55+ communities in the Tampa area: costs, HOA fees and amenities compared

Tampa-area 55+ communities compared

Figures below are as listed by 55places.com in September 2026 and can change. Confirm current fees with each association.

The communities one by one

Sun City Center

Sun City Center is an age-restricted community in southern Hillsborough County, founded in 1961, with a 2020 population of 30,952. The Sun City Center Community Association runs a large club and activity program, and golf carts can be driven on community streets during daylight hours. 55places lists about 9,500 homes, three amenity campuses and eight golf courses with 162 holes across the wider area. It is resale only and not gated.

Kings Point

Kings Point is a separate gated community within Sun City Center, not affiliated with the Sun City Center Community Association, with 5,277 single-family homes and villa condos and more than 100 separate homeowners associations. Its listed fees, $425 to $775 a month, include exterior maintenance, landscaping, water, sewer, garbage, cable, internet, security and pest control, which is why they are higher than many basic HOA fees.

Valencia Lakes (Wimauma)

GL Homes built Valencia Lakes from 2005 to 2019: 1,631 attached and single-family homes behind gates, now resale only. 55places lists a clubhouse with a restaurant, fitness center, outdoor pool, ballroom, tennis and pickleball courts, and RV and boat parking, with an activity director. Listed price bands ran from the mid $200,000s to the mid $800,000s.

Valencia del Sol (Wimauma)

Built by GL Homes from 2017, with 565 single-family homes and villas behind gates, a 25,000-square-foot clubhouse, tennis and pickleball courts, and a lifestyle director. It sits close to Valencia Lakes, so compare the two on home age and fees.

Encore at FishHawk Ranch

240 single-story homes by David Weekley Homes inside the FishHawk Ranch master plan, with its own 5,000-square-foot clubhouse and access to master-plan amenities. FishHawk Ranch CDD assessments for fiscal year 2027 run from $1,198.49 to $2,097.30 a year per unit, on top of HOA fees, so confirm whether the home you want is in that district.

Del Webb Bexley (Land O' Lakes)

850 homes built 2018 to 2023 in Pasco County, with a 17,000-square-foot clubhouse. It is now resale only. Pasco County addresses have their own tax rates and services, so do not budget from Hillsborough figures.

Timber Pines (Spring Hill)

A gated community of 3,452 attached and single-family homes on about 1,400 acres in Hernando County, built from 1982 to 1998 and now resale only. 55places describes four community golf courses, a clubhouse called The Lodge, a resident activities center with a fitness center and woodworking shop, two outdoor pools and eight lighted tennis courts. It is the farthest from Tampa on this list, so map the drive to the places you will go each week.

For new homes more broadly, see new construction in Tampa.

What makes a community legally 55+

A 55+ community is a legal designation, not a marketing label. It lets a community set age rules that would otherwise conflict with fair housing law.

The 80% rule

Under Florida law and federal rules, housing qualifies as housing for older persons if at least 80% of occupied units have at least one resident aged 55 or older. The remaining units can be occupied by younger households, and each community decides how to use that margin.

Published policies and age verification

The community must publish and follow policies showing its intent to be housing for older persons, and it must verify residents' ages under HUD rules. Ask to see the written policy and the verification process.

Guests, younger residents and rentals

Because only 80% of units must meet the test, each community sets its own rules on younger residents, guests and how long they can stay, and on renting your home. Read those rules in the declaration and HOA documents, not just the marketing.

What 55+ living costs each month

Two communities with similar prices can differ by hundreds of dollars a month once fees are counted. Collect each of these for every home you consider.

HOA fees

Get the master and any sub-association fee, and exactly what each covers: lawn care, exterior maintenance, cable and internet, security, water. Kings Point shows how a high fee can replace several separate bills.

CDD assessments

Check the parcel's tax bill on the county tax collector site for non-ad valorem assessments. Newer communities such as FishHawk Ranch carry them; older ones often do not.

Club and amenity fees

Some golf and social clubs charge separately from the HOA. Ask whether golf is included, optional or run by a private club.

Property tax and insurance

Estimate taxes from your price and apply for homestead if it will be your main home. See Hillsborough County property tax. Get an insurance quote before you sign, especially for older homes and villa roofs.

Special assessments

Ask whether any are approved or planned, especially in older communities with ageing clubhouses, pools or villa roofs.

The Florida downsizing guide covers planning a move, and the cost of living in Tampa page covers utilities and insurance.

How to choose a 55+ community

Start with the monthly cost and the drive, then look at rules and risk.

Location and drive times

The communities here run from FishHawk Ranch in Hillsborough to Spring Hill in Hernando County. Map the drive to the hospitals, doctors, airport and family you will visit most.

Age and occupancy rules

Ask for the written policy on residents under 55, visiting family and rentals.

Flood and evacuation zone

Hillsborough County revised its evacuation zones for 2026, expanding Zone A along the coast and the Alafia River and adding more mobile and manufactured home communities. Check both zones for the address. See the Tampa flood zone guide.

Villa and condo documents

Attached homes may be condominiums with their own budgets and reserve rules. Read them as you would any condo, using the Tampa condo guide.

New or resale

As listed by 55places.com in September 2026, Valencia del Sol was selling new homes only and Encore at FishHawk Ranch had both new and resale homes; the other five were resale only. A resale home in an established community comes with a fee history you can read. A new home comes with builder warranties, but the fee budget may still be subsidized by the developer and CDD debt may have many years to run, so ask how long each will last.

Common questions

Sources

• Florida Senate: Section 760.29, Florida Statutes (housing for older persons)
• Cornell LII: 24 CFR 100.305, 80 percent occupancy
• Sun City Center Community Association
• Wikipedia: Sun City Center, Florida
• 55places.com: Sun City Center
• 55places.com: Kings Point
• 55places.com: Valencia del Sol
• 55places.com: Encore at FishHawk Ranch
• 55places.com: Del Webb Bexley
• Fishhawk Ranch CDD: FY 2027 assessment schedule
• FOX 13 Tampa Bay: Hillsborough County adjusts hurricane evacuation zones (April 2026)
• 55places.com: Valencia Lakes
• 55places.com: Timber Pines