Lakewood Ranch or Nocatee? Two master-planned towns, side by side.
Both are among Florida’s best-known master-planned communities, and buyers often shortlist both: Lakewood Ranch near Sarasota on the Gulf side, Nocatee near Ponte Vedra Beach on the Atlantic. They are built on the same idea and differ in scale, coast and stage of life. Here is the comparison from each community’s own numbers.
By Krista Fracke — Broker Associate, Christie's International Real Estate First Coast · 20+ years in Northeast Florida · 500+ closings · client reviews
The market right now: 282 homes are currently for sale in Nocatee, with a median asking price of $624,900. See Nocatee homes for sale →
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Scale and stage
Lakewood Ranch is the larger and younger of the two in build-out terms: more than 35,000 acres across Manatee and Sarasota counties, 49,132 units entitled, about 70 percent sold or leased, and more than 80,000 residents by the developer’s count. It sold 2,085 homes in 2025, second in the country by RCLCO’s ranking, so new neighborhoods will keep opening for years.
Nocatee is close to finished: about 13,300 acres, mostly in St. Johns County with a slice inside Jacksonville, and the developer reports it 99 percent sold out with about 100 new homes left. Most buying in Nocatee is now resale, which means established streets and trees rather than new phases.
| Lakewood Ranch | Nocatee | |
|---|---|---|
| Counties | Manatee and Sarasota | St. Johns, with part in Duval (Jacksonville) |
| Size | 35,000+ acres; about 46% open space | About 13,300 acres; over 60% preserve or conservation |
| Homes | 49,132 units entitled; about 70% sold or leased (March 2026) | About 99% sold out; about 100 new homes left |
| 2025 sales rank | #2 in the U.S., 2,085 sales (RCLCO) | #36, 417 sales (John Burns, as reported) |
| District charges on the tax bill | Lakewood Ranch Stewardship District and CDDs; vary by bond sector | Tolomato CDD; FY2027 median about $2,158 a year in St. Johns |
| Trails and preserve | 150+ miles of trails | A 5,000-acre greenway and the 2,400-acre Nocatee Preserve |
| Nearest ocean beach | Gulf: Lido and Siesta about 11–12 miles straight-line from Main Street | Atlantic: the eastern edge is 2.5 miles from Mickler’s Landing |
| Nearest major airport | Sarasota Bradenton (SRQ), about 8 miles | Jacksonville International (JAX), about 32 miles |
| Hospital close by | Lakewood Ranch Medical Center (180 beds) inside the community | Mayo Clinic Florida, about 11 miles |
Sources: Lakewood Ranch fact sheet (July 2026), Lakewood Ranch Stewardship District, Nocatee.com and its FAQ, Tolomato CDD FY2027 assessment lookups, RCLCO 2025, St. Johns Citizen (John Burns 2025), Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. Distances are straight-line.
What the districts charge
Both communities pay for roads, water and amenities through special districts that bill on the county property-tax bill: a fixed debt payment until the bonds are paid off, plus an operating charge that can change each year. In Lakewood Ranch the amount depends on which bond sector the lot sits in; the Stewardship District’s 2027 schedule lists about 30 of them. In Nocatee the Tolomato CDD’s 2027 charges for St. Johns parcels run from about $466 a year on lots whose bonds are paid off to about $7,075, with a median near $2,158. Village HOA dues come on top in both.
Nocatee’s CDD also owns and runs the big amenities, including Splash Water Park and the Nocatee Swim Club, so there is no separate water-park fee. Lakewood Ranch spreads its amenities across three town centers and golf clubs, several of which are bundled into neighborhood HOA dues. The Nocatee fee stack, explained →
Golf, town centers and the everyday
Golf is a bigger part of Lakewood Ranch: the Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club has 72 holes, there is a Ritz-Carlton course, and several neighborhoods include golf in their dues. It also has the Premier Sports Campus and the Sarasota Polo Club. Nocatee has no golf course inside it; its center of gravity is the water parks, the greenway and Nocatee Town Center, with TPC Sawgrass and the Ponte Vedra clubs a short drive east.
The beach is the clearest difference. Nocatee’s eastern edge sits 2.5 miles from an Atlantic beach access; Lakewood Ranch’s Gulf beaches are farther, across Sarasota or Bradenton.
Storms on both coasts
Both coasts have recent storm history. Milton made landfall on Siesta Key in October 2024 as a Category 3, and Ian in 2022 sent the Myakka and other rivers to record crests through Sarasota and Manatee counties. On the First Coast, Matthew in 2016 pushed 5 to 7 feet of water above ground along the St. Johns County coast, and Irma in 2017 flooded along the St. Johns River. Inland streets in both communities sit well back from the coast; check each home’s flood zone and insurance before comparing prices. Nocatee flood zones, street by street →
The part nobody tells you
The district charge follows the lot, not the community. Two homes a mile apart in Lakewood Ranch, or in two Nocatee villages, can carry very different debt payments depending on when their bonds were issued and whether they have been paid off. Ask for the parcel’s line on the current tax bill before you compare prices.
This is the work I do every week. Weighing Lakewood Ranch against Nocatee? Send me the neighborhoods you like on the Gulf side. I’ll match them with Nocatee villages and put the tax bill, the fees and the drive times side by side.
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Broker Associate · Christie's International Real Estate First Coast · 20+ years · 500+ closings
Common questions
Is Lakewood Ranch bigger than Nocatee?
Yes. Lakewood Ranch covers more than 35,000 acres with 49,132 units entitled; Nocatee covers about 13,300 acres and is about 99 percent sold out.
Which has lower CDD fees, Lakewood Ranch or Nocatee?
It depends on the lot. Both bill a debt payment and an operating charge on the property-tax bill, and both vary by when the bonds were issued. Nocatee’s 2027 St. Johns charges have a median near $2,158 a year; Lakewood Ranch’s vary across about 30 bond sectors. Compare the specific parcels.
How far is Nocatee from the beach compared with Lakewood Ranch?
Nocatee’s eastern edge is 2.5 miles from Mickler’s Landing on the Atlantic. Lakewood Ranch’s nearest Gulf beaches, Lido and Siesta, are about 11 to 12 miles straight-line from its Main Street.
Is all of Nocatee in St. Johns County?
No. Most of it is, but a slice lies inside the City of Jacksonville in Duval County, including Cypress Trails, Artisan Lakes, The Palms, Timberland Ridge, Brookwood and The Villas.
Living in Nocatee →
The villages, the amenities and the fees.
Nocatee HOA and CDD fees →
What the tax bill and the dues really add up to.
St. Johns County master-planned communities →
Nocatee, SilverLeaf, RiverTown and more, compared.
Florida tax math for a new resident →
Homestead and Save Our Homes in the first year.
Want the two communities compared parcel by parcel?
Your Lakewood Ranch shortlist next to the Nocatee villages that match it: price, tax bill, fees and drive times.