Property Tax Question
 

My friend who lives in Marsh Bend and I (Village of Charlotte) were looking at our tax bills. We did a comparison of our Ad Valorem Taxes. Our first line was Sumter County, our next line was Sumter Co School Board, then hers had City of Wildwood (mine did not) and the next was SWFWMD. Our mileage and exemption is the same. However, she has $914.00 going to the City of Wildwood and I don't. So the Ad Valorem part of her tax bill is much higher despite our home values being similar. Do all of the homes south of 44 pay taxes to the City of Wildwood? Between 466A and 44 from Powell on the West to Morris on the East do all homes not have to pay tax to the City of Wildwood? What services do the homes that pay taxes to the City of Wildwood get that others in my section (466A - 44 and Powell Rd to Morris) not receive? I always thought that we were in Wildwood but on letters I give my address as The Villages but The Villages is not a city is it? Fruitland Park is in Lake County. So is the Village of Charlotte in a city other than being called The Villages?

It's pretty simple. If your house is located within the city limits of either Wildwood or Fruitland Park, you pay a property tax to those cities. There is no separate ad valorem property tax owed to The Villages. Apparently, both you and your friend live in The Villages, but your friend's house is located in Wildwood and your house is not. Your friend could call the City of Wildwood and ask them if they provide any additional services for living in their city.

This is a map of Wildwood. I would love to know how the boundaries were drawn. It looks like a badly gerrymandered congressional district.


Wildwood, FL Profile: Map

Wow. How in the world?

Double tax.

It appears that Wildwood went on an annexation binge and that certain properties like Continental refused to be annexed. The properties South of 44 were probably not owned by TV when Wildwood annexed them.

That is correct.

The Villages - Florida's Friendliest Active Adult 55+ Retirement Community

:eclipsee_gold_cup:

So the Village of Charlotte, and a number of other nearby Villages, are NOT in a city.

We are in unincorporated Sumter County.

Our police protection is provided by the Sheriff, not the Wildwood Police. I can’t think of any other differences.

:laugh:Here's the map of Leesburg..... what conspiracy do you see with this one? :shrug:
Leesburg, FL Profile: Map

:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Definitely interesting boundaries especially where some parts are not even touching. I myself really don’t even look at my bill. My bank pays it and I see the total of it.

Other than police protection, does anyone know what else Wildwood residents get for the extra $914 a year they pay that people living outside of Wildwood don’t pay?

Yes The Villages is a city! On the weather map everyday.

The Villages is the 38th largest city in Florida according to this website: Florida Cities by Population

Your home in the Village of Charlotte is strictly in Sumter County. All homes south the 44 are in the city of Wildwood. But they use The Villages as their city. Unfortunately most people don’t know they pay additional city tax until they receive their tax bill. No additional services compared to what you receive. The Villages is not a city that is incorporated in the United States. Technically the United States post office just recognizes The Villages as a city.

About 5 years ago Wildwood was a very small and poor town. Then TV decided to expand south of 44 and Wildwood saw the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. They started annexing farmland that would become part of TV, and their coffers grew so now they are a town with considerable tax revenue. Folks in TV who live north of 44 do not have this issue, and do not pay nearly $1,000 extra each year to a town, nor do almost all homes north of 466 have any bond to pay. it does matter where you live in TV.

Wildwood never made an effort to annex Continental

Prior to buying in Marsh Bend, we researched and knew there would be the additional "city" tax, no surprise for us and worth the move.

So, all the homes in the very southern part of TV will be getting tax bills from the city of Leesburg too? OUCH!! Not to mention getting killed by a high bond. Why do it???

Why- only new houses available. Didn’t want a used one, wanted neighbors close to our age at retirement and the freshness of new pools, walls, ect….

Living in Leesburg would be less expensive than Wildwood.

Leesburg tax rate: $1.774 per $1,000 of assessment
Wildwood tax rate: $3.25 per $1,000 of assessment

Compare the water rates. Wildwood city pays up to four times more than northern villages.

Interesting that almost all homes North of 466 don’t have a bond. I’ll have to make sure my brother knows that since he’s paying for one where he lives north of 466.

Not all new Villages south of 44 are in Sumter. Newell is in Lake County where the taxes are even higher. Heard from a salesperson that they may be charging less for houses there so they can sell them.

Lady lake
 

The same is true for resdents of the "historic" area. Some part of it has been annexed to the town of Lady Lake. The only difference I've seen so far is in who picks up the garbage. The annexed area is still part of the villages.

Lee County millage rate is 13.645

Sumter County in Wilwood city limits is 13.40

Not Leesburg. Lee County.

What a goofy mess! Something looks really, really wrong with Wildwood's borders.
 

We can only speculate as to how this happened. It looks like someone-- or something --crooked either has been, or still is, in charge in Wildwood!

How on earth can you buy a house and not know what city or county it is located in?

Not sure where you got that info from.

Utilities - Rate Information

Are you sure you don't mean Lake County? It looks like Leesburg, Fruitland Park, and Lady Lake are all in Lake County.

I was just comparing the city tax rates for Leesburg and Wildwood, not county rates.

The developers encouraged Wildwood to annex the land. They wanted Wildwood to get boatloads of money so they would have money to fix up that town that had a very high rate of poverty at the time. They figured it is a gateway to TV and they wanted it brought up to a good standard. I do believe that much of the Villages south of 466A to 44 is also included.

My mistake. I had a brain freeze….should be Lake County, not Lee.

Simple. The map was drawn up in a small bar on 301 many years ago late one sat. night.

Comparing the potable and sewer rate per gallon for a Wildwood address and a non-Wildwood address, it appears that the Wildwood rates are about two times the cost of the non-Wildwood rates.

This comparison is using actual water bills, which are public information.

What are they doing with the money??

More to help you sleep at night............
Finance Department | Wildwood Florida

BTW. Do you have a search engine?

Have they fixed up the town with the money?

It is true that the real estate agent doesn't tell you that taxes are higher in Wildwood than in the unincorporated parts of Sumter County. But when I bought, I wasn't so much concerned about the breakdown as I was about the total tax bill. The current Villages website estimates taxes should be about $4500 and when I got my first bill, my taxes were well under that. That was a nice surprise! But if I had bought preowned outside of Wildwood, I would have saved about $800 a year.