What is a community development district (CDD)?

A community development district (CDD) is a small, single-purpose local government created under Chapter 190 of the Florida Statutes to build and maintain a new community's infrastructure: roads, drainage and stormwater ponds, water and sewer lines, streetlights, landscaping, and often amenities like a clubhouse or pool. Homeowners inside the district pay for it through assessments on their property tax bill.

What the board decides

A five-member board of supervisors runs the district. It adopts the annual budget and sets the operations and maintenance assessment, hires the district manager, engineer and lawyer, signs contracts for landscaping, lakes and amenity upkeep, sets amenity rules and fees, and decides on repairs, new projects and whether to refinance the district's bonds.

Board meetings are public under Florida's Sunshine Law, and most districts post their budgets, agendas and minutes on the district's website.

Why a CDD seat is on your ballot

When a CDD is created, the developer and other landowners elect the board at a landowners' meeting, with one vote per acre owned. That's why new communities are controlled by the developer at first.

Seats switch to resident control over time. Once a district is at least 6 years old (10 years for districts over 5,000 acres) and has at least 250 registered voters living in it (500 for the larger districts), each seat is filled, as its term ends, by a resident elected by the district's registered voters at the November general election. Only voters who live inside that CDD see these seats on their ballot.

Who can run, and the terms

Resident-elected supervisors must be registered voters who live in the district. The elections are nonpartisan, so no party appears next to the candidates' names. Terms are 4 years.

Supervisors can be paid up to $200 per meeting, capped at $4,800 a year each, unless the district's voters approve a different amount by referendum.

How it's paid for

Most CDD costs show up as non-ad valorem assessments on the county property tax bill, usually in two parts: debt service, which repays the bonds that paid to build the community's infrastructure, and operations and maintenance (O&M), which pays for upkeep and is set by the board each year.

The debt-service part is usually fixed until the bonds are paid off; the O&M part changes with the budget the board adopts. Your county tax collector's bill lists both.

Questions to research before you vote

  • Read the district's current budget and a few recent meeting minutes on its website.
  • Look at what the board has been deciding: assessment increases, big contracts, amenity rules, repair backlogs.
  • Ask candidates how they'd handle the O&M budget and reserves, and whether they have ties to the developer, the district's contractors or its management company.
  • Check how much each candidate has raised; most CDD races are small, and SpectrumVote lists state campaign-finance filings on each candidate's page.

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote.

Community development districts (CDDs) on the 2026 ballot (151)

Bay County

Broward County

Clay County

Collier County

Duval County

Flagler County

Glades County

Hernando County

Hillsborough County

Lake County

Lee County

Leon County

Manatee County

Miami-Dade County

Nassau County

Orange County

Osceola County

Palm Beach County

Pasco County

Pinellas County

Polk County

Sarasota County

St. Johns County

St. Lucie County

Sumter County

Only voters who live inside each district see its seats. Look up your ballot by address to see yours.

Quick answers

What is a CDD fee on my tax bill?
It's the assessment your community development district charges to repay the bonds that built your neighborhood's infrastructure (debt service) and to pay for ongoing upkeep (operations and maintenance). It appears as a non-ad valorem assessment on the county property tax bill.
Who can vote in a CDD election?
Once seats have switched to resident control, any registered voter who lives inside the district can vote for those seats at the November general election. Seats still elected by landowners are voted on at a separate landowners' meeting, one vote per acre.
Is a CDD the same as an HOA?
No. A CDD is a unit of local government created under state law, with public meetings and the power to issue bonds and levy assessments collected on the tax bill. A homeowners' association is a private corporation governed by its own documents. Many communities have both.
How much are CDD supervisors paid?
Up to $200 per meeting and no more than $4,800 a year each, unless the district's voters approve a different amount by referendum.
When is the election?
The general election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting and mail-ballot deadlines vary by state; check your state or county election office.
Should I vote for a particular community development district (CDD) candidate?
SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Compare the candidates' backgrounds, campaign money and answers to the questions above, and check the district's own budget and minutes.

Source: Chapter 190, Florida Statutes. Summaries are ours, in plain language; the statute and each district's own charter are the authority.

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