FAQ

An improvement district is an independent special district authorized to plan, finance, construct, operate and maintain public infrastructure in planned developments.

These kinds of districts are quite common and many other communities in Florida have similar entities. Development districts are created around the concept of growth paying for itself.

An improvement district is typically used for larger-scale projects that will take multiple decades to complete. A community development district is commonly used for a project with a smaller build out or with a smaller physical footprint.

The WVID covers more than 12,000 acres, and projects will take between 20 and 30 years to complete. Being an improvement district allows the WVID to take a long-term, measured approach in developing key public infrastructure.

The WVID was created by an act of the Florida Legislature on June 17, 2004.

The WVID was created to ensure a timely, cohesive, cost-effective, high-quality design and implementation of public infrastructure within Wellen Park. The WVID currently spans more than 12,000 acres within the City of North Port and unincorporated Sarasota County.

The district includes residential neighborhoods, commercial hubs, and the Atlanta Braves’ spring training home. The WVID gives thousands of acres of land their own identity, creating a sense of place that makes the community unique.

The district covers more than 12,000 acres, including Gran Paradiso, IslandWalk, Oasis, Preserve, Renaissance, Tortuga, Avelina, Sunstone, Solstice, Gran Living, Gran Place, Wellen Park Golf & Country Club, Wisteria, Antigua, Brightmore, Everly, Lapespur, Palmera, Lakeside, Oakbend, Bocca Royale at Wellen Park and future residential neighborhoods. It also includes commercial, retail and entertainment centers throughout the District.

Sarasota National, Grand Palm and Boca Royale are not part of the WVID.

The WVID and Wellen Park are two entirely separate entities.

The WVID is a wholly public entity, meaning the district must adhere to the same laws that govern how a local government – such as a city, county or special taxing district – must operate, including open government, ethics and public disclosure laws.

Wellen Park is a private developer that is creating Wellen Park, a master-planned community being developed in the City of North Port and unincorporated Sarasota County. The WVID serves substantially all of the Wellen Park community.

WVID is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors. In accordance with state law, four members of the Board of Supervisors are currently chosen by a landowner’s election. The fifth seat is held by a resident-elected representative pursuant to a general election process conducted by the Supervisor of Elections.

In June 2025, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation (HB 4061) to update the rules governing the transition from a one-acre, one-vote landowner election to a general election of qualified voters to align with the rules governing every other improvement and stewardship district throughout the State of Florida.

The new process eliminates an outdated, subjective method in favor of an objective turnover formula that uses existing land development approvals and undisputable data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of State Division of Elections. The new method, which became effective immediately, provides more opportunities for participation amongst WVID residents, allowing all qualified electors to be included in the turnover methodology, as well as vote and/or serve on the WVID Board of Supervisors.

Based on current methodology, a second seat could transition to a resident-elected seat between 2024 and 2026, depending on population growth within the District.

On June 24, 2025, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 4061, which updated the WVID’s enabling legislation to clearly define how the Board of Supervisors transitions from a one-acre, one-vote landowner election to a general election of qualified voters.

The new process eliminates an outdated, subjective model in favor of an objective turnover formula that uses existing land development approvals and undisputable data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Florida Department of State Division of Elections.

Under the new criteria, transitions would occur at clearly defined intervals:

• Once 17,598 qualified electors reside within the District, two Board members shall be elected through a general election of qualified electors, while three Board members shall be elected by the landowners.
• Once 26,397 qualified electors reside within the District, three Board members shall be elected through a general election, while two Board members shall be elected through a landowners’ election.
• Once 35,196 qualified electors reside within the District, four Board members shall be elected through a general election, while one Board member shall be elected through a landowners’ election.
• Once 39,595 qualified electors reside within the District, all five Board members shall be elected through a general election.

The new criteria sets forth clear milestones for turnover, bringing the WVID transition policies in line with its peers across the State of Florida.

Like other stewardship and improvements districts throughout the state, the WVID used existing land development approvals and undisputable data from both the U.S. Census and the Florida Department of State Division of Elections (DOE) to calculate the proposed transition schedule.

The total build-out for lands located within the District boundaries is 31,320 residential units. Using data from the U.S. Census and based on the average number of persons per household in Sarasota County, it is anticipated there will be more than 60,000 residents living within the WVID at full-build-out which is currently anticipated to include 26,000 residential units.

Based on the average percentage of Sarasota County individuals that are registered to vote as independently determined by the DOE, the WVID estimates there will be more than 40,000 qualified electors living in the District at build-out. Based on this total anticipated qualified elector population at build-out, the Board seats turn over at every one-fifth interval.

These transition milestones have been approved by the Legislature and utilized for nearly two decades by other stewardship and improvement districts throughout the state without issue.

As of January 2025, approximately 7,400 residential units, or 23% of the total build-out, have received a certificate of occupancy. There were approximately 8,600 registered electors within the WVID as of April 2024.

Previously the methodology only calculated occupied, single-family residential properties when determining urbanization. It also only allows landowners, or their spouses, to vote and/or serve on the WVID Board of Supervisors. This methodology disenfranchises residents who live in multi-family communities, such as condominiums, apartments or townhomes, as well as renters within the development.

The methodology proposed in House Bill 4061 considers all qualified electors, including those who reside in single family and multi-family residences within the District, to determine when a seat transitions. The proposed amendment also gives renters, as well as property owners, the ability to vote or serve on the WVID Board of Supervisors.

Other stewardship and improvement districts, as well as community development districts, throughout the state utilize the same definition of a “qualified elector” without issue.

The number of qualified electors is determined each year by an independent third party – the Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections – which would provide an annual report to the WVID each spring.  The Supervisor of Elections already prepares this report for all community development districts and other stewardship/improvement districts located within the County.

Due to the inclusion of landowners of multi-family units, as well as renters, within the definition of persons eligible to vote and/or serve on the WVID Board of Supervisors that is proposed by the legislation, it is possible that seats on the WVID Board of Supervisors could turnover faster than is anticipated under the current model.

The WVID Board of Supervisors meets monthly at 1 p.m. at North Port City Commission Chambers, 4970 City Hall Blvd., North Port.

As a public entity, the WVID Board of Supervisors, and its staff, must adhere to Florida’s Government in the Sunshine Law. This law provides the public with the right to access governmental proceedings at the local and state level, meaning board actions occur at meetings that are properly noticed and open to the public. The law also provides the public with the ability to request, review and access public records, such as documents related to official business.

Simply put: Every decision made by the WVID must be done with full transparence, guaranteeing that decisions benefit current and future residents.

The WVID has contracted with Special District Services, a management company that specializes in managing special districts across Florida, to manage its day-to-day operations. Special District Services represents and manages more than 100 special districts across the state of Florida and has represented the WVID since its inception.

William Crosley serves as the district’s manager, overseeing the daily administration and customer service needs of the district.

WVID has retained Kutak Rock, which represents more than 200 special districts in the state of Florida, as its legal counsel. Lindsay Whelan currently serves as the district’s general counsel and has extensive experience in special district governance, public financing and land development.

WVID has also retained Stantec, which serves as district engineer for more than 50 community development districts to serve as its district engineer. Giacomo Licari serves as district engineer.

Finally, David Kelly with SWCA Environmental Consultants serves as the District’s irrigation consultant. He has more than 25 years of water resource and water supply planning experience, as well as extensive experience in water supply planning, sustainable yield evaluation, and water rights and water use permitting.

WVID is responsible for planning, financing, constructing, operating and maintaining the public infrastructure serving Wellen Park. This could include, among other things, roadways, entry features, landscaping, parks and playgrounds, and water management systems.

The district is not responsible for policing powers, fire rescue or emergency services in the district. Those services are handled by the city of North Port and Sarasota County. The district does not have its own zoning powers, instead it abides by the zoning and comprehensive planning laws that the city and county have in place.

WVID has the authority to finance projects through borrowing money and issuing bonds. The district can use financing to pay for projects such as roadways, stormwater management systems, water and wastewater utilities, public parking facilities, parks and recreation, landscaping, entry features, public facilities and other amenities.

WVID also has the authority to levy non-ad valorem assessments and collect other fees.

WVID levies an assessment against properties each year that represent a share of the cost of public infrastructure financed by the district and a share of the cost to administer and maintain the district. The annual assessment varies by neighborhood, and assessments are tied to the benefits being received not the value of a home.

The assessment appears on your property tax bill sent in November each year and is paid annually through the Sarasota County Tax Collector.

Improvement districts allow the costs of improvements to be spread over the life of the bonds, rather than be included in the price of an initial home sale. Therefore, residents will only pay for the district improvements while they own the property.

While bonds are secured for 30 years and can be paid off, there will always be an assessment for the operations and maintenance of the district, resulting in a small fee.

Additionally, improvement districts use tax exempt financing, which often enables public infrastructure to be built for less than if a private entity developed it. Improvement districts also allow for a perpetual maintenance entity and can collect assessments on the tax rolls, which ensures that properties will continue to be maintained at a high-level long term.

No.

WVID has historically overseen the construction of many of the large roadways and other major infrastructure within the district. However, due to changing market conditions the district has achieved considerable cost savings recently by partnering with the master developer to construct public infrastructure projects.

WVID staff works with the master developer on a case-by-case basis to identify which projects are best suited to be handled by the developer or the district. Privatizing the bid process for some projects allows the developers to negotiate with contractors, resulting substantial cost savings for the district. Once constructed, the ownership of the infrastructure transfers from the developer to the WVID or to the City of North Port or Sarasota County, which is then responsible for future maintenance.

The development and construction of Downtown Wellen is being 100% funded by the master developer, Wellen Park LLLP. Once Downtown Wellen is completed, the WVID is responsible for maintaining its roads, pathways and the Grand Lake.

The planned improvements are being constructed by the WVID and being funded by the District and Wellen Park. Residents will not experience any new cost impacts for initial planning, design, permitting and construction of planned improvements. Additionally, no assessment increases or new bonds are planned to cover costs related to the U.S. 41 project. Once improvements are completed, the WVID will own the sidewalks, curbs and landscaping, as well as the roadway, which will be maintained by Wellen Park to take advantage of financial economies of scale.

Golf carts that are not licensed, registered and insured by the state of Florida are prohibited to travel on any public roads or sidewalks within the WVID.

The WVID and/or The Ranch Land Operations and Thomas Ranch Intangibles (Ranch Entities), affiliates of the master developer, own the well infrastructure improvements within Wellen Park. As necessary, the WVID and the Ranch Entities own or hold easements for the land that the wells are located on, which provides them access to the wells for operation and maintenance needs. The Ranch Entities hold the rights to draw groundwater from the wells, which they allow the WVID to utilize for its irrigation program in exchange for a fee. The wells are not owned by the residents, and neither residents nor individual homeowners’ association can independently pull water from irrigation wells for their own use.

In Gran Paradiso, the well infrastructure was constructed, and is owned, by the WVID on land that is currently owned by the Gran Paradiso Property Owners Association. The WVID and the Ranch Entities hold an easement for the land that the wells are located on, which provides them with the necessary legal access to those wells for operation and maintenance needs.

In 2018, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) awarded a joint Water Use Permit to the WVID and The Ranch Land Operations and another Mattamy company, affiliates of the master developer. The Water Use Permit, which allows the co-permittees to conjunctively use surface water, reclaimed water and groundwater for landscape/recreation irrigation, was issued for 50 years, and covers all lands within the district, except for IslandWalk, which was separately permitted. WVID’s inclusion on the Water Use Permit requires the consent and cooperation of The Ranch Land Operations and Thomas Ranch Intangibles (Ranch Entities).

This permit determines how much water is available to help meet the irrigation quality water demands for the entire lands within WVID. Permitted quantities are based on the number of irrigable acres within a specific boundary, as well as other factors such as the type of property, irrigation or soil. A conservation plan is incorporated into the water use permit, which allocates how much irrigation water each neighborhood is entitled to use.

In December 2024, the WVID Board of Supervisors voted 3-1, with Supervisor John Meisel dissenting, to consent to a modification to the Water Use Permit. This modification, which was approved by SWFWMD, redistributed irrigation water resources associated with non WVID-owned lands within Gran Paradiso to the remaining lands throughout the District.

The irrigation water allocations for each of WVID’s customers are determined as part of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) Water Use Permit and are calculated utilizing SWFWMD’s AGMOD modeling system.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District strictly governs how much irrigation water can be used during a given time. Wellen Park’s annual average daily water allocation is approximately 2.4 million gallons per day. In a peak month, the allocations shift to approximately 6.7 million gallons per day.

If the WVID uses more water than is allowed, the District could be at risk of penalties, including losing its Water Use Permit. If this were to occur, WVID would not be able to meet irrigation quality water demands of its customers.

Water conservation is a key element of the Water Use Permit. In accordance with that element, WVID is required to implement Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD)-approved water conservation plans. This plan requires the District to supply irrigation quality water quantities to its customers based on SWFWMD’s AGMOD model and ensure compliance with permitted quantities. It also calls on customers, such as homeowners associations, to create and implement their own water conservation plans which the District oversees.

The goal of the water use permit is conservation, allowing for efficient use of a finite resource. The Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) and WVID encourage customers to follow best irrigation practices, such as:

• Watering your lawn on designated days. Lawn watering is limited to twice per week, and customers must adhere to all City of North Port and SWFWMD watering restrictions.
• Watering your lawn before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. Since evaporation loss can be 60% higher during the day, watering your lawn during the early morning or late evenings minimizes evaporation and supports conservation efforts. Also avoid watering on windy days.
• Monitoring rainfall and updating your watering schedule accordingly. Be sure your automatic sprinkler system is equipped with a working rain shutoff device, which overrides the system when enough rain has fallen and automatically resets when more water is needed. Regularly check your device to make sure it is working properly and the switch in the control box is set to “on.”
• Watering your lawn only as much as needed. Most Florida soils need an average of one-half to three-quarters of an inch of water per application to replenish the grass. An automatic system can provide an efficient method of irrigating lawns since controllers turn the system off after a predetermined amount of water is applied.
• Regularly checking your sprinkler heads. Make sure that sprinkler heads are working properly and appropriately positioned to avoid watering paved or non-landscaped areas.

For more information about water resources, visit the swfwmd.state.fl.us.

Individual neighborhood developers generally fund the cost of installation of both new master and neighborhood irrigation water infrastructure. Once the master irrigation infrastructure is completed, the WVID assumes the responsibilities of operating and maintaining the system.

The cost to operate the irrigation is currently being deficit-funded interest free by the master developer through a funding agreement. This is due to the relative infancy of the utility program and is not a long-term funding structure. While these operating costs may be repaid, at least in part, from future irrigation operating funds or bond proceeds, it means that there is currently no bond debt related to operating the District’s irrigation program.

These rates support a variety of services, including costs related to purchased reclaimed water, electricity, fuel, system repairs, engineering, management fees including billing and accounting, operations administration including field personnel, legal fees, audit, well availability payments, and the capital improvement program including new infrastructure and replacements.

In 2023, the WVID Board of Supervisors contracted with GovRates Inc., an independent contractor with more than 25 years of public utility ratemaking experience, to conduct a revised rate study focused on evaluating and updating existing irrigation water rates throughout WVID.

On April 11, 2024, the WVID Board adopted new rates as recommended by the GovRates study. Under these rates, customers with private irrigation pumps are charged $15.82 a month per 10,000 gallons, a $2.96 a month increase from previous rates. All other customers pay $17.82 a month per 10,000 gallons, or a $4.96 a month increase. The adopted rates also include a well availability fee in the amount of $4.17 per equivalent residential unit. The rates went into effect July 1, 2024.

The 2024 rates reflected a 30% increase over the previous year’s rates.

The GovRates rate study was the first formal rate review conducted by WVID since 2018. Since then, WVID has experienced significant growth. For example, the number of equivalent residential units (ERUs) doubled over the past two years. In addition to significant growth, WVID has seen a substantial increase in operating costs due to inflation and supply chain concerns. WVID also identified a variety of critical infrastructure projects, including the need for new irrigation wells and pump stations, necessary to operate an effective system.

Finally, the previous rate structure depended on the master developer of Wellen Park to continue to deficit-fund operating and capital costs, which exceeded over $3 million at the time of the study. The rate structure adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 2024 puts the WVID on a path to self-sufficiency, allowing WVID to eliminate developer deficit-funding for ongoing irrigation expenses.

Without rate adjustments, the irrigation water program would have been on a path to bankruptcy. To run the program like a prudent government, rate increases are necessary to not only ensure the program is self-sustaining but also phase out subsidization so that revenue is sufficient to fund all the system’s requirements.

The WVID is in a water limited region regulated by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD). A water use permit issued by SWFWMD is the only way to hold and maintain the ability to use surface and groundwater in this development.

In 2018, The Ranch Land Operations and Thomas Ranch Intangibles (Ranch Entities), affiliates of the master developer of Wellen Park, contracted with WVID to provide the entirety of its SWFWMD Water Use Permit water allocation to WVID, on an exclusive basis, for WVID’s use in its irrigation program for a fee. The well availability fee paid to the developer of Wellen Park is for WVID’s exclusive use of the Ranch Entities’ water allocations for irrigation under the requirements of its Water Use Permit. This fee is similar to a readiness-to-serve fee charged by irrigation water utilities throughout the state.

Because the fee is contractual in nature, the WVID is not able to unilaterally change or eliminate the fee without the consent of the Ranch Entities.

Customers should anticipate annual rate adjustments beginning Oct. 1, 2025. However, the annual adjustment is dependent on a variety of factors, including whether the developer continues to deficit-fund the system through fiscal year 2033. In furtherance, GovRates has recommended that WVID review and refine its irrigation rates on an annual basis in order to better reflect actual expenditures of WVID’s irrigation system, while remaining affordable and competitive by utility industry standards.