ASSESSMENT INFORMATION
The taxing authority for Special Districts are Florida Statutes 190 and 197. The District’s fiscal year runs from October 1 through September 30.
Q: How are District assessments determined?
A. Each property owner will pay an annual assessment, levied on their property tax bills as non-ad valorem assessments, and based on two component costs. One is the capital amount required to amortize the long-term tax-exempt debt assessed against each lot, parcel, or acre for the public facilities acquired or constructed by or on behalf of the District. The annual assessment amounts vary in relation to the usage, size, and type of the property, and to the infrastructure benefit allocated to the property. Those amounts are listed in the table below. The capital assessment remains constant until the bonded debt is retired.
The other is an annual assessment for operations and maintenance (O & M) of community properties. The amount is the same for all properties regardless of type or location within the community. Each year, the CDD Board of Supervisors advertises for and holds a public hearing to set its budget and the level of assessments. The annual O & M assessment is shown below.
Q: How long do residents of Habitat CDD have to pay CDD assessments?
A. Residents are subject to two assessments, a Bond assessment and an Operations and Maintenance (O & M) assessment. Residents will continue to make the O & M assessments, which pay for the ongoing expenses of the District, as long as the community exists. Regarding the bond assessment, unless the bond is paid off prior to 2035 or unless a resident has paid off their assessment, residents will pay bond assessments until 2035 when we make our last principal payment in May.
Q: Can I pay off the assessment?
A. Yes, the debt portion may be paid off in full by requesting an estoppel letter, which is a legal document outlining information regarding the current owner’s financial standing in regards to the CDD: what is due and what has not been paid. It also indicates any assessments that are in progress or projected. The preparation of an estoppel letter with a payoff amount has a charge of $150.00 per letter. If you are interested in acquiring an estoppel letter, please contact Premier District Management at (239) 690-7100 ext. 105. Please take into consideration that paying off the debt does not eliminate the O & M assessment. That will be levied on the property’s taxes for as long as the community exists. Additionally, a payoff transaction cannot be reversed.
Q: How is the assessment collected?
A. Assessments are collected uniformly by the Lee County Tax Collector as a “non-ad valorem” assessment on your Lee County tax bill and are paid directly by the owner or via a mortgage holder escrow, beginning November 1st of each year.
| Product | O&M | Debt | Total/ Unit | Units | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2023 | FY 2024 | % Change | FY 2023 | FY 2024 | % Change | FY 2023 | FY 2024 | ||
| Duplex 35 | $735.69 | $735.69 | 0 | $239.16 | $239.16 | 0 | $974.85 | $974.85 | 477 |
| Multifamily | $735.69 | $735.69 | 0 | $179.37 | $179.37 | 0 | $915.06 | $915.06 | 336 |
| SF 50 | $735.69 | $735.69 | 0 | $298.95 | $298.95 | 0 | $1034.64 | $1034.64 | 497 |
| SF 60 | $735.69 | $735.69 | 0 | $358.74 | $358.74 | 0 | $1094.43 | $1094.43 | 408 |
| SF 75 | $735.69 | $735.69 | 0 | $418.53 | $418.53 | 0 | $1154.22 | $1154.22 | 181 |
| Total Units: | 1899 |