Two Ave Maria homes with similar list prices can come with yearly district assessments that differ by more than $900. The debt behind one bill ends in 2038 and the debt behind the other runs into the 2050s. Neither number shows up in the list price. Both show up every year on the Collier County property tax bill, and both depend on which phase of town the home sits in.
This matters most when you're comparing a resale against a new build. Ave Maria's builders sold 258 new homes in the first half of 2026, according to the Ave Maria Sun. A buyer standing in a model home and then touring a five-year-old house a mile away is comparing two different assessment stacks, even though the town looks the same from the street.
The shared layer every home pays
Ave Maria is served by the Ave Maria Stewardship Community District, an independent special district created by a special act of the Florida Legislature, Chapter 2004-461. Over the years its bonds have paid for roads, stormwater and drainage, water and wastewater facilities, irrigation, landscaping, and projects such as Anthem Parkway.
Part of the district's charge is the same for every residence. In the district's FY2026/27 final budget, which covers October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, the operations, maintenance and reserve assessment is $984.20 per unit. That rate applies to single-family detached homes and to attached or multi-family homes alike. Of that, $828.14 goes to operations and maintenance and $156.06 to reserves.
The budget calculates that charge with a built-in CPI adjustment, so this layer is designed to move up over time. From FY2025/26 to FY2026/27, every existing bond combination in the district's comparison table went up by exactly $142.22. That flat, town-wide increase sits on top of a debt layer that is anything but uniform.
The debt layer depends on where the home sits
Debt payments make up 53% of the district's budgeted spending this year. That debt is split across a stack of bond series. Some are "master" series that funded town-wide infrastructure. Others are neighborhood series that funded specific phases. A home might carry one master series alone, or a master series plus a neighborhood series.
Here is what that looks like for a few single-family groupings in the district's FY2026/27 comparison table:
| Bond series on the property | Platted units | FY2026/27 total per unit | Debt maturity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series 2019 master only | 1,118 | $1,759.20 | May 2038 |
| Series 2022 master only | 631 | $1,935.20 | May 2042 |
| Series 2025 master only | 243 | $2,584.20 | May 2056 |
| Series 2023 master + 2022 Maple Ridge | 290 | $2,673.47 | 2053 and 2052 |
Across all single-family groupings, FY2026/27 totals run from $1,759.20 to $2,673.47 per unit. Attached and multi-family homes run from $1,387.20 to $2,044.51. The gap between the lowest and highest single-family figure is $914.27 a year.
The Series 2025 master row is the clearest example of how this develops. Those 243 single-family units show $0.00 for FY2025/26 and $2,584.20 for FY2026/27. The master debt on that group is $1,600 per unit, about double the $775 that Series 2019 homes carry. In short, the newest phases tend to carry the newest debt, and the newest debt costs more per home.
The district's figures also include the 4% discount for early payment, plus a 1.5% administrative cost for the County Tax Collector and 2% for the County Property Appraiser.
Where the neighborhood layers fall on the map
The master series are harder to tie to a single street. The neighborhood series, though, can be traced to named phases. According to the district's 2022 bond offering document and a 2025 board meeting book, they break down like this:
- 2015 Maple Ridge series: Maple Ridge Phase 3, Maple Ridge Estates Phase 1, and Coquina Phase 1. Matures May 2045.
- 2016 Maple Ridge series: Maple Ridge Phase 4, Silverwood Phase 1A, and Coquina Phases 2 and 3. Matures May 2047.
- 2018 Maple Ridge series: Maple Ridge Phases 5a, 5b and 6a, plus Silverwood Phases 1b and 2a. Matures May 2049.
- 2020 Maple Ridge series: Maple Ridge Phases 6b and 6c, plus Silverwood Phase 2b. Matures May 2052.
- 2021 Ave Maria National series: The National at Ave Maria. Matures May 2051.
- 2025 Maple Ridge series: described in district materials as covering portions of Maple Ridge and Cadiz at Ave Maria. Matures May 2055.
Even within one neighborhood, the phase number matters. A home in Maple Ridge Phase 3 and a home in Maple Ridge Phase 6c share a name and an entrance, but their neighborhood debt comes from different bond issues with different end dates. Phase-level detail like this is exactly what disappears when a listing just says "Maple Ridge."
Why the end date matters as much as the amount
A yearly assessment is half the story. The other half is how many years it lasts.
The oldest master debt, Series 2019, refinanced bonds from 2006 and matures in May 2038. As of September 30, 2025, $14,815,000 of its original $20,310,000 remained outstanding. The Series 2022 master refinancing runs to May 2042. The newer master series stretch much further, with Series 2021 to May 2052, Series 2023 to May 2053, and Series 2025 to May 1, 2056.
For a buyer, that's a big difference in time horizon. A home carrying only Series 2019 debt has roughly a dozen years left on its master bond. A home on the 2025 master series has about thirty. A buyer who plans to stay through the 2040s will pay the debt layer for very different stretches depending on which of those two homes they choose. A buyer planning a shorter stay will hand that same difference to the next owner, and the next buyer can look up the same numbers.
The budget shows that prepayment happens, though rarely. Of 6,648 platted units, 21 are listed as prepaid. Any owner thinking about a payoff should get the figure and the process directly from the district for that parcel.
Why this matters more in fall 2026
NABOR's September 2026 market statistics, released October 23, shows Ave Maria moving differently from the rest of Collier County. In September 2026, Ave Maria's median closed price was $419,500, up 5.1% from September 2025. Sales fell to 18 from 22. Inventory rose 9.3% to 223 homes, and average days on market increased to 118. Over the same period, Collier County inventory dropped 17.7%. For single-family homes in the Immokalee/Ave Maria area, September supply stood at 9.1 months.
New construction adds to the competition. In NABOR's September 2026 Market Report, Mike Bone, Director of Sales at Christopher Alan Homes, said that "builders are offering $30,000 to $50,000 in concessions, or paying closing costs, or buying rates down to as low as 5 percent." In Ave Maria specifically, CC Homes has been advertising a free Tesla Model 3 with a Maple Ridge home purchase. The builder notes the offer can be withdrawn at any time.
With more homes for sale and builders using incentives, the assessment layer works as a negotiating fact. A one-time concession on a new build can look large next to a resale's price. The new build may also carry a debt layer that is several hundred dollars a year higher and runs decades longer. A resale on older debt can use its lower, shorter-lived assessment as a selling point. For anyone comparing the two, the useful number is the yearly carrying cost over the years you actually plan to own the home.
How to find the number for a specific home
- Pull the current tax bill. The Collier County Tax Collector explains that non-ad valorem assessments appear on the real estate tax bill. The improvement district sets the amount and the Tax Collector collects it.
- Match it to the budget. Find the district line on the bill, then compare it with the series combinations in the FY2026/27 budget to see which bond series apply and when each one matures.
- Ask for the district's financing information. Section 4(7) of the district's enabling act requires the district to make financing and maintenance information available to existing and prospective residents. It also requires the district to give residential developers enough copies for each prospective initial purchaser.
- Budget for HOA dues on top. Master and neighborhood association fees are separate from district assessments. Confirm current amounts with the associations directly.
If you've bought in another Florida community development district, you may know the bold buyer notice required by Section 190.048, Florida Statutes. That statute covers districts established under Chapter 190. Ave Maria's district was created under its own special act, so check its specific disclosure requirements with a real estate attorney. This post is general information and not legal, tax or financial advice. Please confirm your own situation with the right professional.
Quick questions
Does every Ave Maria home pay the same district assessment?
No. For FY2026/27, every residence pays the same $984.20 operations, maintenance and reserve charge. The debt portion depends on which bond series apply to the property.
Will the assessment go away someday?
Each debt layer ends when its bond series matures, which ranges from May 2038 to May 2056 depending on the series. The operations, maintenance and reserve layer funds ongoing district upkeep and has a built-in CPI adjustment.
Does a higher assessment mean a home is a worse value?
Not on its own. A higher assessment is one cost to weigh against the price, the concessions, the home's age and condition, and how long you plan to stay.
If you're comparing an Ave Maria resale with a new build and want both homes' district assessments side by side, including when each debt layer ends, Integrity Realty of Florida can pull the numbers with you before you make an offer. Let's Connect.
