty. While it’s true there is an added expense to living in a community with a CDD. There are advantages. Take a drive through several communities both with and without CDD and you will see the difference. For more information Please contact Ticia Kervel 813–760–1514 Homeward Real Estate