Is the CDD charge the same as my HOA fee?

No. The CDD is a unit of local government that pays for public infrastructure and bills on the county tax bill. Your HOA is a private corporation that bills you separately.

What does the Tradition CDD charge pay for?

Two things: debt service on bonds that paid for roads, drainage, utilities and other public items, and the yearly cost of running and maintaining district property.

Can I pay off my CDD debt early?

Ask the district manager. The Tradition CDD website links to a payoff and assessment information request at sdsinc.org/request. Get the amount and rules in writing for your parcel.

Where do Tradition CDD boards meet?

At Tradition Town Hall, 10799 SW Civic Lane, Port St. Lucie, usually at 11 a.m. on the dates listed at traditioncdd1.org. Check the site first, since meetings can be canceled.

Taxes & money

Living in Tradition? The CDD line on your Port St. Lucie tax bill, explained

Your November tax bill has a line most new Tradition owners never heard of before closing — here is what it is, what it pays for and who to call.

October 10, 2026 · 4 min read · Tradition, Vitalia at Tradition, Southern Grove, Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie County

Property tax bills go out in November. If you live in Tradition, including Vitalia, your bill likely has a charge from a “Community Development District,” or CDD. It is not a city tax. It is not your HOA fee. Here is what it is, what it pays for, and where to look things up.

What a CDD is

A CDD is a small, special kind of local government. Florida law, Chapter 190 of the Florida Statutes, calls it “a local unit of special-purpose government.” Its job is narrow. It builds, pays for and takes care of public things a new community needs: roads, stormwater ponds, water and sewer lines, landscaping and similar items.

Tradition has more than one CDD. The district websites list Tradition Community Development District No. 1 through No. 11. The boards hold joint meetings. For example, CDD No. 10 was set up by a City of Port St. Lucie ordinance in 2006. CDD No. 11 was set up in 2023. Each district has a five-member Board of Supervisors.

What the CDD charge pays for

The Tradition CDD website says your yearly assessment has two parts.

Debt service. This is usually the bigger part. It pays back the bonds the district sold to build roads, drainage, utilities and other public items. Florida law calls this a “benefit special assessment.”
Operations and maintenance. This pays for running the district and taking care of what it owns. The law calls this a “maintenance special assessment.”

The Tradition CDD site lists what a district can pay for: roads, stormwater systems, wetland care, water and wastewater utilities, parking, parks, landscaping and entry features. The cost is spread over the life of the bonds instead of being built into each home’s price.

How it shows up on your tax bill

St. Lucie County uses one combined tax bill for all local governments and special districts. Your bill has two kinds of charges. Property taxes are based on your home’s value. Assessments are different. The Property Appraiser explains that assessments are charges “not based on the value of the property.” Your CDD charge is in the assessment section, next to items like trash pickup.

Florida law lets a CDD collect its charge on the county tax bill, “in the same manner and at the same time as county taxes.” If your taxes are paid through your mortgage escrow, the CDD charge is paid that way too. The law also treats an unpaid CDD charge as a lien on the property, equal to the lien for county and school taxes. So it matters to pay it.

Can you pay off the debt part early?

The Tradition CDD website links to an online “payoff and assessment information request” run by the district manager, Special District Services. That is the place to ask how much debt is left on your home, when the bonds end, and whether you can pay it off early. We could not confirm bond end dates or payoff rules for any one neighborhood. Get the answer in writing for your own parcel.

Budgets and meetings are public

Because a CDD is a government, its work is open to you. Under Florida law, the district manager must draft a budget by June 15. The board must hold a public hearing, with notice in the newspaper, and adopt the budget before October 1. The district website must post the budget, its fees and assessments, board members and a meeting list. Agendas must be posted at least 7 days before each meeting.

For the 2026–27 year, the Tradition CDD boards meet at 11 a.m. at Tradition Town Hall, 10799 SW Civic Lane. Listed dates include November 4 and December 2, 2026, and January 6, February 3 and March 3, 2027. Meetings can be canceled without notice, so check first.

How a CDD is different from your HOA

Your HOA is a private Florida corporation run by owners. Membership comes with owning your home. It sets its own budget and fees, which are billed by the HOA, not on the tax bill.
Your CDD is a unit of local government. It handles public infrastructure. Its charge is on the county tax bill. Its meetings are public.
Florida law says an HOA “does not include a community development district.” They are separate, with separate budgets and separate boards.

Vitalia’s HOA lists Campbell Property Management as its manager. Questions about HOA fees, rules or the clubhouse go there. Questions about the CDD line on your tax bill go to the district.

What is being built nearby

Southern Grove is the 3,605-acre business area south of Tradition Parkway along I-95. The city lists a Costco distribution center under construction since 2024 on 192 acres. In March 2026, city leaders agreed to sell Costco 22.8 acres for $6 million for a 170,000-square-foot store and gas station. The site is east of SW Village Parkway and south of the new SW Marshall Parkway. The city said construction dates were still to come.

What to do

Find the CDD line in the assessment section of your November bill. Note the district name and amount. Bill copies: St. Lucie County Tax Collector, 772-462-1650, tcslc.com.
Look up meeting dates and meeting books at traditioncdd1.org/documents. Each district also has its own site, such as traditioncdd10.org, with its board and financial pages.
Ask about your remaining debt or an early payoff at sdsinc.org/request, or call the Special District Services Tradition office at 772-345-5119.
Go to a meeting at Tradition Town Hall, 10799 SW Civic Lane. Public comment is on the agenda.
For home value questions, call the St. Lucie County Property Appraiser at 772-462-1000. For HOA questions, call Campbell Property Management at 772-800-2504.

Common questions

Is the CDD charge the same as my HOA fee?: No. The CDD is a unit of local government that pays for public infrastructure and bills on the county tax bill. Your HOA is a private corporation that bills you separately.
What does the Tradition CDD charge pay for?: Two things: debt service on bonds that paid for roads, drainage, utilities and other public items, and the yearly cost of running and maintaining district property.
Can I pay off my CDD debt early?: Ask the district manager. The Tradition CDD website links to a payoff and assessment information request at sdsinc.org/request. Get the amount and rules in writing for your parcel.
Where do Tradition CDD boards meet?: At Tradition Town Hall, 10799 SW Civic Lane, Port St. Lucie, usually at 11 a.m. on the dates listed at traditioncdd1.org. Check the site first, since meetings can be canceled.