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What is the Middle Village
Community Development District?
The Middle Village Community Development District ("District")
is an independent special taxing district, created and governed
by Chapter 190, Florida Statutes. The District was established by
Clay County Ordinance No. 2003-88 effective on October 16, 2003.
The District currently includes approximately 994 acres of land
located entirely within the boundaries of Clay County, Florida.
As a local unit of special purpose government, the District provides
an alternative means for planning, financing, constructing, operating
and maintaining various public improvements and community facilities
within its jurisdiction.
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What is the function of the
Middle Village Community Development District?
The District was created to provide and maintain various public
improvements and community facilities. The public infrastructure
necessary to support the Middle Village development program includes
master infrastructure and neighborhood infrastructure improvements.
To plan the infrastructure improvements necessary for the District,
the District adopted an Improvement Plan dated October 29, 2003
("Improvement Plan"), which describes the improvements
expected in the District.
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How is the Middle Village
Community Development District governed?
The District is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors,
the members of which must be residents of the State of Florida and
citizens of the United States. On January 12, 2004, the District
held its first landowner's election at which the five members of
the Board of Supervisors were elected by the owners of property
within the boundaries of the District, each landowner being entitled
to one vote for each acre of land with fractions thereof rounded
upward to the nearest whole number. Subsequent elections are held
every two years in November. Commencing six years after the initial
appointment of Supervisors and when the District attains a minimum
of 250 qualified electors, Supervisors whose terms are expiring
will begin to be elected by the qualified electors of the District.
A "qualified elector" is any person at least 18 years
of age who is a citizen of the United States, a legal resident of
Florida and of the District, and who is registered with the Supervisor
of Elections to vote in Clay County.
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How will the Middle Village Community Development
District be managed?
The Board of Supervisors has selected an independent District Manager
to run the day-to-day operations of the District. In addition, the
Board of Supervisors has retained an attorney, engineer and financial
advisor to work on various District matters.
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How are the infrastructure
improvements funded by the District?
The District's planned infrastructure improvements will be funded
in part by the District's sale of special assessment bonds. Proceeds
of the special assessment bonds will be used to finance the cost
of the improvements described in the Improvement Plan. The District
will issue more than one series of special assessment bonds to finance
the construction and acquisition of improvements within specific
phases of the development. For example, on February 10, 2004, the
District issued its first series of special assessment bonds, the
Series 2004A, Series 2004B and Series 2004C Bonds (collectively
referred to as the "Series 2004 Bonds"). For more information
regarding the Series 2004 Bonds or other District special assessment
bonds, please refer to this brochure's insert which details the
District's public financing plan. A specific listing and description
of the improvements to be financed with the proceeds of special
assessment bonds issued by the District are detailed in the Improvement
Plan and the Engineering Reports which are available for review
in the District's public records.
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What type of master infrastructure
improvements does the Middle Village Community Development District
intend to provide?
The master infrastructure improvements, which are to be funded with
the proceeds of the Series 2004A Bonds, consist of water and sewer
facilities, stormwater management facilities, entry features, landscaping,
signage, transportation improvements and recreational improvements.
A more detailed description of the various improvements to be funded
is as follows:
• Water Facilities - The District will plan and construct
the potable water distribution system to service all property located
within the boundaries of the District. The ownership, operation
and maintenance of the system will be the responsibility of the
Jacksonville Electric Authority ("JEA") or the Clay County
Utility Authority ("CCUA"), depending upon where the improvements
are located.
• Sewer Facilities - The District will install or construct
the sanitary sewer collection, transmission and distribution systems
throughout the District, including lift stations and force mains,
that will be dedicated to JEA or CCUA upon completion.
• Stormwater Management Facilities - The District will provide
for the design and construction of a master stormwater system that
will provide stormwater treatment and flood control measures for
all property located within the District. The facilities will consist
of treatment ponds, control structures, and wetland mitigation,
as required by the District's stormwater management permits. Ownership
and maintenance of the stormwater management facilities will be
the responsibility of the District.
• Roadway Improvements - The District will provide for the
design and construction of a series of transportation improvements
within and adjacent to the boundaries of the District. All of the
roadway improvements constructed by the District will eventually
be owned and maintained by Clay County.
• Entrance Features and Landscape Improvements - The District
will plan, construct and/or install entrance features, signage and
landscape improvements at the entrances to the District as well
as the entrances to each of the individual subdivisions within the
District. The District will also provide landscape improvements
for the common areas within the District.
• Recreational Improvements - The District will design and
construct or acquire a series of neighborhood parks, scattered throughout
the District. The District will also construct an amenity center
which will be a multi-use recreation facility that is anticipated
to include a clubhouse, basketball courts, tennis courts, fitness
equipment, restrooms, a locker area, family pool, waterpark, playground
equipment, picnic tables, athletic fields and jogging trails, as
well as all associated landscaping, lighting and parking. The recreation
improvements will be owned, operated and maintained by the District.
The District will also make improvements to a regional park in conjunction
with the Double Branch Community Development District, which will
eventually
be owned, operated and maintained by Clay County.
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What type of neighborhood
infrastructure improvements does the Middle Village Community Development
District intend to provide?
The neighborhood infrastructure improvements include the clearing
and grubbing, earthwork, underground utility, street paving, drainage
construction, grassing and sodding for each of the individual subdivisions.
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How are the District's bonds
repaid?
All bonds issued by the District for construction of public infrastructure
improvements and the interest due thereon, are payable solely from
and secured by the levy of non ad valorem special assessments against
lands within the District which benefit from the construction, acquisition,
establishment and operation of the District's improvements. Proceeds
of the Series 2004A Bonds benefit all lands within the District,
and proceeds of the Series 2004B Bonds benefit only the Forest Brooke,
Timberlake, Oakpoint and Creekview subdivisions. Proceeds of the
Series 2004C Bonds will benefit only the Whitfield subdivision.
The District may issue one or more additional series of bonds to
finance neighborhood infrastructure improvements which will be secured
by the levy of non ad valorem assessments on the property within
specific neighborhoods intended to benefit from the construction.
A copy of the District's assessment methodology, which provides
more explanation regarding the assessment calculations, is available
for review in the District's public records.
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Are there other assessments
to be paid besides the non ad valorem assessments used for the District's
bond indebtedness?
Yes. The District will also levy an operations and maintenance assessment
which will be collected in the same manner as your county ad valorem
taxes. The operations and maintenance assessment will be determined
and calculated annually by the District's Board of Supervisors based
on the District's annual budget and will be levied against all benefited
lands within the District. A detailed description of all costs and
allocations which result in the formulation of assessments, fees
and charges are available for public inspection upon request.
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How much are these assessments
and when will they be determined?
Included in this brochure is an insert listing the expected capital
assessments which will be used to repay the District's bond indebtedness.
The capital assessments are fixed and will be repaid over approximately
30-years. It is important to understand that there will also be
an additional, annual operating and maintenance assessment which
will fund the ongoing administrative and maintenance activities
of the District. The enclosed insert contains an estimate of the
expected amount of this assessment as well.
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How are the District's non
ad valorem special assessments collected?
The District's assessments may appear on that portion of each property
owner's real estate tax bill entitled "non ad valorem assessments,"
and be collected by the Clay County tax collector in the same manner
as county ad valorem taxes. Each property owner must pay ad valorem
and non ad valorem assessments at the same time. Property owners
will, however, be entitled to the same discounts as provided for
in payment of ad valorem taxes. As with any tax bill, if all taxes
and assessments due are not paid within the prescribed time limit,
the tax collector is required to sell tax certificates which, if
not timely redeemed, may result in the loss of title to the property.
The District may also decide to collect the assessment directly.
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When do the assessments
begin?
The maintenance assessments will begin as part of the 2005 tax bill
which will be issued November 2004. Special assessments to begin
amortizing the proceeds of the bonds issued by the District will
appear for the first time on the 2006 tax bill which will be issued
November 2005.
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How do my taxes and assessments
compare to areas where there is no Community Development District?
Your real estate taxes, including the District’s special assessments
and Homeowners’ Association fees, when all added together,
will not be materially different than those of homeowners in similar
amenitized communities in the area. While not ad valorem taxes,
you can expect to see the CDD’s assessment on your tax bill
prepared annually by the Clay County Tax Collector’s office.
It is important to remember that some of the maintenance and operation
services performed by the Middle Village CDD would be performed
by a Homeowners’ Association in other communities.
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What services will
be provided by the Homeowners’ Association?
The Homeowners’ Association will handle architectural review
and other duties outside of the scope of the District’s permissible
responsibilities.
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Are there other
Community Development Districts in Florida?
Yes. There are currently over one hundred active Community Development
Districts, with over 1,000 other special purpose Districts serving
specific local communities in the State of Florida. Some other Community
Development Districts in the State of Florida include:
• Celebration, Orlando
• St. Johns Golf and Country Club, St. Johns County
• Julington Creek Plantation, St. Johns County
• Eagle Harbor, Orange Park
• Fleming Island Plantation, Orange Park
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What advantages are there
to living in the Middle Village Community Development District?
There are many advantages, but three are especially noteworthy.
First, the CDD provides a consistently high level of public facilities
and services to the landowners and residents of the District, including
the recreation center, lake maintenance, and certain landscape enhancements.
Second, the District meets regularly in a public setting, allowing
for input from its residents and landowners from the beginning.
Third, District landowners, and ultimately, registered voters living
in the District will choose the Board of Supervisors who will make
the future decisions as to the type, quality and cost of District
services and facilities.
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How do I find out
more about the Middle Village Community Development District?
Meetings of the Board of Supervisors are noticed in the local newspaper
and are conducted in a public forum in which public participation
is permitted. Consistent with Florida's public records laws, the
records of the District are on file at 370 OakLeaf Village Parkway,
Orange Park, Florida. The District records are available for public
inspection upon request during normal business hours. If you would
like to have more information about the District, please call Governmental
Management Services: 288-9130
Jim Perry
Governmental Management Services
14785-4 St. Augustine Rd.
Jacksonville, FL 32258
Phone: 904-288-9130
E-mail: jperry@govmgtsvc.com
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THE MIDDLE VILLAGE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT IMPOSES AND LEVIES
TAXES OR ASSESSMENTS, OR BOTH TAXES AND ASSESSMENTS, ON THIS PROPERTY.
THESE TAXES AND ASSESSMENTS PAY THE CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION AND
MAINTENANCE COSTS OF CERTAIN PUBLIC FACILITIES AND SERVICES OF THE
DISTRICT AND ARE SET ANNUALLY BY THE GOVERNING BOARD OF THE DISTRICT.
THESE TAXES AND ASSESSMENTS ARE IN ADDITION TO COUNTY AND ALL OTHER
LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL TAXES AND ASSESSMENTS AND ALL OTHER TAXES AND
ASSESSMENTS PROVIDED FOR BY LAW.
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