Best gated communities in Florida: 20 ranked (2026)

How we ranked Florida gated communities

We ranked 20 gated communities across Florida on two things we could verify from the community, its developer, an association site, 55places or Wikipedia. First, access control: communities with a staffed or guarded gate, 24-hour security or a police checkpoint rank above communities described simply as gated. Second, size: within each tier, larger communities rank higher, because they spread the cost of security and amenities over more homes and offer more choice. Communities that do not publish a home count come last in their tier.

We also show Zillow's typical home value for the surrounding city in August 2026. It is context, not the price inside the gates, which is often far higher.

A gate is an access control, not a crime statistic. Nothing in this ranking says one community is safer than another.

Florida gated communities ranked

Rank	Community	Location	Security tier	Size	Access control	City typical value
1	Cory Lake Isles	New Tampa	Staffed or guarded	Nearly 1,000	24-hour staffed gates	$377,566
2	Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club	Boca Raton	Staffed or guarded	749 homesites	24/7 armed private security	$576,824
3	Vizcaya	Dr. Phillips, Orlando	Staffed or guarded	419	24-hour guard-gated	$537,172
4	Indian Creek Village	Miami-Dade County	Staffed or guarded	41 home sites	Police checkpoint on the only bridge	n/a
5	Boca West Country Club	Boca Raton	Staffed or guarded	n/a	Guardhouse gates	$576,824
6	Lake Nona Golf and Country Club	Orlando	Staffed or guarded	600 acres	24-hour gated security	$371,120
7	Avila	Tampa	Staffed or guarded	n/a	Guarded 24 hours	$377,566
8	The Oaks Club	Osprey	Staffed or guarded	3 gated communities	24/7 security	$655,866
9	Fisher Island	Miami-Dade County	Staffed or guarded	561 residents (2020)	Ferry or yacht only, with security clearance	n/a
10	Century Village at Boca Raton	Boca Raton	Gated	7,500	Gated	$576,824
11	Solivita	Poinciana, south of Orlando	Gated	5,900	Gated	$279,614
12	Kings Point	Sun City Center	Gated	5,277	Gated	$270,078
13	Heathrow	Lake Mary area, Seminole County	Gated	About 2,200	Private, gated	$465,757
14	Del Webb Naples	Ave Maria	Gated	2,123	Gated	n/a
15	Valencia Lakes	Wimauma	Gated	1,631	Gated	$344,345
16	Golden Oak	Walt Disney World	Gated	About 450 at build-out	Gated	n/a
17	Harbour Ridge	Palm City	Gated	885 acres	Private, gated	$622,339
18	Hunter's Green	New Tampa	Gated	23 enclaves	Gated	$377,566
19	Tarpon Point	Cape Coral	Gated	Condos, villas and estates	Gated enclave	$335,825
20	Grand Harbor	Vero Beach	Gated	n/a	Gated	$362,300

Each gated community in detail

1. Cory Lake Isles, New Tampa

Cory Lake Isles is a New Tampa community of nearly 1,000 homes around a large private lake, with paver-lined streets and 24-hour staffed gates, according to the community. Our Cory Lake Isles guide covers the costs.

2. Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club, Boca Raton

Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club is an east Boca Raton community with Intracoastal and ocean access, begun by Arthur Vining Davis's Arvida Corporation in 1959. Its improvement association employs 23 State of Florida certified armed officers who patrol around the clock, and there are only two entrances, on Federal Highway and East Camino Real. Its 749 homesites split into 299 interior, 221 golf course and 229 waterfront lots. See our Royal Palm guide.

3. Vizcaya, Dr. Phillips, Orlando

Vizcaya is a 24-hour guard-gated, Mediterranean-style lakefront community in Dr. Phillips, southwest Orlando. Its master association lists 419 homes: 172 high-rise condos, 163 single-family homes and 84 townhomes, with tennis courts, pools and clubhouses. That mix makes it one of the few guard-gated communities where you can buy a condo.

4. Indian Creek Village, Miami-Dade County

Indian Creek is a village on a small man-made island in Biscayne Bay with 41 residential home sites and the Indian Creek Country Club. Its bridge from Surfside is guarded by a police checkpoint that turns away non-residents. Wikipedia reports a Miami-Dade County record sale of $170 million on the island in March 2026.

5. Boca West Country Club, Boca Raton

Boca West is a private, gated club community between I-95 and Florida's Turnpike, entered through guardhouse gates off Glades Road. The club says Forbes named it the nation's number one private residential country club lifestyle, and it has four championship golf courses. Membership requires owning a home in the community. See our Boca West guide.

6. Lake Nona Golf and Country Club, Orlando

Lake Nona Golf and Country Club is a private residential golf club on 600 acres in southeast Orlando, with a Tom Fazio-designed championship course that opened in 1986 and 24-hour gated security. Lake Nona's developer lists homes there from $1 million. See our Lake Nona guide.

7. Avila, Tampa

Avila is a gated golf community in north Tampa, guarded 24 hours a day, with an 18-hole course redesigned by Jack Nicklaus in 1988, according to Wikipedia. Most homes date from the 1980s, so expect estate homes of that era alongside newer rebuilds.

8. The Oaks Club, Osprey

The Oaks Club in Osprey, south of Sarasota, has 36 holes of championship golf and 16 courts, and membership starts with owning a home in one of its three gated residential communities with 24/7 security, according to the club. Osprey's typical value was $655,866 in August 2026. See our Sarasota gated communities guide.

9. Fisher Island, Miami-Dade County

Fisher Island has no road or causeway to the mainland: you arrive by private ferry or yacht, and ferry guests need pre-arranged security clearance. It had 561 residents at the 2020 census. The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey reports its median household income as $250,000-plus, the top of its scale.

10. Century Village at Boca Raton, Boca Raton

The largest gated community in this guide is Century Village at Boca Raton, a 55+ condo community of about 7,500 homes built between 1970 and 1995. Listed prices ran from the low $100,000s to the mid $400,000s in September 2026, which makes it the lowest-cost way into a gated Boca Raton community.

11. Solivita, Poinciana, south of Orlando

Solivita is a gated 55+ community of about 5,900 homes south of Orlando, begun in 2000. 55places listed prices from the low $300,000s to the low $700,000s and dues of $155 to $420 a month. See our Orlando 55+ guide.

12. Kings Point, Sun City Center

Kings Point is a gated 55+ resale community of 5,277 homes near Tampa, built between 1973 and 2015, with listed prices from the low $100,000s. Dues are higher than most at $425 to $775 a month.

13. Heathrow, Lake Mary area, Seminole County

Heathrow is a private, gated master-planned community of about 2,200 homes north of Orlando, founded in 1985, alongside an office park of the same name. Heathrow Country Club has 36 holes across Heathrow and The Legacy Club at Alaqua Lakes. The Census Heathrow area had a median household income of $126,250.

14. Del Webb Naples, Ave Maria

Del Webb Naples is a gated 55+ community of 2,123 homes in Ave Maria, inland from Naples, building since 2007. 55places listed prices from the low $300,000s. It is one of the lowest-cost gated options in Collier County, where the typical value was $550,723.

15. Valencia Lakes, Wimauma

Valencia Lakes is a gated GL Homes 55+ community of 1,631 homes southeast of Tampa, built between 2005 and 2019. Listed prices ran from the high $200,000s, with dues of $307 to $632 a month.

16. Golden Oak, Walt Disney World

Golden Oak is Disney's gated residential community inside Walt Disney World, designed by Disney Imagineers and announced in 2010, with first residents in 2011 and the Four Seasons Resort Orlando within the development. Disney expects about 450 homes at build-out.

17. Harbour Ridge, Palm City

Harbour Ridge is a private, gated community of 885 acres on the St. Lucie River with two championship golf courses, a marina and a yacht club, according to Private Communities Registry, which lists cottages and condos from the $200,000s.

18. Hunter's Green, New Tampa

Hunter's Green is a gated development in New Tampa with 23 enclaves set around 43 lakes and 65 acres of protected wetlands, according to the community. Our Hunter's Green guide covers the costs.

19. Tarpon Point, Cape Coral

Tarpon Point is a gated waterfront enclave in southwest Cape Coral with three high-rise condominiums, single-family and estate homes and a deepwater marina with Gulf access, according to the community. See our Tarpon Point guide.

20. Grand Harbor, Vero Beach

Grand Harbor is a gated community in Vero Beach with two golf courses, a beach club and marina access, according to Private Communities Registry, with homes listed from the $200,000s. Vero Beach's typical value was $362,300 in August 2026.

What are the most luxurious communities in Florida?

By Zillow's typical home value in August 2026, the most expensive places in Florida are small island and oceanfront towns rather than gated subdivisions:

Place	County	Typical value	1-yr change
Jupiter Island	Martin County	$10,139,628	+12.9%
Golden Beach	Miami-Dade County	$7,539,050	+8.1%
Manalapan	Palm Beach County	$3,799,995	+8.7%
Gulf Stream	Palm Beach County	$2,760,926	+9.7%
Palm Beach	Palm Beach County	$2,140,266	+2.1%
Key Biscayne	Miami-Dade County	$1,708,156	+6.5%
Coral Gables	Miami-Dade County	$1,558,867	+6.9%

Island enclaves

Indian Creek Village and Fisher Island, both in Miami-Dade County, are too small for Zillow to publish a figure but control access more tightly than any gated subdivision: a police checkpoint on Indian Creek's only bridge, and ferry-only access with security clearance on Fisher Island.

Jupiter Island

The Town of Jupiter Island in Martin County had 804 residents at the 2020 census and the highest typical value in our Zillow data, $10,139,628, up 12.9% on the year.

Gated vs guard-gated: what you are paying for

Staffed or guard-gated

A person checks every visitor at the gatehouse, often around the clock, as at Vizcaya, Cory Lake Isles and Boca West. Some communities add roving patrols; Royal Palm's association runs a force of certified armed officers. Staffing is the biggest single cost, and it shows up in the dues.

Gated with remote or code access

Residents use a remote, sticker or code, and visitors call ahead or use a keypad. Most 55+ communities in this list, including Solivita, Kings Point and Valencia Lakes, are described simply as gated. The cost is lower, but deliveries and guests can be slower.

Gated sections inside a larger community

Many master-planned communities have gated neighborhoods inside an ungated whole. The gate may cover only your street, while trails and amenities are shared with the wider community.

Private roads

Gated communities usually own their roads, so the association, not the county, pays for resurfacing, drainage and storm debris cleanup. Ask how much is in the road reserve.

Downsides of living in a gated community

Higher fees

Dues in the 55+ gated communities above ran from $127 to $775 a month in September 2026 listings, and private clubs add membership dues. Budget for increases.

More rules

Architectural review, rental limits, vehicle and parking rules and guest limits are common. Read the declaration and rules before you commit.

Slower access for guests and services

Every visitor, contractor and delivery goes through the gate, which can add time and friction.

Resale depends on the association

A well-run association with healthy reserves supports values; a struggling one can mean special assessments. Ask for the budget, reserve study and minutes. Our Florida HOA laws guide explains your rights to those records.

Gated retirement communities and where seniors live

What are good gated retirement communities in Florida?

Gated 55+ communities in this guide include Century Village at Boca Raton, Solivita, Kings Point, Del Webb Naples and Valencia Lakes. Others with gates, per 55places, include Del Webb Catalina and Cresswind in Lakewood Ranch, Kings Ridge and Trilogy Orlando near Clermont, and On Top of the World in Ocala. The Villages and Sun City Center are not gated.

Where is the best place for a senior to live in Florida?

There is no single answer, and we do not recommend places by age group. Compare total monthly cost, the drive to the nearest hospital, flood and evacuation zones and the age rules in the documents. Our 55+ communities guide and best places to retire in Florida compare options with data.

For golf-centered gated communities, see our best golf communities in Florida.

Common questions

What is the best gated community in Florida?+

On our ranking, which puts staffed or guarded gates first and then larger communities, Cory Lake Isles in Tampa ranks first, with nearly 1,000 homes behind 24-hour staffed gates, followed by Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club in Boca Raton, with 749 homesites and a 23-officer armed security force, then Vizcaya, Indian Creek Village and Boca West. The best one for you depends on budget, dues and location.

What are the most luxurious communities in Florida?+

By Zillow's August 2026 typical home value, the most expensive places are Jupiter Island ($10,139,628), Golden Beach ($7,539,050), Manalapan ($3,799,995), Gulf Stream ($2,760,926) and Palm Beach ($2,140,266). Among gated enclaves, Indian Creek Village and Fisher Island are the most restricted, with a police checkpoint and ferry-only access.

What is the difference between gated and guard-gated?+

A gated community controls entry with a gate that residents open by remote, code or sticker. A guard-gated community also staffs the gate, often 24 hours a day, so a person checks every visitor. Guard-gated communities cost more to run because staffing is expensive, and that cost appears in the association dues.

What are some good gated retirement communities in Florida?+

Gated 55+ communities include Century Village at Boca Raton, Solivita near Orlando, Kings Point near Tampa, Valencia Lakes in Wimauma and Del Webb Naples in Ave Maria. 55places also lists Del Webb Catalina, Kings Ridge, Trilogy Orlando and On Top of the World as gated. The Villages and Sun City Center are not gated.

Are gated communities safer in Florida?+

We do not rate communities as safe or unsafe. A gate controls who enters but is not a crime statistic. To compare areas, look up reported crime for the police department or sheriff that covers the address using Florida Department of Law Enforcement data, and ask the association what its security staff actually do.

How much are HOA fees in Florida gated communities?+

They vary widely. In the 55+ gated communities in this guide, 55places listing data showed dues from $127 to $775 a month in September 2026. Guard-gated club communities often charge more, plus club membership dues and any CDD assessment on the tax bill. Ask for the current budget and any planned increases.

Best gated communities in Florida, from guard-gated clubs to 55+

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