The two counties that make up Port St Lucie MSA

[wizrap]

Originally Posted by FiveLoaves

I was looking online at the Active 55 Cascades......address such as Cool Water Court.

That is the Casades development in St. Lucie County

I didn't know there was another development with the Cascades name.

The development in Martin County with a street that is Cascades Court is Englewood Golf Course. So there aren’t two developments with the same name. One is a development. The other is a street.

Would the RE taxes be substantially higher on a $450K Adult Community in SL County vs Martin County?

There are many real estate property tax calculators online. My quick check using one showed St. Lucie County could be potentially about $2000 a year more than Martin, not taking into account homestead exemption. And again, just because a property is in a 55+ community doesn’t make it eligible for any type of special tax break.

If you look at the link that I provided on June 19, the example used was a home valued at $300,000 and it also showed about a $2000 difference between St. Lucie and Martin County.

Thanks for all your help on this wizrap

My comments in red.

[FiveLoaves]

Thank You once again wizrap.

An additional $2000 per year RE tax for a similar home would be significant. While it wouldn't be a difference maker per se, it would be cause to re-evaluate a move into SL County. Their approach to Urban Planning is a troubling.

[wizrap]

You’re welcome, FiveLoaves. St. Lucie County has historically been very aggressive with plans for expansion and some of those projects haven’t worked out. So when you lose money, it’s property owners who usually pay.

[beach43ofus]

Traffic in St. Lucie county has gotten bad. The St. Lucie West Blvd. bridge over I-95 is gridlock a lot of the time, my Dad told me just last night. He's found alternative routes to avoid the bridge.

He rents in the PGA village now West of I-95, but all the retail & restaurants are East of I-95. That's a situation to be avoided.

He used to own in St. Lucie West, on the West side of I-95. He bought a new attached home for $170k in the early 90's. His property tax rate was high, but his property tax bill was low, due to his home being so cheap.

If I wre moving to that area, I'd move to Martin county futher south, & buy on the East side of I-95.

[lunetunelover]

Originally Posted by wizrap

You’re welcome, FiveLoaves. St. Lucie County has historically been very aggressive with plans for expansion and some of those projects haven’t worked out. So when you lose money, it’s property owners who usually pay.

Just a slight correction - St. Lucie County has only recently started to get a little more aggressive with expansion plans, but have regressed a bit lately. It is the City of Port St. Lucie (PSL) that is (and has been) EXTREMELY aggressive.

Also note that unlike the County (which does not seek bonds for projects) PSL will aggressively pursue bonds to pay for that expansion, and when it loses, yes the property owners are still on the hook for repaying the loans. Greg Oravek was FAMOUS for that. When you look at the higher costs in PSL, keep that in mind.

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

Traffic in St. Lucie county has gotten bad. The St. Lucie West Blvd. bridge over I-95 is gridlock a lot of the time, my Dad told me just last night. He's found alternative routes to avoid the bridge.

He rents in the PGA village now West of I-95, but all the retail & restaurants are East of I-95. That's a situation to be avoided.

He used to own in St. Lucie West, on the West side of I-95. He bought a new attached home for $170k in the early 90's. His property tax rate was high, but his property tax bill was low, due to his home being so cheap.

If I were moving to that area, I'd move to Martin county futher south, & buy on the East side of I-95.

The St. Lucie West bridge over 95 is currently in construction and being widened. So some of that gridlock will be reduced. Were you aware that the City of PSL built that bridge without any coordination or approvals of the FDOT (obviously, I 95 is an FDOT roadway).

Again, the development and issues of St. Lucie West are fully the responsibility of the City (not the County) they continue to approve the development at the expense of the traffic.

I support some of that development because it brings in more taxes to the City and ultimately the County, but the City does a lot of things that impact the entire County and the County gets the blame.

[FiveLoaves]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

Traffic in St. Lucie county has gotten bad. The St. Lucie West Blvd. bridge over I-95 is gridlock a lot of the time, my Dad told me just last night. He's found alternative routes to avoid the bridge.

He rents in the PGA village now West of I-95, but all the retail & restaurants are East of I-95. That's a situation to be avoided.

He used to own in St. Lucie West, on the West side of I-95. He bought a new attached home for $170k in the early 90's. His property tax rate was high, but his property tax bill was low, due to his home being so cheap.

If I wre moving to that area, I'd move to Martin county futher south, & buy on the East side of I-95.

Thanks for the input. We may have to re-think this eventual move altogether.

Our priorities are --

Move closer to DD and SIL, who just bought a house in Coral Springs down near Ft Lauderdale. Ideally no more than 2-3 hours north of their home.

The idea of Active 55 has appeal to us. Community Pool, Clubhouse, Lawn Care, et al.

Doesn't need to be Beachfront or even Beach view. The occasional trip to the Ocean is fine, a nearby HOA-Maintained Pool is better.

Don't want to pay excessive RE Taxes for crazy expansion. Our house in Charleston suburbs is taxed at $2100 -- and it sits on a Golf Course with a Lake in the front yard. I'm not interested in smaller yard, closer neighbors and twice as much taxes.

I don't want to lose the 'Florida feel' as you get up near Georgia.

I may have to expand our search area......are there any Active 55 Communities Stuart or Hobe Sound ??

[Carlton Harris]

Port St Lousy is a fart hole.