Living in Tampa Palms: homes, prices, CDD and HOA fees, and what to check

At a glance

What Tampa Palms is known for

Tampa Palms is known as the oldest master-planned community inside the New Tampa part of the city, which Tampa annexed in 1988. The National Association of Home Builders named it the top master-planned community in the US for 1987. According to the Tampa Palms Owners Association, it covers 4,100 acres and 28 villages, from townhomes and apartment homes to single-family and custom homes, along with shops, offices, schools and recreation facilities. The Hillsborough River borders it on the south.

It sits north of the University of South Florida along the I-75 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard corridors, and its 120-foot-wide Tampa Palms Boulevard is the main spine road. ZIP codes include 33647.

Is Tampa Palms a good area to live?

It suits buyers who want a large planned community inside city limits, with a wide range of home types and shops and offices within the community. Zillow's typical value of $473,102 is close to New Tampa's overall figure. The trade-off is layered costs: most homes pay a CDD assessment on the tax bill plus owners association dues, and some villages add their own fees and gates. Compare total monthly cost village by village.

Tampa Palms homes and prices

Because Tampa Palms runs from apartments to custom estates, the typical value hides a wide range. Compare sales within the same village. See the New Tampa guide and the Tampa housing market page.

Townhomes and apartment homes

Attached homes usually come with a village association fee on top of the owners association. Ask what each fee covers.

Single-family and custom estate homes

Detached homes range from standard lots to custom estates. Compare sales within the same village, and ask about any village gate or access arrangements.

CDD, owners association and tax costs

Tampa Palms has more than one layer of community cost:

CDD and owners association layers

• Tampa Palms CDD: a special-purpose unit of government. It maintains 54 entrance monuments, 69 stormwater ponds, three community parks, boulevard and entry landscaping, decorative street signs and 10 lake fountains.
• TPOST CDD: the Tampa Palms Open Space and Transportation CDD covers Tampa Palms Area 3, Richmond Place and West Meadows. It maintains district property, street lighting, ponds, pumps and storm runoff, and it retired all of its area bonds in 2018.
• Tampa Palms Owners Association: the community-wide owners association, with village-level associations in many areas.

Neither CDD publishes a single per-home figure on its main page, and amounts vary by area. Pull the parcel's latest tax bill for the CDD amount, and ask the seller for the owners association and any village association dues.

Property tax

City of Tampa parcels paid a total of 19.8428 mills for 2025, according to the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser, or about $1,984 a year for every $100,000 of taxable value before exemptions. The assessed value resets after a sale, so estimate taxes from your purchase price rather than the seller's bill, and file for homestead by March 1 if the home will be your permanent residence. See Hillsborough County property tax.

Living in Tampa Palms

Parks and recreation

The Tampa Palms CDD maintains three community parks, 69 stormwater ponds and 10 lake fountains. New Tampa's conservation parks, including Flatwoods Conservation Park, are nearby.

Schools

Hillsborough County Public Schools assigns schools by address, and boundaries can change. Check the exact address in the district's school zone locator rather than relying on a listing, and read the Tampa schools guide for how to compare state grades.

Getting around

Tampa Palms lies along I-75 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, next to USF. HART runs the area's buses, at $2.00 a trip with a $4.00 daily cap. Test the drive at the times you would commute.

What to check before buying in Tampa Palms

• CDD on the tax bill: CDD assessments are collected on the annual Hillsborough County property tax bill as non-ad valorem assessments. Look up the parcel on the Hillsborough County Tax Collector site to see the current amount, and ask whether any bond debt is still outstanding.
• Village rules: ask for the village association's documents, fees and any gate or access arrangements.
• Evacuation zone: Hillsborough County revised its evacuation zones for 2026, expanding Zone A farther inland along the coast. Check the current zone for the address.

Flood insurance

Look up the address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and ask for an elevation certificate if the seller has one. Tampa is a Class 5 community in FEMA's Community Rating System, which gives a 25% discount on flood insurance in flood zones and 10% outside them. Get a quote before your inspection period ends. The Tampa flood zone guide explains the maps.

Pros and cons of Tampa Palms

Pros

• A large planned community with 28 villages and many home types.
• Inside Tampa city limits, next to USF and I-75.
• CDD-maintained parks, ponds and landscaping.

Cons

• CDD assessments plus owners association and village dues.
• Values down 1.6% over the year to August 2026.
• Traffic on the Bruce B. Downs corridor.

Compare Hunters Green and Cory Lake Isles nearby.

Common questions

Sources

• Tampa Palms Owners Association
• Tampa Palms Owners Association: Tampa Palms CDD
• TPOST CDD
• Wikipedia: Tampa Palms
• Wikipedia: New Tampa
• City of Tampa: Flooding
• Zillow Research: Zillow Home Value Index (August 2026 data)
• Hillsborough County Property Appraiser: 2025 final millage rates
• Hillsborough County Public Schools: School zone locator
• HART: Fares
• FEMA: Flood Map Service Center
• FOX 13 Tampa Bay: Hillsborough County adjusts hurricane evacuation zones (April 2026)