Relocation guide · St. Johns County
Moving to Julington Creek and Fruit Cove, Florida
The number that decides whether Julington Creek Plantation works for you is the CDD assessment: $1,486.18 a year per single-family home in FY2026, held flat for FY2027 by the district board. Here is how it breaks down, what the POA adds, and how the older Fruit Cove neighbourhoods along State Road 13 differ.
Approximate driving distance and typical time outside peak traffic, from Race Track Road and State Road 13. Check your own route: Open in Google Maps, opens in a new tab
Julington Creek and Fruit Cove at a glance
Where it is: Northwest St. Johns County, between the St. Johns River and Julington Creek, along State Road 13 and Race Track Road. ZIP 32259. Omer's office at Keller Williams St. Johns is here, on Durbin Pavilion Drive.
Fruit Cove is the older, more settled end of the county's growth corridor. Julington Creek Plantation, built out from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s, is its centrepiece: roughly 4,900 single-family homes plus townhomes, the Plantation Club recreation centre, the Tide Club aquatic complex finished in May 2026, a sports plex, Treehouse Trails park and about seven miles of trails. Around it sit smaller subdivisions and larger wooded lots along SR 13 that predate the plantation and carry no CDD.
What sets this area apart financially is that choice. Inside the plantation you pay a CDD and a POA for amenities that are already built and paid down; outside it you may pay neither, but you should ask about septic, well water and the age of the roof instead. Neither is better. They are different bills, and the listing price does not show them.
The number that decides it
What the Julington Creek CDD actually costs
A CDD assessment has two halves and most listings mention only one. Operations runs the recreation centre, aquatic complex, sports plex, parks and the landscaping along Race Track Road and State Road 13, and renews every year for as long as the district exists. Debt service repays the bonds that built the community and later rebuilt its amenities, and each series ends when it matures. Both appear on the St. Johns County tax bill as a non-ad-valorem assessment.
| Component | Per year | Per month | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| General fund and recreation (operations) | $675.25 | $56 | Ongoing |
| Capital reserve | $148.79 | $12 | Ongoing |
| Series 2012 debt service | $171.40 | $14 | May 2027 |
| Series 2016 debt service | $99.59 | $8 | May 2036 |
| Series 2023 debt service | $391.15 | $33 | May 2054 |
| Total, single-family home | $1,486.18 | $124 |
Source: Julington Creek Plantation Community Development District, FY2026 adopted budget (4,948 single-family units), published at jcpcdd.org, opens in a new tab. Townhome and multi-family units are assessed at a lower rate (FY2025: $845.57). Monthly figures are the annual total divided by twelve, shown for comparison only. Verified 28 September 2026.
On 19 May 2026 the board approved the FY2027 budget with no assessment increase for any unit type, choosing to cover a roughly $500,000 cost rise from surplus rather than the 7.9% increase first proposed. Series 2012 matures in May 2027, so the debt portion is expected to drop by about $171 a year from FY2028. Both are board decisions made annually, not guarantees; the public hearing for adoption was set for 25 August 2026.
The POA, the sub-associations and the amenity card
The CDD is not the only bill. The Julington Creek Plantation Property Owners Association maintains entrances, fences, stormwater ponds and neighbourhood playgrounds and enforces the covenants; its dues are assessed equally on every home, mailed in December and payable in January, and run about $580 a year at the time of writing. Gated and estate sections such as Plantation Estates and Worthington Park add their own sub-association fees, quarterly or semi-annual, on top.
Access to the recreation centre and aquatic complex comes with the CDD assessment for residents. Camps, swim team, tennis and fitness programmes are charged separately. Non-residents can buy an all-amenities membership, about $2,450 a year for a family, which is one reason the amenities matter to homes just outside the district too.
Ask the seller for the current POA budget, the rules, and the latest owner invoice for the exact property. Amounts differ by section and change yearly.
What homes sell for
Over the three months to June 2026 the median sale price in Fruit Cove was $554,698, up 2.5% on the year, with homes taking a median of 54 days to sell at 98.4% of list price and 122 sales in the period (Redfin market data). Inside Julington Creek Plantation the housing stock is mostly 1993–2006 construction of 2,000 to 3,500 square feet, so roof age, HVAC age and the insurance quote that follows from them belong in your monthly number alongside the CDD and POA.
Omer prepares that monthly number for every home before you tour it: principal and interest, the reassessed property tax, homeowners and any flood insurance, POA dues and the CDD line. If the house has a fatal flaw, you hear it before you drive out, not after.
Schools and flood zones: check the address, not the community
Most of Julington Creek Plantation is zoned to Julington Creek Elementary, Fruit Cove Middle and Creekside High in the St. Johns County School District, and the wider Fruit Cove area also feeds Cunningham Creek, Hickory Creek and Durbin Creek elementaries, Switzerland Point Middle and Bartram Trail High depending on the street. The district approved 2026-27 zone changes in November 2025 as two new K-8 schools open, so confirm the specific address in the district's locator rather than relying on a listing. This site publishes no school ratings.
For flooding, the interior of the plantation is mostly FEMA Zone X, where a flood policy is optional. Waterfront and low lots along Julington Creek, Durbin Creek and near the St. Johns River can be Zone AE, where the lender requires one. The designation is parcel by parcel; look it up before you write an offer.
Check it yourself — official sources
Where to verify every figure
- Julington Creek Plantation Community Development District — budgets, assessments, meeting minutes, opens in a new tab
Assessment page: jcpcdd.org/228/Assessments · FAQ on CDD vs. POA responsibilities - St. Johns County Property Appraiser, opens in a new tab
- St. Johns County tax estimator, opens in a new tab
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center — search by address, opens in a new tab
- St. Johns County School District — 2026-27 attendance-zone locator, opens in a new tab
- Fruit Cove housing market data (Redfin), opens in a new tab
- Florida Dept. of Financial Services — insurance consumer services, opens in a new tab
Attendance zones change as the county grows, and flood designation is set address by address rather than community-wide. This site publishes no school ratings or neighbourhood rankings — confirm both directly with the district and with FEMA before you write an offer.
Julington Creek and Fruit Cove — common questions
How much is the CDD fee in Julington Creek Plantation?
For fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 to September 2026) the district's adopted budget sets $1,486.18 per single-family home: $675.25 for operations and recreation, $148.79 for the capital reserve, and $662.14 of debt service across three bond series. Townhomes pay a lower rate. For FY2027 the board voted in May 2026 to keep assessments level for every unit type.
Does the Julington Creek CDD fee go away?
Part of it. The debt-service portion repays three bond series: Series 2012 matures in May 2027, Series 2016 in May 2036 and Series 2023 in May 2054. The operations and capital-reserve portion, about $824 a year, continues for as long as the district runs the recreation centre, aquatic complex, sports plex and parks. So the bill falls in steps but does not disappear.
What is the difference between the CDD and the POA in Julington Creek?
The CDD is a public district that owns and runs the main amenities and the landscaping along Race Track Road and State Road 13; its assessment is set each July and billed on the St. Johns County tax bill. The POA is the private owners' association that maintains neighbourhood entrances, fences, stormwater ponds and small common areas and enforces the covenants; it bills its own dues, mailed in December and payable in January, about $580 a year. Gated sub-neighbourhoods add their own association fees on top.
Is Fruit Cove the same as Julington Creek Plantation?
No. Fruit Cove is the census-designated area of northwest St. Johns County along State Road 13, and Julington Creek Plantation is the largest master-planned community inside it, roughly 4,900 single-family homes. Much of the rest of Fruit Cove is older neighbourhoods and larger lots with no CDD at all, sometimes on well and septic. Two homes at the same price can differ by well over $1,000 a year in carrying cost depending on which side of that line they sit.
Which schools are Julington Creek Plantation homes zoned for?
Most of the community is zoned to Julington Creek Elementary, Fruit Cove Middle and Creekside High in the St. Johns County School District, but zones are set by address and the district approved changes for 2026-27 when two new K-8 schools open. Check the exact address in the district's 2026-27 attendance-zone locator before you rely on it.
Is Julington Creek Plantation in a flood zone?
Most of the interior of the community sits in FEMA Zone X, where flood insurance is optional. Lots along Julington Creek, Durbin Creek and the low ground near the St. Johns River can fall in Zone AE, where a mortgage lender will require a flood policy. Flood designation is set parcel by parcel, so look up the specific address at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center before you write an offer.
How Julington Creek compares nearby
Buyers looking here usually also compare Durbin Crossing, RiverTown, Shearwater and Nocatee. Julington Creek's CDD is the smallest of the five and its amenities are already built and largely paid down, while the newer communities carry larger bonds with decades left to run. The area comparison puts drive times, taxes and insurance side by side.
Free guide
What a home really costs to own here
Taxes, CDD fees, flood zones and insurance — 8 pages, with a monthly cost worksheet.
Google reviews · 5.0
What clients say
Five-star reviews on Google, in the client’s own words.
“Omer took the time to walk me through the entire home-selling process, including how to determine the right listing price, what improvements are worth making before selling, how to prepare the property for the market, and what to expect from buyers and negotiations. What I appreciated most was that there was absolutely no pressure.”
“He was incredibly helpful and took the time to answer my questions, explain the home-buying process, and help me understand the different communities and housing options throughout the Jacksonville and St. Johns County area. Another big plus for me is that Omer speaks Ukrainian.”
“Omer was very helpful and took the time to explain the different areas of Jacksonville and what I should consider when looking for a home. A huge plus for me is that Omer speaks Russian, which is my native language.”
Want the real number for a specific address?
Send the address and Omer will pull the actual assessment for that parcel, the POA dues, the flood zone, and a tax estimate based on what you would pay — not what the seller pays.