The Villages' newest and most actively developing area — modern home designs, brand-new recreation centers, and a natural Florida character unlike any other area. 15+ neighborhoods in the southern area, with new communities still being added.
The southern area is The Villages' frontier — the newest area, south of SR 44 in Sumter County, where active construction continues to add new neighborhoods, recreation centers, and amenities. The southern area is served by two town squares — Sawgrass Grove (opened 2022) and Eastport (opened 2025) — and continues to expand south as new infrastructure is built.
The southern area is where buyers find the newest home designs — updated floor plans, modern construction standards, the latest architectural treatments. It's also where The Villages offers new construction directly: buyers who want to select their own finishes and move into a brand-new home have options in Sawgrass Grove that aren't available in the fully built-out northern area and the central area.
The honest trade-off: the southern area carries higher ongoing costs than the central area. Both are in Sumter County — the same county, so the tax rate is comparable. The annual cost premium comes from the CDD bonds, which are at or near their original balance since the infrastructure was recently built — typically $2,000–$4,000/year more in bond assessments than comparable central-area homes. Buyers who run the full annual cost comparison sometimes find the southern area premium significant enough to reconsider. That's a conversation worth having before committing.
| Location | South of SR 44 |
|---|---|
| County | Sumter County |
| ZIP Codes | 32163 · 34762 (newer southern communities) |
| Built | 2010s–2020s (actively developing) |
| Bond Status | High to Very high tier ($3,000–$6,000+/yr) |
| Tax Rate | Sumter County (~1.0–1.3%) — same as central area |
| Home Types | Designer Homes, Premier Homes, Patio Villas, Courtyard Villas |
| Neighborhoods | 15+ neighborhoods |
| Town Squares | Sawgrass Grove (2022) · Eastport (2025) |
| Rec Centers | Multiple — confirm specific names at districtgov.org |
| New Construction | Available — active building throughout |
The southern area is the only area in The Villages where new construction is actively available. Buying new means no prior owner, no deferred maintenance, full builder warranty, and the ability to select finishes, flooring, and options before the home is built. For buyers who have always lived in new or near-new homes and aren't comfortable with resale unknowns — inspection surprises, updated systems, prior-owner taste in finishes — the southern area's new construction inventory removes that friction entirely. The premium in ongoing costs (bonds) is the price of that certainty.
Sawgrass Grove's naming vocabulary is intentionally ecological — Marsh Bend, Cason Hammock, Monarch Grove, Fenney, Citrus Grove. The southern area's natural setting reflects that naming: proximity to Florida's interior wetlands and wildlife corridors creates a landscape character different from the northern area and the central area's more manicured residential environments. Buyers who value the feeling of being embedded in Florida's natural landscape — seasonal wildlife, native vegetation, the visual and acoustic environment of a Florida marsh edge — find it most directly in the southern area.
Brand-new recreation centers have brand-new equipment, fresh pool facilities, and the condition advantage of not having 20 years of use. For buyers who use the recreation centers frequently — daily pickleball, regular fitness classes, pool lap swimming — the condition of the facility matters, and Sawgrass Grove's newest centers are in the freshest condition in The Villages. The southern area's recreation infrastructure was designed with the latest thinking about what active 55+ residents want, and it shows in the facilities.
The southern area carries the highest annual ownership costs in The Villages — and buyers deserve a clear-eyed view of what that means before committing.
Southern area bonds are in the High to Very high tier — at or near their original balance because the infrastructure was recently built. Typical annual bond payments: $3,000–$6,000+/year depending on the specific neighborhood and home type. This compares to $150–$800/year in northern area homes and $1,500–$3,000/year in many central-area homes.
The southern area is predominantly in Sumter County — the same county as the central area. There is no county-based tax premium between the southern area and the central area for most homes. The annual cost premium in the southern area over the central area comes almost entirely from the CDD bond assessment.
County exception — Lake County villages: Three newer southern villages — Dabney, Lake Denham, and Newell — are in Lake County, not Sumter County. Lake County property tax rates run approximately 1.2–1.7%, compared to 1.0–1.3% in Sumter County. If you are considering a home in one of these three villages, verify the county by address at the Lake County Property Appraiser and calculate your projected tax from the purchase price — not the seller's current bill.
A southern area home typically carries $2,000–$4,000+/year more in bond assessments than a comparable central-area home. Over 10 years, that's $20,000–$40,000. That's the number buyers should weigh against the benefits of new construction and newer amenities.
Sawgrass Grove has a modern, purpose-built golf cart path network — designed from scratch with current standards, including dedicated paths, tunnel crossings at SR 44, and connections to The Villages' wider path system.
The path network in the southern area is newer and in better condition than older sections of the northern area and central area networks — but it connects to fewer established destinations because the area is still developing. As new commercial and recreational infrastructure is completed, cart connectivity in the southern area will improve.
The southern area is the only part of The Villages where new construction from the developer is actively available. Here's what buying new in Sawgrass Grove looks like compared to buying resale:
Sawgrass Grove has a character that's genuinely different from the Spanish-colonial northern area and the waterfront-entertainment central area — and buyers who respond to it often respond strongly.
The naming vocabulary is ecological: sawgrass, marshes, hammocks, monarchs, fenns, citrus groves. The landscape setting reflects it — the southern area is embedded in Florida's interior ecology in a way that the older, more densely built northern area and the central area aren't. Morning wildlife sightings, natural vegetation buffers, the visual and acoustic character of a Florida natural landscape — these are southern area qualities that don't exist elsewhere in The Villages.
For buyers who came to Florida partly for the natural environment (not just the climate), and who want their neighborhood to feel like it belongs to Florida's landscape rather than being imposed on it, Sawgrass Grove's natural character is a genuine differentiator.
Every neighborhood below has a dedicated page. The southern area's naming vocabulary draws from Florida's natural heritage — ecology, exploration, native flora.
More neighborhoods being added: The southern area is actively developing. New communities are announced and built on an ongoing basis. Contact Scout for the most current list of available communities in the southern area.
Updated daily. Newest construction in Sawgrass Grove, Sumter County.
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Browse All Listings →The honest trade-off analysis buyers need before deciding.
The southern area is the right fit for buyers who prioritize new construction and modern home design over established character and low ongoing costs. If you want the newest floor plans, the freshest recreation centers, and the option to buy new (or near-new resale), the southern area is where to look. It's also where buyers who are drawn to the southern area's natural character — marsh edges, wildlife corridors, Florida ecology — find a setting unlike anything in the northern area or the central area.
Sawgrass Grove is one of The Villages' five town squares — an entertainment hub that opened in 2022, with free nightly live music, dining, and shops. It sits in Sumter County, south of SR 44. Sawgrass Grove is not the name of the southern area; it is a town square within the southern area. The southern area's neighborhood names draw from Florida natural and heritage themes: Marsh Bend, Cason Hammock, Monarch Grove, Fenney, Citrus Grove. Eastport, which opened in 2025, is the newest town square and sits farther south.
The southern area carries the highest bond balances in The Villages — the infrastructure (roads, utilities, amenities) was built recently and the bonds are at or near their original balance. Annual bond payments in southern area neighborhoods are typically $3,000–$6,000+/year depending on the specific community and home. This is the single biggest financial difference between the southern area and central or northern area homes, and buyers should always model it in the total annual cost comparison.
The southern area is in Sumter County (ZIP 32163) — the same county as the central area. Property tax rates are approximately 1.0–1.3%, comparable to the central area. The annual cost premium in the southern area over the central area comes from the CDD bond assessment, not taxes: southern area bonds are near their original balance at roughly $3,000–$6,000+/year, compared to $1,500–$3,000/year in most central-area homes. The trade-off is new construction quality and modern amenity infrastructure.
The southern area has two of its own town squares: Sawgrass Grove (opened 2022) and Eastport (opened 2025), both in Sumter County south of SR 44. Brownwood Paddock Square is accessible by golf cart from the northernmost southern area neighborhoods. Sawgrass Grove and Eastport are still building out their dining and entertainment lineups compared to the more established Spanish Springs or Lake Sumter Landing, but free nightly entertainment runs at both. Eastport, centered on 250-acre Central Lake, is the newer and larger of the two southern squares.
Yes — the southern area is the primary area where The Villages is still actively building new homes. New construction options (buying directly from The Villages developer) are available throughout the southern area. New construction comes with the advantage of no prior owner, full builder warranty, and the ability to select finishes and options. The trade-off is that new construction carries full bond balances from day one.
The southern area offers the newest everything — newest homes, newest recreation centers, newest path network infrastructure — at the highest ongoing cost (full bond balances; same Sumter County tax rate as the central area). The northern area offers the lowest ongoing cost (very low bonds, Lake County taxes) and the most established character. The central area is the middle ground with Sumter County's low tax rate and two town squares within cart range. The southern area is best for buyers prioritizing new construction; the central area for buyers prioritizing value and amenity access; the northern area for buyers prioritizing established character and lowest ongoing costs.
I can walk you through the new construction options, run a real annual-cost comparison against the central area and northern area alternatives, and help you decide whether the southern area fits your budget and lifestyle.