Gated Communities in Jacksonville

Pablo Creek Reserve is Jacksonville's quietest statement of arrival: about 270 custom homes on 400 wooded acres behind a 24/7 attended gate, three minutes from Mayo Clinic — which is exactly why so many of its owners wear scrubs or run the hospital. Developed by The PARC Group (the Nocatee and eTown developer), every homesite backs preserve or water, and the amenity philosophy is deliberately understated: a 4.5-acre central park, lakes, and miles of trails rather than a clubhouse scene. No CDD — HOA only.

Active

$3,000,000MLS# 2152827

Est. $15,967/mo

14061 Magnolia Cove Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224

5 Beds

5 Baths

4,697 sqft

Residential

ENGEL & VOLKERS FIRST COAST

Active Under Contract

$3,095,000MLS# 2151664

Est. $16,473/mo

5305 Bentpine Cove Road, Jacksonville, FL 32224

4 Beds

4 Baths

4,823 sqft

Residential

ROOT REALTY LLC

Two things buyers should know going in: the homes are all custom (Coastal Colonial to Mediterranean, 3,000 to 10,000+ sq ft, current resales averaging around $3M), and the nationally-ranked Pablo Creek golf club next door is an entirely separate, invitation-only club — living here does not confer membership. The address is the amenity.

Epping Forest is Jacksonville history behind a 24-hour gate: the Alfred I. duPont estate, whose 25-room Mediterranean Revival mansion (1920s, National Register-listed) sits at Christopher Point — the widest spot on the St. Johns River, chosen so duPont could anchor his 125-foot yacht. Gate Petroleum bought the 58-acre estate in 1984 and wove roughly 90 estate and patio homes plus 80 condos around it, finishing by 1999.

Active Under Contract

$1,199,000MLS# 2152626

Est. $6,382/mo

6740 Epping Forest Way 111, Jacksonville, FL 32217

2 Beds

2 Baths

1,974 sqft

Residential

HERRON REAL ESTATE LLC

Active

$2,749,000MLS# 2102531

Est. $14,631/mo

6750 Epping Forest Way N 112, Jacksonville, FL 32217

3 Beds

4 Baths

4,557 sqft

Residential

THE LEGENDS OF REAL ESTATE

The mansion now serves as the clubhouse of the Epping Forest Yacht & Country Club — a Gate Hospitality club whose membership is separate from home ownership — alongside a 73-slip deep-water marina, six pools, and six tennis courts. The fortune administered from this estate endowed the Nemours children's health system; the streets still feel like that era. Riverfront estates anchor the top of the market, with patio homes and condos the quieter ways in.

Kettering is the new-Jacksonville entry on this list — the gated village of the eTown master plan, and currently the largest single source of gated-community inventory in Duval County. Its claim to fame is under the drywall: every Providence-built home is a DOE Zero Energy Ready Home, Jacksonville's first community certified at that scale, with David Weekley's gated townhomes and villas alongside. Modern elevations, deliberately un-traditional for Northeast Florida.

Active

$526,581MLS# 2149911

Est. $2,803/mo

10117 Element Road, Jacksonville, FL 32256

3 Beds

2 Baths

2,352 sqft

Residential

WEEKLEY HOMES REALTY

Active

$522,141MLS# 2149495

Est. $2,779/mo

10109 Element Road, Jacksonville, FL 32256

3 Beds

3 Baths

2,300 sqft

Residential

WEEKLEY HOMES REALTY

Residents get the in-village cabana, playground, and dog park plus eTown's 5-acre Recharge club — zero-entry resort pool, lap lanes, fitness, yoga lawn. Timing note: Providence's single-family phase is sold out and Weekley's gated townhomes are in their final phase, so Kettering is tipping from new-construction to resale — which is when the certified-efficient originals start earning their premium. Most homes trade from the mid-$300s to the $500s.

Tidewater is the nature play of Jacksonville's gated communities — on the Northside shores of Clapboard Creek, bordered by the Timucuan Ecological Preserve, with kayak water and protected marsh where other communities have back fences. Its history shows in its streets: begun around 2006, stalled by the recession, then relaunched by ICI Homes — so mid-2000s originals sit beside brand-new ICI builds, and new construction is still available from around $600K.

Active

$469,900MLS# 2153681

Est. $2,501/mo

12205 Ridge Crossing Way, Jacksonville, FL 32226

4 Beds

2 Baths

1,718 sqft

Residential

RE/MAX UNLIMITED

Active

$515,000MLS# 2151648

Est. $2,741/mo

41 Falling Water Court, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081

3 Beds

3 Baths

0 sqft

Residential

COMPASS FLORIDA LLC

The amenity set is full-family — clubhouse, fitness, pool, basketball, dog park, nature park — behind an automatic gate. For buyers priced out of the Intracoastal corridors who still want water and wild land, this is the honest alternative: creekside and lakefront lots, Florida-vernacular and farmhouse elevations of 2,000–3,700+ sq ft, with resales mostly in the $500s–$800s.

James Island is the rarity in this lineup: a staffed 24-hour gate at a family price point. Built 1999–2004 by Arvida as the sole builder — 365 homes on 180 acres, ten minutes from St. Johns Town Center — it's the answer for buyers who want an attended gatehouse without a seven-figure entry. The single-builder streetscape keeps it cohesive: 1,800–3,500 sq ft homes, many on lake or preserve lots, with clubhouse, resort pool, tennis, and a soccer field.

Active Under Contract

$610,000MLS# 2154072

Est. $3,247/mo

7670 Crosstree Lane, Jacksonville, FL 32256

4 Beds

3 Baths

2,932 sqft

Residential

THE THAYVER GROUP

Active

$849,900MLS# 2151973

Est. $4,524/mo

10977 Hickory Trace Lane, Jacksonville, FL 32256

5 Beds

3 Baths

4,064 sqft

Residential

OCCUPY REAL ESTATE GROUP, LLC.

One local-knowledge trap worth naming: "The Reserve at James Island" next door is a separate condo association outside the gate — its $200K listings drag down naive price searches for the neighborhood. The actual gated single-family market here mostly trades in the $500s and $600s, and the 24-hour attendant is precisely what the HOA dues buy.