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 are 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 land class of the property, and to the infrastructure benefit allocated to the property. This Capital assessment remains constant until the bonded debt is retired. This information can be seen in the table below.
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.
Q. How long will residents of Laguna Lakes CDD have to pay 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 2033, or unless a resident has paid off their bond assessment, residents will pay bond assessments until 2033 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 one is interested, please contact Cal Teague at Premier District Management Office. He can be reached at (239) 690- 7100 ext. 101. Please take into consideration that paying off the debt does not eliminate the O & M assessment that will continue to 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.
| Unit Type | Units | 2023 O&M | 2024 O&M | % Change | 2023 Debt | 2024 Debt | % Change | 2023 Total | 2024 Total | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single Family 70′ | 86 | $745.86 | $745.86 | 0% | $972.99 | $972.99 | 0% | $1718.85 | $1718.85 | 0% |
| Single Family 70′ Prepaid (lot 154) | 1 | $745.86 | $745.86 | 0% | $98.41 | $98.41 | 0% | $844.27 | $844.27 | 0% |
| Single Family 50′ | 168 | $745.86 | $745.86 | 0% | $819.36 | $819.36 | 0% | $1565.22 | $1565.22 | 0% |
| SF 50′ Lot 291* | 1 | $745.86 | $745.86 | 0% | $82.87 | $82.87 | 0% | $828.73 | $828.73 | 0% |
| Single Family 40′ | 120 | $745.86 | $745.86 | 0% | $742.55 | $742.55 | 0% | $1488.41 | $1488.41 | 0% |
| Single Family 40′ Prepaid | 2 | $745.86 | $745.86 | 0% | $75.10 | $75.10 | 0% | $820.96 | $820.96 | 0% |
| Multi Family Units | 232 | $745.86 | $745.86 | 0% | $512.11 | $512.11 | 0% | $1257.97 | $1257.97 | 0% |
| Multi Family Prepaid (MF-Units G204) | 1 | $745.86 | $745.86 | 0% | $51.80 | $51.80 | 0% | $797.66 | $797.66 | 0% |
| MF-Units G102/ P101/ T106* | 3 | $745.86 | $745.86 | 0% | $51.80 | $51.80 | 0% | $797.66 | $797.66 | 0% |
| Total Units | 614 | 0% | 0% | 0% |