Two Harmony homes can sit a few streets apart and carry CDD charges that differ by thousands of dollars a year. Under the fiscal year 2027 schedule the Harmony Community Development District adopted in August, a 25-foot Rosewood lot owes $1,740.63. An Estates home owes $7,221.33. Both amounts are billed on the owner's annual property tax bill as a non-ad valorem assessment.
The size of that gap is only part of what a buyer needs to know. In June 2026, the district's board spent a long discussion on whether the formula behind those numbers should stay in place. The board decided to revisit it in a later fiscal year rather than drop it. So the lots with the lowest CDD bills today are the ones most exposed to a change.
What the FY2027 schedule charges, lot by lot
Each Harmony bill has two parts. Operations and maintenance, or O&M, pays for landscaping, irrigation, pools, ponds and the district's field crew. Debt service pays off the bonds that funded the community's infrastructure. The board adopted the FY2027 budget and assessment roll as Resolutions 2026-08 and 2026-09 at its August 12, 2026 hearing.
| Neighborhood and lot | FY2027 O&M | FY2027 debt service | FY2027 total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosewood, 25-ft | $973.81 | $766.82 | $1,740.63 |
| Birchwood, 35-ft | $1,048.70 | $837.75 | $1,886.45 |
| Rosewood, 50-ft | $1,947.62 | $1,594.98 | $3,542.60 |
| Hawthorne, Cherry Hill, Ashley Park SF, Lakes, 50-ft | $1,981.76 | $1,592.89 | $3,574.65 |
| South Lake, East Lake, Enclave, Waterside, 50-ft | $2,453.79 | $1,918.41 | $4,372.20 |
| Birchwood, 80-ft | $2,397.02 | $1,914.87 | $4,311.89 |
| Drake, 80-ft | $2,532.87 | $2,023.39 | $4,556.26 |
| Estates | $4,014.41 | $3,206.92 | $7,221.33 |
The table shows that lot width is only part of the formula. Look at the three 50-foot rows. O&M on a 50-foot lot is $1,947.62 in Rosewood, $1,981.76 in Hawthorne, Cherry Hill and the Lakes, and $2,453.79 in South Lake, East Lake, Enclave and Waterside. A 52-foot Drake lot pays $1,646.36 in O&M, which is less than every one of those 50-foot lots. Your bill depends on which neighborhood group your lot is in as well as on its width. The groupings were drawn when each phase was built.
The debt side is split as well. South Lake, East Lake, Enclave, Waterside and North Lake pay toward the Series 2015 bonds. The rest of the residential neighborhoods pay toward the Series 2014 bonds. North Lake's debt rates are slightly lower than those of the other Group 2 neighborhoods. A 50-foot North Lake lot owes $1,790.86 in debt service, compared with $1,918.41 next door in South Lake.
The formula itself is on the table
The disparities in that table are what the board took up on June 11, 2026. District staff walked through other ways to set O&M. One option was quoted plainly in the minutes:
"If the budget was evenly distributed across all ERU's the annual assessment would be $1,876.00."
ERU stands for equivalent residential unit, the measuring stick special districts use to divide costs among properties. Staff also described a second option based on lot size, which the minutes say "would provide for a larger range among assessments." According to the minutes, the discussion covered "the disparity in the current assessments" and also "the legality regarding the current methodology." Two supervisors, Mr. Chokanis and Ms. Coronel, did not agree with changing the methodology at this time. Staff said further refinement would cost the district an additional analysis fee. The board agreed to wait until the following fiscal year to reassess.
The minutes we reviewed do not say how many ERUs each lot type would count as, so the effect on any one home is still open. Still, here is a rough sense of how much is at stake if a typical home counted as one ERU at $1,876 in O&M:
- A 25-foot Rosewood lot pays $973.81 in O&M today, which is $902.19 below that figure.
- A 35-foot Green lot pays $1,219.77, which is $656.23 below.
- A 42-foot Birchwood lot pays $1,258.44, which is $617.56 below.
- A 60-foot lot in South Lake or Waterside pays $2,944.55, which is $1,068.55 above.
- An Estates home pays $4,014.41, which is $2,138.41 above.
These comparisons cover O&M only. They are an illustration, not a forecast, and the lot-size option would produce a different spread. What they show is direction. A smaller lot whose CDD bill helps it pencil out today could cost more to carry if the board moves to an evenly distributed formula, and the largest lots would cost less. At the April 23, 2026 workshop, a resident of the Estates said the increase in assessments does not match benefits within the community.
The Harmony Community Development District's June 11, 2026 minutes say any change would come with notice first. District counsel said that notice, required by statute, gives residents an opportunity to comment at the public hearing. Another participant added that notices go to all residents regardless of how the change affects them.
Why the total rose anyway
The methodology debate is about how the bill is split. The FY2027 budget made the bill larger. Gross O&M assessments across the district went from $2,946,511 in FY2026 to $3,052,835.48 in FY2027, an increase of about 3.61%. Individual rates rose by the same share. A Birchwood 80-foot lot went from $2,313.54 to $2,397.02, and an Ashley Park multifamily unit went from $731.83 to $758.24. The preliminary schedule released in April had shown a 5.21% increase. The adopted number came in lower.
The April workshop minutes suggest there is little room to cut. District management called the budget "as low as she would recommend," and said most of it goes to contracts, landscaping and irrigation. She also said the district "is not currently following the current reserve study" and warned of future infrastructure needs. Staff noted that reserves were paying for the sidewalk project and that the district has to keep contributing to them.
That spending shows up in the 2026 minutes. In May the board approved a $221,930.84 sidewalk repair proposal and $43,172 for pool furniture. In July it approved main-drain work at Ashley Park Pool, Swim Club Pool and the Swim Club wading pool. The adopted FY2027 budget puts $256,943 into reserves, $64,800 into pond and lake maintenance and $50,000 into sidewalk replacements.
The debt portion's end date is less certain than it looks
Buyers often ask when the debt portion of the bill goes away. Harmony's answer takes some digging. The Series 2014 bonds refinanced the district's 2001 bonds. The Series 2015 bonds refinanced the 2004 bonds and also paid for 2015 improvements. The district's FY2025 audit reported $10,685,000 in total bonds outstanding as of September 30, 2025.
The 2014 offering document on EMMA set the last Series 2014 maturity at May 1, 2032, with a scheduled $910,000 principal payment in 2027. The district's FY2027 debt service budget schedules $835,000 of Series 2014 principal for May 1, 2027, along with $290,000 for Series 2015. Because those figures differ, the original schedule has probably been adjusted since 2014. The bonds became optionally redeemable beginning May 1, 2024. Treat 2032 as the original target date, not a promise. The district's FY2025 audit lists the Series 2015 bonds as due May 1, 2036. That means owners in South Lake, East Lake, Enclave, Waterside and North Lake are scheduled to pay debt service for longer than owners in the Series 2014 neighborhoods.
The question is also live on the board. At the March 25, 2026 budget workshop, a supervisor raised the debt reserve and the possibility of refinancing the bonds. The minutes record a discussion, not a decision.
How the charge reaches the homeowner
The CDD bills its assessments "on-roll," which means they are collected on the county tax bill as non-ad-valorem assessments, separate from the taxes based on assessed value. The Osceola County Property Appraiser's tax estimator states that it excludes non-ad-valorem assessments and CDD fees. An estimate from that tool will understate a Harmony home's actual bill by the full amount in the table above.
The Osceola County Tax Collector offers a 4% discount for paying in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February. The CDD budgets for that discount ahead of time. Its FY2027 gross O&M levy of $3,052,835.48 includes a $122,113.42 allowance for early payment, which brings net revenue to $2,930,722.06. The rates in the schedule are gross figures, so an owner who pays in November pays slightly less than the listed amount.
The CDD bill is separate from association dues. Harmony's recorded residential declaration says CDD assessments are payable separately from, and in addition to, assessments from the Harmony Residential Owners Association. We did not find a current published HROA amount, so ask for it directly during any purchase.
What to settle before you write an offer
- Find the exact neighborhood code and lot width for the property on the FY2027 assessment schedule. Two homes with the same frontage can fall in different rate groups.
- Ask the district office which bond series the lot pays toward and what its current final maturity is. Ask whether an individual owner can prepay the debt portion.
- Budget for the full CDD charge and the HROA dues, not the property appraiser's estimate.
- If the lot is 42 feet or narrower, budget for a higher O&M bill in case the formula changes. If it is 60 feet or wider or in the Estates, the same change would move your bill down.
- Follow the methodology discussion. The district calendar lists the next board meeting for October 15 at 6 p.m. in the Suenos Tenampa Private Room, 7251 Five Oaks Drive.
FAQ
Did the board change the assessment formula for FY2027?
No. The FY2027 schedule keeps the different rates by neighborhood and lot width. The board agreed in June 2026 to wait until the following fiscal year to reassess.
Is the early-payment discount something Harmony offers?
The Harmony Community Development District's April 23, 2026 workshop minutes record district management describing the discount as a statutory requirement that is not related to the district itself.
Does the district's FAQ say anything about capital assessments at closing?
The district's FAQ says the developer prepays a significant portion of the capital assessment at closing. It does not say whether an individual owner can prepay the rest, so confirm that for the specific lot.
If you own in Harmony and want to know what your lot's CDD rate and the pending methodology review mean for its resale value, or you are comparing Harmony lots and want the CDD math done before you make an offer, The HomePlace Team can run the numbers with you. Get your free home valuation and we will include the CDD side of the picture.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
