Glossary

The Villages runs on its own vocabulary — bonds, CDDs, amenity fees, VLS, plat units, HOPA. Here's plain-English what each term means, so the rest of the Guide reads clearly. Each entry links to the section that covers it in depth.

Amenity Fee

A monthly fee (~$199–$204 as of early 2026) every household pays for access to golf, recreation centers, pools, and nightly entertainment. It's written into the deed as a covenant — not set by an HOA vote — and rises each year with inflation (CPI). See Taxes & Fees.

Bond (Infrastructure Bond)

A separate debt attached to most homes that repays the district's original borrowing for roads, utilities, and paths. It appears as a line item on your property-tax bill, transfers to you at purchase unless prepaid, and can be paid off early. Newer homes often carry $20k–$30k+ remaining. See Taxes & Fees.

CDD (Community Development District)

A special-purpose local government under Florida Statutes Chapter 190. The Villages has 25+ of them; each has a 5-member board that sets budgets, levies assessments, issues bonds, and enforces deed compliance. CDDs govern infrastructure, bond debt, and deed rules — not police, schools, or county taxes. See Government and Districts & Villages.

CDD Maintenance Assessment

A perpetual annual charge (separate from the bond) covering ongoing upkeep of district infrastructure — roads, stormwater, common areas. Re-set each year by the district's budget; ranges from roughly $350 to $1,200+ depending on district and home type. See Taxes & Fees.

Plat Unit

The developer's fine-grained parcel/section code (e.g. S4M, S157V, L21), derived from a home's ULI key. A single Village spans many plat units. NOTE: this is NOT the numbered CDD — the two are different things, and the API doesn't expose the CDD number. See Districts & Villages.

Area (Town-Square Zone)

One of the broad lifestyle zones the developer and local market use to orient buyers: the five entertainment hubs/squares — Spanish Springs, Lake Sumter Landing, Brownwood, Sawgrass Grove, and Eastport — plus separate family-neighborhood areas such as Middleton. The hub names are useful for location and daily-life fit, but they are not the same thing as a county, CDD number, or plat unit. See Districts & Villages.

Village / Neighborhood

One of the ~106 named residential neighborhoods that make up The Villages (Edenfield, Fenney, Middleton, etc.). A home's Village tells you roughly where it sits, its era, and often its home types. Browse them all in the live directory on Districts & Villages.

VLS (Villages Listing System)

The developer's own in-house resale sales system and sales force. VLS agents have access to Villages-exclusive listings (including some resales not on the public MLS), but they represent the developer's side. You can also use an independent MLS agent. See Buying a Home.

MLS (Multiple Listing System)

The standard real-estate listing network used by independent brokers. Villages resales appear here too, and an outside MLS agent can represent you as a buyer across both Villages and non-Villages inventory. See Buying a Home.

HOPA (Housing for Older Persons Act)

The federal law that lets The Villages operate as a 55+ community: at least 80% of occupied homes must have a resident 55+, and people under 19 generally can't live here permanently (except in designated family neighborhoods). See Why People Love It Here and Schools & Families.

ULI Key

The Unique Listing Identifier the developer assigns each home (e.g. 'S4M.265'). It encodes the plat unit (before the dot) and drives the deep link to the home's page and its bond schedule.

Trail Fee / Executive Golf Trail Pass

The optional fee to drive your personal golf cart on the executive-golf-course trails: about $143.70/year (or shorter terms). The executive (9-hole) courses themselves are free to play; this pass is just for cart access on them. See Golf Carts.

LSV (Low-Speed Vehicle)

A street-legal vehicle that goes 20–25 mph — legally a motor vehicle that must be titled, registered, and insured, and may use roads posted up to 35 mph. Distinct from a standard golf cart (≤20 mph, no registration). See Golf Carts.

TRIM Notice

The 'Truth in Millage' notice the county property appraiser mails each August, showing your home's assessed value, the proposed millage rates, and the resulting tax — plus the flat CDD/bond assessments. It's the document to pull for a specific home's exact costs. See Taxes & Fees.

Homestead Exemption

Florida's property-tax break for your permanent primary residence: $25,000 off assessed value for all taxes, plus another $25,000 off non-school taxes. You must own and occupy as of January 1 and file with the county appraiser by March 1. See Taxes & Fees and Moving In.

Turnkey

A home sold fully furnished and move-in-ready. Popular with snowbirds and out-of-state buyers who don't want to move furniture. Expect a premium for the furnishings; confirm exactly what conveys. See Home Types.

CGCC (Catastrophic Ground Cover Collapse)

The narrow sinkhole coverage every Florida homeowners policy must include — under Fla. Stat. 627.706 it only pays if ALL four statutory conditions occur: the ground cover abruptly collapses, a depression is visible to the naked eye, the structure is damaged, AND the home is condemned and ordered vacated. Broader 'sinkhole loss' coverage is a separate, optional endorsement. See Sinkholes.

Sources: [Florida Legislature]