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Popular Master-Planned Communities on Florida's West Coast

Discover the growing communities from Tampa to Naples that people are moving to.

Upon relocating to Florida, many choose to live in a master-planned community due to the many popular amenities and benefits they provide. As the name implies, master-planned communities are developed from a master comprehensive plan and are created to embody the culture of living, working and playing all within the convenience of a single, large, well-planned community. From inception, these communities are designed to be amenity-rich and embrace the concept of resident interaction with centralized town centers, planned social activities and an active calendar of fun events for its residents to enjoy.

For your convenience, this page has been created to help you locate the popular master-planned communities from Tampa to Naples, as this is where the majority of people are relocating to on Florida’s west coast (based upon U-Haul’s annual data of one-way truck sharing transactions as well as growing population data from the U.S. Census Bureau). The coastline north of Tampa Bay, called the nature coast, is much less populated overall as the eight-county region is mostly home to state conservation lands and nature parks. There are however, some popular master planned communities more inland in this region such as in Ocala and The Villages, but those communities are roughly 40 - 50 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico and considered to be more in the north central region of Florida.

Popular Master-Planned Communities (Tampa - Naples)

# Community Name City
1 Mirada San Antonio, FL
2 Epperson Wesley Chapel, FL
3 North River Ranch Parrish, FL
4 Lakewood Ranch Lakewood Ranch, FL
5 Palmer Ranch Sarasota, FL
6 Skye Ranch Sarasota, FL
7 Wellen Park North Port, FL
8 Babcock Ranch Babcock Ranch, FL
9 Ave Maria Ave Maria, FL

Popular Amenities of Master-Planned Communities

  • Centralized community town center
  • Business/commercial office parks
  • Shopping plazas and restaurants
  • Fire stations
  • Public and/or private schools
  • Churches and/or places of worship
  • Medical/healthcare facilities
  • Parks and recreation areas
  • Walking, biking and fitness trails
  • Golf courses
  • Gyms and/or fitness centers
  • Community and social events
  • Prominent community signage
  • Well-maintained community landscape

Top Benefits of Master-Planned Communities

  • Strong resale value of your property
  • Convenience to nearby shopping, dining, recreation, schools and work
  • A high degree of community interaction and social events on a regular basis
  • A wide variety of home builders, home styles and options at all price points

Map of Master-Planned Communities (Tampa - Naples)

Master Planned Communities (by region)

Tampa Bay


Epperson

The top-selling, master-planned community of Epperson is located in North Tampa, just east of I-75 in the Wesley Chapel area of Pasco County. Created with the concept of living, working and playing in a single community, Epperson features smart home designs by the area top builders, charter schools, ULTRAFi hi-speed internet, a centrally anchored 7.5-acre crystal lagoon pool with sandy beaches, miles of fitness trails, solar-powered street lights and more! This multi-generational community originally broke ground in 2016 and when fully built out, will have more than 4,000 homes.

  • Prices starting in the $300's
  • Founded in 2016
  • 900-Acre master-planned community
  • 4,000 homes are planned
  • 16-million gallon crystal lagoon swimming pool
  • A connected city with ULTRAFi hi-speed internet in all smart homes
  • Miles of fitness trails (when complete)
  • New schools within the master-planned community
  • Planned commercial, retail and restaurants within the master community

Discover Epperson

Scenes of Epperson


North River Ranch

The popular master-planned community of North River Ranch is located in east of I-75 in the Parrish area of Manatee County, just above the Manatee river. Created with the concept of living, working and playing in a single community, the North River Ranch Community features a variety of home options by the area's top builders, many planned community amenties including a village center, clubhouses and activity centers, sparkling swimming pools, fitness trails and more!

  • Prices starting in the $300's
  • Founded in 2020
  • 2,600-Acre master-planned community
  • 28,000 Residents at full community build-out
  • 6,000 Residences are planned
  • Village Center (currently under construction)
  • 26 Miles of fitness trails (upon completion)
  • Close proximity to I-75, Ellenton outlets, shopping and dining!

Discover North River Ranch

Scenes of North River Ranch

Sarasota Area


Lakewood Ranch

The top-selling master-planned community of Lakewood Ranch is located east of I-75 in North Sarasota County, from Fruitville Road north to State Route 64 in Manatee County. Originally known as Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, the current day Lakewood Ranch community began its transition into a master-planned residential development back in 1994. Today, the Lakewood Ranch community is home to 72,000 residents at an average age of 50.2 and features top-rated schools, top golf and country clubs, thriving community centers, sports facilities, a polo club and now ranks as a top Florida retirement destination in the country.

  • Prices starting in the $300's
  • Founded in 1994
  • 33,000-Acre master-planned community
  • 58,000+ Residents and growing
  • 20+ Distinct villages
  • 3 Town Centers
  • Single family, villas, townhomes, and coach homes available
  • 150 Miles of trails and 12 recreational parks
  • Next to I-75, UTC Mall, shopping and dining

Discover Lakewood Ranch

Scenes of Lakewood Ranch


Palmer Ranch

The popular and best-selling master-planned community of Palmer Ranch is located in South Sarasota. This 12,000-acre multi-generational community is bordered by Clark Road to the north, I-75 to the east, Beneva Road to the west and SR-681 to the South. Palmer Ranch is home to over 23,000 residents in 30+ upscale residential neighborhoods with commercial, retail and recreational spaces all cohesively integrated into the master plan.

  • Prices starting in upper $300's
  • Founded in 1984
  • 12,000-Acre master-planned community
  • 23,000+ Residents and growing
  • 30+ Distinct Neighborhoods
  • Single family, villas, townhomes, and coach homes available
  • Multiple shopping plazas
  • 12.5 Mile Legacy Trail and multiple recreational parks
  • Close proximity to I-75, Siesta Key Beach, shopping and dining!

Discover Palmer Ranch

Scenes of Palmer Ranch


Skye Ranch

The new master-planned community of Skye Ranch in Sarasota is located 3.2 miles east of I-75 on Clark Rd (SR 72) at the intersection of Lorraine Road. This 1,000-acre, top-selling community first broke ground in April of 2019. When fully built-out, the Skye Ranch community will feature 1,200 single family homes and 360 town homes offering residents many amenities including community pools, recreational parks, dog parks and over 25 miles of fitness trails to explore. Skye Ranch has been specifically designed to preserve the natural beauty of Florida with its many nature preserve and wetland areas which are integrated throughout the community.

  • Priced from the upper $300's
  • Founded in 2019
  • 1,000-acre master-planned community
  • 1,200 homes are planned
  • 360 town homes are planned
  • 25+ Miles of walking & fitness trails (when complete)
  • 25,000 Sq Ft amenity center
  • Community park with tennis, basketball, baseball & volleyball courts
  • Close proximity to I-75, Siesta Key Beach, shopping & dining!

Discover Skye Ranch

Scenes of Skye Ranch

Venice / North Port


Wellen Park

The top-selling, master-planned community of Wellen Park is located in south Sarasota county, just west of I-75, within the city limits of North Port. This 11,000-acre multi-generational community, accessible along US 41 and River Road, first broke ground in the mid-2000's and began gaining traction in the mid-2010's after the Great Recession. When fully built out, the community will have approximately 22,000 homes, more than 60,000 residents and offer a centralized town center with an active scene of community events for all to enjoy.

  • Priced from the upper $300's
  • Founded in the mid-2000's
  • 11,000-Acre master-planned community
  • 22,000+ homes are planned
  • 60,000 residents at full buildout
  • Single family, twin villas, townhomes, and coach homes available
  • 18+ Miles of walking/fitness trails and growing
  • Home of the new Cool Today Baseball Park
  • A Vibrant Town Center will include shopping, dining and more!
  • Will include an active scene of community events, concerts and farmers' markets

Discover Wellen Park

Scenes of Wellen Park

Fort Myers Area


Babcock Ranch

The top-selling, master-planned community of Babcock Ranch is located just east of I-75, on the border of Charlotte and Lee Counties. Babcock Ranch is the first solar-powered town in America where homes are energy efficient, built with sustainable materials and the community at large focuses on initiatives that support Florida green building standards. This multi-generational community was originally conceived in 2005 and its first residents moved in by early 2018. When fully built out, the community will have approximately 19,500 homes and 6 million square feet of commercial space.

  • Priced from the upper $200's
  • Founded in 2005
  • America's First Solar-Powered Town
  • 17,000-Acre master-planned community
  • 19,500+ homes are planned
  • Single family, twin villas, condominiums and coach homes available
  • 50+ Miles of walking/fitness trails (when complete)
  • A vibrant Founder’s Square town center
  • An on-going active scene of community events, concerts and celebrations

Discover Babcock Ranch

Scenes of Babcock Ranch


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Disclaimer: All information listed on this page including pricing, maps, features and amenities is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.


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