Vanderbilt Lakes

Updated October 2026 · Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar, Domain Realty

McGreevy and Comisar are the team Vanderbilt Lakes owners call first when it is time to sell, and the team buyers use to sort out which of the community's seven associations, fees and lease rules come with a home before they buy. Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008, #1 Team in Southwest Florida since 2012, and our headquarters is right here in Bonita Springs.

Vanderbilt Lakes is a gated community of 234 single-family homes and villas and 300 Bermuda condominiums in Bonita Springs, Florida. It sits west of US 41 and south of Bonita Beach Road, entered from Vanderbilt Drive, about a mile west of Spanish Wells. This is the Lee County community in ZIP 34134, not Vanderbilt Beach or Vanderbilt Country Club in Naples.

Why McGreevy and Comisar Are the Best Realtor for Vanderbilt Lakes

McGreevy and Comisar are the Best Realtor for Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs because we price from the public record: every Lee County recorded sale of the last 12 months with homes kept apart from condominiums, the recorded 1985 master declaration, its 2014 restatement and each neighborhood's lease rules. We are Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County recorded sales through September 25, 2026; county roll file dated October 11, 2026).

If you're searching for the best realtor for Vanderbilt Lakes, whether you're ready to sell your Vanderbilt Lakes home or buy your next one, McGreevy and Comisar is the team that delivers. We lead Domain Realty Group, the #1 real estate team in Southwest Florida since 2012, Top 1% Nationally since 2008, and as the leaders of Domain Realty Group our team has closed over $2.5 billion in real estate. Between Jesse and Marc personally, the number is over $900 million in Sales.

The Vanderbilt Lakes market record, 12 months to September 25, 2026

We pulled every recorded Vanderbilt Lakes sale in the Lee County public record for the 12 months to September 25, 2026 (Lee County Property Appraiser public roll and sales files, our analysis; the newest qualified sale in the file is dated September 25, 2026). In the last 12 months we tracked 31 Vanderbilt Lakes sales in the Lee County record, 13 homes and 18 condominiums. The 13 single-family and villa sales had a median of $800,000 ($650,000 to $1,100,000). The 18 Bermuda condominium sales had a median of $275,000 ($212,500 to $350,000). Every one of the 31 was a resale. We keep the two apart because a house and a two-story condominium are different products, and a single blended number describes neither.

The MLS view of the same year. Days on market and sale-to-list ratio: Information not available at time of publishing (checked 2026-10-10). We lead with the county record for counts and prices because it is the public record of deeds, and we use the MLS only for the measures it alone carries.

Honors and recognition

• Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008
• 5 Star Award for Customer Satisfaction for 21 Straight Years. Only 5 out of 21k+ Licensees (Gulfshore Life Magazine)
• #1 Team in Southwest Florida since 2012
• McGreevy and Comisar and their Domain Realty Group team have sold over $2.5 Billion in Real Estate
• McGreevy and Comisar alone have over $900 million in Sales
• Nationally Recognized Top Producing Realtors
• Platinum Sales Production Award Winners
• #5 real estate team in Florida (RealTrends 2026)
• #1 real estate team in Bonita Springs (RealTrends 2026)

Our clients review us on Google in their own words. We publish no aggregate score, and every review we quote is a five-star review.

For Vanderbilt Lakes sellers

For luxury Vanderbilt Lakes sellers: premium marketing, including cinematic video, drone, professional photography, a qualified-buyer database, and discretion with off-market capability when a sale needs to stay quiet. On a Vanderbilt Lakes home that marketing starts with what the record shows: the neighborhood and its association line, the lease and pet rules a buyer inherits, and the county's recorded sales for the same product, so a buyer sees exactly what the home is worth next to its neighbors.

Selling your Vanderbilt Lakes home? Get a free home valuation at https://mcgreevyandcomisar.com/home-valuation, or call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072 (confidential conversations welcome for luxury listings).

Our Vanderbilt Lakes seller guide sets out the selling costs, the closing documents and the recorded sales by neighborhood before you list.

For Vanderbilt Lakes buyers

McGreevy and Comisar is a top-reviewed Vanderbilt Lakes realtor, and a Vanderbilt Lakes purchase is one where the buyer is choosing among seven sets of rules, not one. Buying a home in Vanderbilt Lakes? Call Marc at (239) 287-5873 for a personalized buyer consultation, or read how we represent buyers in Southwest Florida.

Our Vanderbilt Lakes buyer guide walks through the fee layers, the lease and pet rules and the recorded sales by product before you tour.

★★★★★ "Their knowledge of the Southwest Florida market really stood out, and you can tell they genuinely care about their clients and getting the best results possible. They were always available to answer questions, kept us informed every step of the way, and paid attention to every detail." Verified Google review

Key Takeaways: What Should Vanderbilt Lakes Buyers and Sellers Know?

Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs is 534 residences in seven neighborhoods run by a layered set of associations, and these eight points carry the rest of the page, from the county's recorded sales to the fee line, the lease rules, the flood map and the rival next door.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County recorded sales through September 25, 2026; county roll file dated October 11, 2026; VCSA 2025 adopted budget; FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer read October 10, 2026).

• Size and shape: Vanderbilt Lakes has 534 residences in seven neighborhoods: 92 Vanderbilt 1 homes, 102 Estates homes, 40 Carmel villas and 300 condominiums in Bermuda Isles I and II, Bermuda Cays and Bermuda Gardens, built 1985 to 1998 with one 2019 rebuild.
• The market: Lee County recorded 13 home sales at an $800,000 median and 18 condominium sales at a $275,000 median in the 12 months to September 25, 2026, and we never blend the two.
• Who governs: one master association (Vanderbilt Community Services Association, VCSA, formed 1984) and the Commons association formed under a 2008 mediated court settlement run the roads, gates and lakes, and the Estates, Carmel and each condominium have their own association on top.
• What it costs: the 2025 master and Commons line runs from $216.40 a year (Estates) to $1,345.00 (Vanderbilt 1); condominium, Carmel, Estates and club dues are not published in the documents we read, and a $1,500 or $750 resale capital assessment is due at closing.
• The rules: lease rules change by neighborhood, with Carmel requiring 90 days and one lease a year, Bermuda Cays 60 days, and the other condominiums 30 days. None of the recorded declarations we read contains an age restriction; the governing documents control.
• Flood and storm: FEMA maps every parcel record we checked in Zone X, yet Lee County places the community in evacuation Zone B, among the first areas ordered to leave for a hurricane.
• Amenities: the pools and court belong to the Isles and Cays Swim and Racquet Club and Bermuda Gardens has its own pool; there is no community clubhouse, golf course, marina or beach access.
• The rival next door: Spanish Wells recorded 43 single-family sales at an $820,000 median with 27 holes of semi-private golf, against Vanderbilt Lakes' $800,000 median and $362.73 per square foot of county heated area.

Table of Contents

This Vanderbilt Lakes guide is organized so a seller or a buyer in Bonita Springs can jump straight to the record that answers the question: the neighborhoods and the county's recorded sales, who governs and what each layer bills, flood and insurance, schools and drive times, how Vanderbilt Lakes compares, and the buyer and seller FAQs.

The community

• What Is Vanderbilt Lakes, and Where Is It in Bonita Springs?
• What Is It Like Living in Vanderbilt Lakes as a Homebuyer?
• What Does the Vanderbilt Lakes Market Look Like Right Now?
• What Kinds of Homes Are in Vanderbilt Lakes?
• How Did Vanderbilt Lakes Come to Be?

Governance, fees and rules

• How Is Vanderbilt Lakes Governed?
• What Are the HOA and Association Fees in Vanderbilt Lakes?
• What Does It Cost to Own a Home or Condo in Vanderbilt Lakes?
• What Rules Apply to Owners and Renters in Vanderbilt Lakes?
• What Are the Neighborhoods Inside Vanderbilt Lakes?

Amenities and daily life

• What Amenities Does Vanderbilt Lakes Have?
• How Do the Gates and Daily Logistics Work in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Risk, insurance and condominium law

• How Do Hurricanes Affect Vanderbilt Lakes?
• What Flood Zone Is Vanderbilt Lakes In?
• How Does Insurance Work for Vanderbilt Lakes Homes and Condos?
• Do Milestone Inspections and SIRS Apply to the Bermuda Condominiums?

Location

• What Schools Serve Vanderbilt Lakes?
• How Far Is Vanderbilt Lakes From Hospitals?
• How Long Is the Drive From Vanderbilt Lakes to Everywhere?
• What Is Near Vanderbilt Lakes for Beaches, Shopping and Parks?
• What Is Being Built or Changed Near Vanderbilt Lakes?

Comparisons

• How Does Vanderbilt Lakes Compare With Nearby Communities?
• Vanderbilt Lakes vs Spanish Wells: Which Community Fits Your Priorities?
• What Are the Pros and Cons of Vanderbilt Lakes?

Selling and contact

• Thinking of Selling Your Vanderbilt Lakes Home? List With the #1 Team in Southwest Florida Since 2012
• Your Local Real Estate Experts

FAQs and sources

• Vanderbilt Lakes FAQ: Buyer Edition
• Vanderbilt Lakes FAQ: Seller Edition
• Sources
• Downloadable Documents

What Is Vanderbilt Lakes, and Where Is It in Bonita Springs?

Vanderbilt Lakes is a gated community of 234 single-family homes and villas and 300 condominiums in the City of Bonita Springs, Lee County, ZIP 34134, west of US 41 and south of Bonita Beach Road. It is entered from Vanderbilt Drive by Northlake Street and holds seven neighborhoods under one 1985 master declaration.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County Property Appraiser roll file dated October 11, 2026; Lee County GIS layers read October 10, 2026; the associations' own neighborhood list re-read October 12, 2026).

Where exactly is Vanderbilt Lakes?

Vanderbilt Lakes sits inside the City of Bonita Springs, which incorporated in 1999. On Lee County's parcel layer every parcel in the community carries tax district 017, City of Bonita Springs and Bonita Springs Fire, and the city limit contains every point we sampled. The center of the county's subdivision polygon is about 0.55 mile from US 41 and 0.73 mile from Bonita Beach Road in a straight line. The community falls in City Council District 3, Lee County Commission District 3 and School Board District 3.

The main loop is Winthrop Circle, shared by Vanderbilt 1 and the Estates, with Essex Place, Saybrook Place and Clinton Lane in Vanderbilt 1 and Regis, Trenton, Seton and Crowfut Courts in the Estates. Carmel Way holds the Carmel villas. Leeward Passage Court serves Bermuda Isles I and II, Windward Passage Circle and Starboard Passage Way serve Bermuda Cays, and Bermuda Bay Way serves Bermuda Gardens. The community's streets are private. Neighbors by name are Bermuda Pointe to the south, the Woods Edge cluster, and Windsor Road and Meadowlark Lane to the north and east. Lee County's road centerline layer shows Collier County as the maintainer of Vanderbilt Drive (County Road 901) inside the city.

How many homes are in Vanderbilt Lakes?

The associations' own site lists seven neighborhoods, and their counts add to 534 residences: 92 in Vanderbilt 1, 102 in Vanderbilt 2 (the Estates), 40 in Carmel, 56 in Bermuda Isles 1, 68 in Bermuda Isles 2, 96 in Bermuda Cays and 80 in Bermuda Gardens. That is 234 homes and villas (92 + 102 + 40) and 300 condominiums (56 + 68 + 96 + 80). The sum is our arithmetic on their list.

The recorded record agrees. The 2014 Amended and Restated Declaration counts 92 single-family and 340 multi-family residences, and 340 is Carmel's 40 plus Bermuda Cays' 96 plus Bermuda Isles I and II's 124 plus Bermuda Gardens' 80. The Lee County roll for ZIP 34134, file dated October 11, 2026, shows 234 homes (use code 01) and 300 condominiums (use code 04), plus 17 common-element parcels, which is 551 parcels in all. A plain name search of the roll returns only 232 homes, because two homes carry misspelled legal descriptions. Vanderbilt 1 was platted as 94 lots, and some lots were later combined into the 92 homes.

The seven neighborhoods at a glance

Sources: the associations' neighborhood list, the Lee County roll file dated October 11, 2026, and the recorded declarations, all read October 2026. VCSA is the master association formed in 1984. The Commons, a separate association whose members are three associations rather than individual owners, runs the gates and lakes.

Is Vanderbilt Lakes gated?

Yes. Lee County's subdivision layer flags Vanderbilt Lakes as gated with Sheriff traffic control, read October 10, 2026. The Commons association describes a front gate with a call box, where residents give visitors an entry code and visitors use the directory, plus resident SmartPass lanes. A back gate opens by SmartPass only and is electronically locked from 9 pm to 5 am daily, and video surveillance covers all gates. The Commons runs the SmartPass system for the residents of Vanderbilt Lakes. County address points record a guard house at the Northlake Street entrance and a security gate on Meadowlark Lane at the north end. Whether a gate is staffed is not stated in any current document we read, so we do not describe it.

Is Bermuda Pointe part of Vanderbilt Lakes?

No. Bermuda Pointe is a separate 60-unit condominium next door with its own association; its 1997 declaration does not place it under the Vanderbilt Lakes master, and the associations' own list leaves it out. For that neighbor, see Bermuda Pointe. Bermuda Lago and Bermuda Ridge belong to the Woods Edge cluster. None of them is counted in any Vanderbilt Lakes figure on this page.

Vanderbilt Lakes is not Vanderbilt Beach or Vanderbilt Country Club

Recorded documents from 1983 to 1995 call the road at the community's west edge by an old name, Vanderbilt Beach Drive. That is today's Vanderbilt Drive in Bonita Springs, not Collier County's Vanderbilt Beach Road, and nothing on this page concerns Vanderbilt Beach, Vanderbilt Country Club or any other Naples place that carries the Vanderbilt name. They are different places in a different county.

If you are choosing an agent for a move in or out of Vanderbilt Lakes, our guide to the best real estate agents in Bonita Springs sets out how we compare teams on the public record.

What Is It Like Living in Vanderbilt Lakes as a Homebuyer?

Living in Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs means choosing among three kinds of home: single-family houses on Winthrop Circle and its courts, a street of association-maintained villas, and two-story condominium buildings with shared or private pools. All sit inside one SmartPass gate system on private roads, 3 to 6 minutes from US 41 and Bonita Beach Road.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County Property Appraiser roll file dated October 11, 2026; drive times computed October 2026 on OpenStreetMap roads, free-flow, no traffic).

Single-family homes on Winthrop Circle and its courts

Vanderbilt 1 holds 92 homes built 1985 to 1988, with county heated areas from 1,777 to 3,755 square feet. The Estates hold 102 homes built 1989 to 2019 (typically 1989 to 1999) on Regis, Trenton, Seton and Crowfut Courts, with county heated areas from 1,804 to 3,195 square feet. Across the 194 single-family homes of the two neighborhoods the county roll records 29 two-bedroom homes, 153 three-bedroom homes, 11 four-bedroom homes and one five-bedroom home. Most single-family lots carry a private pool on the county roll. Of the 234 homes and villas, 231 were built in 2000 or earlier.

Carmel villas

Carmel at Vanderbilt Lakes is 40 villas on Carmel Way, built 1987 to 1997, with county heated areas from 1,226 to 2,585 square feet and a median of about 1,537. They are attached and detached single-family residences under recorded covenants, not a condominium. The Carmel association cleans and paints residence exteriors, driveways and front-yard landscaping, while owners keep roofs, stucco, doors, windows, screens, air conditioning, pools and courtyards. Carmel asks for 20 days' written notice to the association before a sale or lease closing, and its lease rule is a 90-day minimum with one lease in any twelve-month period.

The Bermuda condominiums

The 300 condominiums sit in four groups of two-story buildings. Bermuda Cays has 96 units in 24 buildings of four on Starboard Passage Way and Windward Passage Circle. Bermuda Isles I has 56 units in 6 buildings and Bermuda Isles II has 68 units in 8 buildings, both on Leeward Passage Court; the association's site calls Isles I the white-roof buildings and Isles II the red-roof buildings. Bermuda Gardens has 80 units in 8 buildings of ten on Bermuda Bay Way. Isles I, Isles II and Cays share the Swim and Racquet Club's pools and court, and Gardens has its own pool, spa, gazebo and grills.

What the associations handle for you

The master's common property is the entrance, roads, lakes, preserves and surface water system, and the Commons maintains the lakes, the front gate and guard house, the north gate, signage, preserves and front-entrance landscaping under a 2008 agreement. Since a 2024 amendment, the master association also installs and maintains street lighting and mailboxes in Vanderbilt 1, and owners there maintain, repair and replace the new mailbox in matching style. Carmel's association handles exteriors as described above. In Bermuda Cays the declaration makes water, sewer and trash a common expense. Beyond those layers, what each neighborhood association covers is set by its own declaration, and the dues are not published in the documents we read.

What Vanderbilt Lakes does not have

Vanderbilt Lakes has no community clubhouse, no golf course, no marina and no docks, and no beach access appears in any recorded document we read. The 1985 declaration prohibits docks and powered boats on the lakes. The word beach appears only in an old road name. Golf is next door, and the Spanish Wells comparison later on this page covers it; the Gulf is a drive away, and the location sections cover the beaches.

What we walk a Vanderbilt Lakes buyer through first

This is the process we follow, not a story about any one buyer:

1. Which neighborhood, and so which of the seven rule sets and which associations apply to that address.
2. The master line: VCSA plus Commons, $216.40 to $1,345.00 a year in the 2025 adopted budget depending on neighborhood, and the neighborhood layers on top that are not published.
3. The resale capital assessment due to VCSA at closing, $1,500 for a single-family home or $750 for a multi-family unit per the Board's December 5, 2017 vote.
4. The lease rule for that neighborhood, because it decides whether a home can ever be rented and for how long.
5. The estoppel certificate, whose fee is capped by statute and which shows what is owed.
6. For a condominium, the resale documents and the 7-day review period under section 718.503 of the Florida Statutes, which runs after the buyer signs and receives the documents, excluding weekends and legal holidays.

If you are weighing a specific Vanderbilt Lakes address, call Marc at (239) 287-5873 and we will pull its association layers before you write an offer.

What Does the Vanderbilt Lakes Market Look Like Right Now?

The Vanderbilt Lakes market in Bonita Springs, on the Lee County record for the 12 months to September 25, 2026, is 13 single-family and villa sales at an $800,000 median ($650,000 to $1,100,000, or $362.73 per square foot) and 18 Bermuda condominium sales at a $275,000 median ($212,500 to $350,000, or $234.44 per square foot), all resales.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County recorded sales through September 25, 2026; county roll file dated October 11, 2026).

The county record for homes, 12 months to September 25, 2026

The table covers the 234 single-family homes and villas of Vanderbilt 1, the Estates and Carmel. Price per square foot is per square foot of county heated area, which is the roll's figure and not the MLS living area.

Source: Lee County Property Appraiser public roll and sales files, our analysis, qualified improved sales, roll file dated October 11, 2026.

The county record for condominiums

The table covers the 300 condominiums of Bermuda Isles I and II, Bermuda Cays and Bermuda Gardens.

By neighborhood, the 18 condominium sales were 7 in Bermuda Isles (all seven in Isles II), from $242,000 to $295,000, 6 in Bermuda Cays, from $237,000 to $350,000, and 5 in Bermuda Gardens, from $212,500 to $305,000. Each of those groups is under 10 sales, so we print counts and ranges, not medians.

Homes versus condominiums: why we never blend them

The 12-month medians sit $525,000 apart ($800,000 less $275,000), and the median price per square foot sits $128.29 apart ($362.73 less $234.44). That gap is product, not trend: a free-standing house on a private lot and a two-story condominium building with shared walls and a shared roof are different things to own, insure and resell. A single median across all 31 sales would fall between the two groups and describe neither, so this page never prints one.

The longer view: 24, 36 and 60 months

Longer windows give a steadier read when 12 months holds few sales. Every window ends September 25, 2026.

The home sales ranged from $427,500 to $1,195,000 over 24 months, $315,000 to $1,300,000 over 36 months and $315,000 to $1,485,000 over 60 months. The 60-month condominium sales ranged from $181,000 to $419,000. Home medians barely moved across the four windows, while condominium medians rose with each longer window, which is consistent with the higher 2022 and 2023 medians in the calendar-year table below.

Vanderbilt Lakes by calendar year

Each year stands on its own count, and 2026 runs only to September 25.

From 2023 to 2026 to date, the condominium median moved from $369,950 (16 sales) to $272,500 (16 sales), down $97,450 or 26.3 percent, while the home median moved from $770,000 to $807,500, up $37,500 or 4.9 percent. That is a calendar-year comparison of medians, not a forecast.

Price bands

Of the 13 home sales in the 12 months, 3 closed from $500,000 to $750,000, 8 from $750,000 to $1,000,000 and 2 at $1,000,000 and up. Of the 18 condominium sales, 14 closed from $200,000 to $300,000 and 4 from $300,000 to $400,000. No condominium sold above $350,000 and no home sold below $650,000.

Every home sale by street, 12 months

Here are all 13 recorded home sales in the window, with street names only. Square footage is the county's heated area.

By street, Winthrop Circle and Regis Court each recorded 3 sales, and Clinton Lane, Saybrook Place and Essex Place each recorded 2. Seton Court recorded 1. No sale in the window was Carmel; the county shows 2 Carmel sales in 24 months and 12 in 60 months.

What the public record cannot tell you yet

The county record carries deeds and prices. It does not carry how long a home was listed or what it was listed for. Days on market, sale-to-list ratio, active listings and months of supply: Information not available at time of publishing (checked 2026-10-10). County and MLS counts for the same year can differ, because the county counts every recorded deed and the MLS counts only sales that went through a listing.

Buying or Selling in Vanderbilt Lakes? Start With a Conversation

With 13 home sales and 18 condominium sales on the Lee County record in the last 12 months, the neighborhood and its association line set the price as much as the house does. If you are selling, get a free home valuation at https://mcgreevyandcomisar.com/home-valuation or call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072. If you are buying, call Marc at (239) 287-5873 or read how we represent buyers in Southwest Florida.

What Kinds of Homes Are in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs holds 92 Vanderbilt 1 homes built 1985 to 1988, 102 Estates homes built 1989 to 2019, 40 Carmel villas built 1987 to 1997 and 300 condominiums of about 1,067 to 1,478 square feet in two-story buildings built 1989 to 1997. Three-bedroom homes dominate the single-family side.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County Property Appraiser roll file dated October 11, 2026; building footprints read October 10, 2026).

Vanderbilt 1 homes, 1985 to 1988

Vanderbilt 1 is 92 single-family homes on Plat Book 37, in Blocks A, C and D, built 1985 to 1988 and measuring 1,777 to 3,755 square feet of county heated area. The master declaration sets a minimum of 1,750 square feet under air and a first living floor at least 12.5 feet above mean sea level for single-family homes. We name no builder for any one home, because the record does not support that claim: Arthur Rutenberg Corp. joined the 1985 declaration as owner of the single-family lots, and that is all the recorded document establishes.

Estates homes, 1989 to 2019

The Estates are 102 homes: 89 on the Vanderbilt Lakes II replat and 13 on Vanderbilt Lakes III. They were built 1989 to 2019, typically 1989 to 1999, with Vanderbilt Lakes III built 1998 to 2000 after its December 1997 plat, and one 2019 rebuild. County heated area runs from 1,804 to 3,195 square feet.

Carmel villas, 1987 to 1997

Carmel's 40 villas stand on Carmel Way and measure 1,226 to 2,585 square feet of county heated area. The recorded declaration covers attached and detached single-family residences on Block B, and the Carmel association was incorporated in April 1987. The county codes Carmel parcels as single-family and the association maintains the exteriors, which is why Carmel is a covenant community of villas and not a condominium.

Condominium floor plans by building group

Source: Lee County Property Appraiser roll file dated October 11, 2026, read October 2026.

Sizes, bedrooms and pools

Of the 194 single-family homes in Vanderbilt 1 and the Estates, 153 have three bedrooms, about 79 percent (153 divided by 194), with 29 two-bedroom homes, 11 four-bedroom homes and one five-bedroom home. Single-family homes run from 1,777 to 3,755 square feet of county heated area, the Carmel villas from 1,226 to 2,585, and the condominiums from 1,067 to 1,478. Most single-family lots carry a private pool on the county roll, and 5 of the 40 Carmel lots do. In the condominiums, the pools are shared: the Swim and Racquet Club for Isles I, Isles II and Cays, and Gardens' own pool.

Building heights in the condominiums

The county's building footprint layer, read October 10, 2026, records every residential condominium building in Bermuda Isles, Bermuda Isles II, Bermuda Cays and Bermuda Gardens as two stories; the one one-story building on the Isles common area is the pool cabana. Why height matters to a condominium buyer is covered in the milestone inspection and reserve study section below.

How Did Vanderbilt Lakes Come to Be?

Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs was platted in 1983, replatted in December 1984 and again in December 1985, and organized as a planned development under a master declaration recorded in July 1985. Vanderbilt Lakes II followed in 1987 to 1989, Carmel and the Bermuda condominiums arrived between 1987 and 1997, and a 2008 settlement created the Commons.

Data updated: October 2026 (recorded plats, declarations and Florida Division of Corporations records read October 10, 2026; Lee County Property Appraiser roll file dated October 11, 2026).

The history of Vanderbilt Lakes matters to a buyer because it explains why one gated place carries seven sets of rules. Each neighborhood was declared at a different time by a different developer entity, and a single master declaration was laid over all of them. Every date below comes from a recorded plat, a recorded declaration, a court-mediated settlement or a state corporation record, and each is checked against the timeline table at the end of this section.

The 1983 plat and two replats

The original plat, titled Vanderbilt Lakes, Section 4, covers 77.89 acres. The Lee County Board of County Commissioners approved it on November 30, 1983, and it was filed that December in Plat Book 36, pages 6 to 11. That approval came sixteen years before the City of Bonita Springs incorporated in 1999.

A replat in December 1984 (Plat Book 36, pages 92 to 97) measured 78.19 acres. A second replat, described on its face as a replat of the replat, followed in December 1985 (Plat Book 37, pages 34 to 40). The 1985 plat leaves the roads, drainage and sewage facilities private, meaning the county did not accept them, and the streets inside Vanderbilt Lakes are private streets today. Vanderbilt 1 sits on that plat (Blocks A, C and D). It shows 94 platted lots, some later combined, and the associations list 92 homes.

One naming note helps when you read the old documents. The recorded papers from 1983 to 1995 call the road on the west edge "C.R. 865A (Vanderbilt Beach Drive S.W.)". That road is today's Vanderbilt Drive in Bonita Springs, not a road in Collier County.

The 1985 master declaration

The Master Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions of Vanderbilt Lakes was made in July 1985 (signed July 16 and July 24, 1985) and recorded in Official Records Book 1797, Page 725. It runs 45 pages. The declaration describes "a Planned Development to include multifamily development, patio home development and single dwelling development to be known as VANDERBILT LAKES". That sentence is the origin of the mix you see today: single-family homes, villas and condominiums under one name.

The developer declarants were joined by Arthur Rutenberg Corp., the owner of the single-family lots at that time. That tells you who owned the lots in 1985. It does not tell you who built any one home today, and we make no builder claim for individual homes.

The 1985 declaration did four other things that still shape ownership:

• It split the master budget 65 percent to the single-family side and 35 percent to the multi-family side.
• It covered roads, stormwater, security systems, the lakes and insurance in that master budget.
• It prohibited docks and powered boats on the lakes.
• It was paired with a separate 1985 declaration creating a private wastewater treatment area and association, which was voluntarily dissolved on March 10, 1997. Bonita Springs Utilities provides water and sewer service today.

The Vanderbilt Community Services Association (VCSA) had already been incorporated on October 2, 1984, a year before the declaration was recorded.

Vanderbilt Lakes II and III

Vanderbilt Lakes II covers 60.32 acres. It was platted in 1987 (Plat Book 39, pages 40 to 44) and replatted in 1989 (Plat Book 42, pages 88 to 92), with the replat approved March 15, 1989 and filed May 4, 1989. Its declaration is dated January 1989, and its homeowners association was incorporated January 26, 1989. Ryan Homes, G.P. signed a joinder to that declaration, which records a builder's participation in the declaration and nothing more specific about individual homes. The developer of record was a Vanderbilt Lakes II general partnership. An access, utility and drainage easement between Vanderbilt Lakes II and the master association was recorded July 8, 1987.

Vanderbilt Lakes III was platted in December 1997 (Plat Book 60, pages 48 to 49) as a replat of part of Vanderbilt Lakes II, by a Florida limited partnership. Its 13 homes belong to the Vanderbilt Lakes II homeowners association. Together, Vanderbilt Lakes II and III make up the neighborhood we call the Estates: 102 homes, 89 on the Vanderbilt Lakes II replat and 13 on Vanderbilt Lakes III. The county roll shows them built from 1989 to 2019 (one 2019 rebuild; typical 1989 to 1999; Vanderbilt Lakes III homes 1998 to 2000).

Carmel and the Bermuda condominiums, 1987 to 1997

Carmel at Vanderbilt Lakes was declared by Western Express, Inc. at Official Records Book 1951, Page 1316, for attached and detached single-family residences on all of Block B. Its association was incorporated April 10, 1987. The declaration was amended and restated by written consent approved December 3, 2004. The county roll shows 40 Carmel villas built from 1987 to 1997. Carmel is a set of villas under covenants, not a condominium.

The Bermuda condominiums came in four steps:

• Bermuda Cays and Bermuda Isles, March 28, 1989. Shelltex Marketing, Inc. declared both (Official Records Book 2075, Pages 2312 and 2393). Each declaration places its condominium inside the planned unit development known as Vanderbilt Lakes. Both condominium associations were incorporated February 9, 1989.
• Swim and Racquet Club, 1989 and 1995. The Bermuda Isles and Cays Swim and Racquet Club Membership Agreement is dated March 28, 1989 (Official Records Book 2075, Pages 2273 to 2311), and the club was incorporated March 30, 1989. The pool and court land was deeded to the club in fee simple by three warranty deeds dated January 30, June 30 and October 31, 1995.
• Bermuda Isles II, June 15, 1994. B.I. Devco, Inc. became successor developer of Bermuda Isles in May 1994 and declared Bermuda Isles II (Official Records Book 2510, Page 3342). Its association was incorporated August 12, 1993.
• Bermuda Gardens, 1995 and 1996. A Grant of Easement and Membership, Access, Utility and Drainage Agreement dated July 14, 1995 (Official Records Book 2619, Page 1381) gave Bermuda Gardens perpetual road and drainage easements, a non-voting membership in the master association and a 17 percent share of the master budget, and its developer paid toward a new guard gate facility at the entrance. B.I. Devco, Inc. declared Bermuda Gardens on January 15, 1996 (Official Records Book 2670, Page 739). Its association was incorporated May 12, 1995.

By county roll, the buildings went up in this order: Bermuda Cays 1989 to 1996, Bermuda Isles I in 1989, 1990 and 1994, Bermuda Isles II in 1994 and 1995, and Bermuda Gardens in 1996 and 1997.

The 2008 settlement and the Commons

A Mediated Settlement Agreement dated January 10, 2008 resolved a lawsuit in Lee County Circuit Court (Case No. 04-CA-2398) between the Vanderbilt Lakes II homeowners association and VCSA. It created the Vanderbilt Lakes Commons to run the front entrance and gate area, the preserves, Winthrop Circle (excluding landscaping) and the lakes, for a period of at least twenty years. Twenty years from 2008 is 2028. The Commons was incorporated February 25, 2008.

The practical result is that the gates, lakes and preserves are run by an association whose members are other associations, not individual owners. Section 9 below sets out who sits on it and how its costs are shared.

The 2014 restatement and later amendments

VCSA's members approved the Amended and Restated Declaration, Articles and By-Laws on January 13, 2014. The restated declaration was recorded February 17, 2014 (Instrument 2014000031796), and the restated articles were filed January 30, 2014.

The restated declaration runs "until August 5, 2025" and then renews automatically for successive twenty-year periods unless two-thirds of owners vote to terminate during the last year of a term (section 11.1). Amendment takes two-thirds of the voting interests present and voting (section 11.2). That first renewal date has passed. We searched the Lee County Clerk's official records index and found no recorded termination.

Recorded changes since then:

• February 9, 2021: a bylaws amendment (Instrument 2021000041636).
• March 27, 2024: amendments approved February 26, 2024 and recorded as Instrument 2024000085102. They cover Declaration sections 7.20 and 7.21 (street lighting and mailboxes in Vanderbilt 1) and Bylaw 6.5 (payment timing).

Two neighborhood-level changes sit outside VCSA's own papers. On December 5, 2017, the VCSA Board raised the resale capital assessment, and on October 12, 2018 Carmel recorded an amendment to its lease and pet rules (Instrument 2018000243845).

A timeline you can check

How Is Vanderbilt Lakes Governed?

Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs is governed by one master association, Vanderbilt Community Services Association (VCSA), formed in 1984 under the recorded 1985 declaration and restated in 2014. A Commons association created by a 2008 court settlement runs the gates, lakes and preserves, and the Estates, Carmel and each condominium add their own association.

Data updated: October 2026 (Florida Division of Corporations records and recorded declarations read October 10, 2026; associations' site read October 12, 2026).

Every sentence about "the HOA" in Vanderbilt Lakes has to name its layer, because the master association, the Commons, the Estates HOA, the Carmel association, each condominium association and the Swim and Racquet Club are separate legal bodies with separate documents. This section names each one by its state record and says what it runs.

Vanderbilt Community Services Association, the master

Vanderbilt Community Services Association, Inc. (VCSA) is a Florida not-for-profit corporation, number N05437, filed October 2, 1984. It is active, its 2026 annual report was filed March 27, 2026, and it is managed by a Fort Myers association management company.

Under the 2014 restated declaration, every owner of a parcel is a member. Votes work this way:

• Single-family lots carry 4 votes each (92 lots).
• Multi-family units carry 1 vote each (260 units in Carmel, Bermuda Cays, Bermuda Isles I and Bermuda Isles II).
• Bermuda Gardens units do not have a vote.

Vanderbilt 1 has no separate homeowners association board. Its homes sit directly in VCSA.

According to the associations' site (read October 12, 2026), the VCSA board has five directors serving two-year terms. A three-member Architectural Review Board has two members from the 92 single-family homes and one from the multi-family units. The multi-family members elect their own seat on the Commons at the VCSA annual meeting. The 2026 calendar lists a budget workshop on Zoom on October 26, 2026 at 3 pm, a budget adoption meeting on Zoom on November 23, 2026 at 3 pm, and the annual members meeting on Tuesday, February 16, 2027, from 4 to 6 pm.

The Vanderbilt Lakes Commons

Vanderbilt Lakes Commons Association, Inc., number N08000001891, was filed February 25, 2008. It is active (reinstated June 18, 2010), and its 2026 annual report was filed April 21, 2026. Its stated purpose is to "maintain, repair, replace, landscape, insure (to the extent available), protect and operate the front entrance/guard gate area of the Vanderbilt Lakes community, the preserves, Winthrop Circle (excluding landscaping), the lakes and to perform all obligations of SFWMD under the permit."

Its members are three associations, not individual owners: VCSA, the Vanderbilt Lakes II homeowners association and the Bermuda Gardens association. A four-director board casts weighted votes and shares expenses in set percentages (table below). Under its bylaws the Commons is neither a Chapter 718 condominium association nor a Chapter 720 homeowners association.

The 2014 restated declaration (section 5.5) lists what the Commons maintains under a 2008 Management and Service Agreement: the lakes, the guard house and gate house, the north gate, the "clock plaza", signage, the preserves, front-entrance landscaping and ingress and egress control. If that agreement is not renewed, those duties revert to VCSA.

The Estates homeowners association

Vanderbilt Lakes II Homeowners Association, Inc., number N30349, was filed January 26, 1989. It is active, its 2026 annual report was filed March 28, 2026, and it governs the 102 homes of the Estates under its own declaration and a Design Review Committee. A Naples management company handles its administration.

Estates homes also pay a VCSA line, $216.40 per home in the 2025 budget, under the 1987 access, utility and drainage easement and the 2008 settlement. VCSA bills each Vanderbilt Lakes II lot owner directly. The Vanderbilt Lakes II HOA is also one of the three members of the Commons.

Carmel's residents association

Carmel at Vanderbilt Lakes Residents Association, Inc., number N20072, was filed April 10, 1987 and is active. Its amended and restated articles are dated March 24, 2005. The association's duties under the restated Carmel covenants include cleaning and painting residence exteriors, driveways and front-yard landscaping. Owners keep their roofs, stucco, doors, windows, screens, air conditioning, pools and courtyards. The covenants require 20 days' written notice to the association before a sale or lease closing.

The four condominium associations

Each Bermuda condominium has its own association, all active:

• Bermuda Isles Condominium Association, Inc. (N30589), filed February 9, 1989.
• Bermuda Isles II Condominium Association, Inc. (N93000003657), filed August 12, 1993.
• Bermuda Cays Condominium Association, Inc. (N30587), filed February 9, 1989 and amended and restated in 1998.
• Bermuda Gardens Condominium Association, Inc. (N95000002310), filed May 12, 1995.

Bermuda Gardens has a distinct position. Under the 1995 easement agreement and the 2014 restated declaration, its units are non-voting members of VCSA, yet Gardens carries a 17 percent share of the Commons expenses.

The Swim and Racquet Club

Bermuda Isles and Cays Swim and Racquet Club, Inc., number N31436, is active. Its members are the owners of units in Bermuda Isles, Bermuda Isles II and Bermuda Cays, with one vote per unit, and the three condominium associations collect its assessments. The club owns its pool and court land by the 1995 warranty deeds described above. Bermuda Gardens is not a member; it has its own pool.

How votes and costs are shared

The four Commons shares add to 100 percent. Sources: the 2014 restated declaration, the Commons bylaws and the 2008 settlement, which agree on these shares.

Governance at a glance

What Are the HOA and Association Fees in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Every Vanderbilt Lakes owner in Bonita Springs pays a combined master and Commons line set by neighborhood: $216.40 to $1,345.00 a year in the 2025 adopted budget, and $255.28 to $1,408.69 for 2026 per the associations' site. Owners also pay their own neighborhood association where one exists, and those dues are not published.

Data updated: October 2026 (VCSA 2025 adopted budget, approved November 18, 2024; associations' site for the January 1, 2026 payment, read October 12, 2026).

The fee question in Vanderbilt Lakes has more than one answer, because the master line is only the first layer. We read the one adopted fee document the associations publish, the VCSA 2025 Approved Budget, and the associations' own VCSA page for 2026. The condominium, Estates, Carmel and club dues are not published in the documents we read; the estoppel certificate and the resale documents show them.

The master and Commons line by neighborhood

Each figure below is a total per unit per year: the VCSA share plus the Commons share. The 2025 columns come from the budget allocation table. The 2026 column is the single payment due January 1, 2026 as listed on the associations' site, and we label it as that site's statement.

Under Bylaw 6.5 as amended in 2024, the Board decides each budget year whether the master line is paid semi-annually in advance (January 1 and July 1) or annually in advance on January 1. For 2026 the Board chose one payment.

The 2025 budget behind the line

The VCSA 2025 Approved Budget totals $268,236.12 in maintenance fees: $256,236.12 of operating expense plus a $12,000 paving reserve contribution. The Commons line within it is $179,949.00. The budget lists a paving reserve fully funded target of $123,810.96 and capital, paving and interest reserve balances estimated at $400,811.24 for the end of 2024.

How the master line has moved, 2022 to 2026

From 2022 to 2025 the budget lines rose $178.50 (15.3 percent) for Vanderbilt 1, $34.02 (15.3 percent) for the multi-family line and $92.58 (15.3 percent) for Bermuda Gardens, and $47.40 (28.0 percent) for the Estates. From 2025 to 2026 the site's figures rise $63.69 (4.7 percent) for Vanderbilt 1, $12.12 (4.7 percent) for the multi-family line, $33.02 (4.7 percent) for Gardens and $38.88 (18.0 percent) for the Estates. In each row, the 2025 figure is lower than 2024. These are calendar comparisons of published figures, not a forecast.

The layers the master line does not include

Resale capital assessment at closing

When a Vanderbilt Lakes home or condominium sells, a resale capital assessment is due to VCSA at closing: $1,500 for a single-family home and $750 for a multi-family unit. The Board raised these amounts by vote on December 5, 2017, from the $1,000 and $500 stated in the restated declaration, and the associations' VCSA page lists the new amounts (read October 12, 2026). The charge is paid by the buyer or as negotiated between buyer and seller, and it becomes delinquent after 14 days. The Board may waive it for estate or tax planning transfers to first-degree relatives.

At the $800,000 single-family median the charge is $1,500, and at the $275,000 condominium median it is $750. Whether it applies to Estates lots and Bermuda Gardens units is not established in the documents we read; the estoppel certificate shows the amount due.

Application, transfer and working capital charges

Vanderbilt Lakes II has a working capital contribution at each conveyance of two times one month of the annual assessment (1989 declaration, section 5.10). The HOA assessment itself is not published, so we do not convert that rule into a dollar figure.

The condominium associations post these application charges on their dated forms:

• Bermuda Isles I: $80 application plus $70 processing per applicant 18 or older (or per married couple), non-refundable (forms dated 7/23).
• Bermuda Isles II: $80 application plus $70 processing plus $50 background check per applicant (form dated 8-23).
• Bermuda Cays: $30 application plus $70 processing (purchase and lease forms dated 8-23). The declaration caps the Bermuda Cays transfer fee at $100 (amended and restated declaration, section 13.2.1).

Application fees for Bermuda Gardens, the Estates and Carmel are not published in the documents we read. The Commons describes SmartPass transponders for the gates; we do not print a transponder fee because the associations' own documents state two different amounts, and the Commons' current owner form controls.

Estoppel certificates and what they cost

An estoppel certificate states what an owner owes the association at the time of a sale. Florida law caps the base fee a condominium association (section 718.116) or a homeowners association (section 720.30851) may charge for an account that is not delinquent, and allows an additional fee where an expedited certificate is requested. A certificate is valid for 30 days, or 35 if delivered by mail. A condominium association must issue it within 10 business days of a request. The statutes set the base fee at $250, plus $100 for an expedited certificate and $150 where the account is delinquent, and the state adjusts those caps every five years. Under the adjusted schedule the state published in 2022, with the next adjustment due July 1, 2027, the current caps for condominium and homeowners association estoppels are $299, plus $119 expedited and $179 delinquent, and an association's actual fee may be lower.

A buyer is jointly liable for unpaid assessments due at transfer (section 718.116(1)(a)), which is why the certificate matters. One Vanderbilt Lakes detail: in Bermuda Isles, Isles II and Bermuda Cays, a selling owner must return both Swim and Racquet Club membership cards and both keys before the condominium association issues its estoppel letter, or pay a $200 non-compliance fee under the club's rules (2005 and 2023).

What Does It Cost to Own a Home or Condo in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Owning in Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs means paying district 017 property tax (12.7970 mills in 2025), the City stormwater line ($50.00 per unit for FY2026-27) and the association layers. At the $800,000 home median, the published pieces come to about $11,126 a year for a Vanderbilt 1 home before insurance.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County Property Appraiser 2025 Taxing District Millage Book, district 017; City of Bonita Springs Resolutions 26-027 and 2026-021; documents read October 10, 2026).

None of the examples below is a tax bill. The Lee County Property Appraiser sets each value, a homestead exemption requires an application, and we assume assessed value equals the price. Each example shows its inputs so you can swap in your own numbers.

Property tax in district 017

Vanderbilt Lakes parcels sit in tax district 017, City of Bonita Springs and Bonita Springs Fire. One mill is $1 of tax per $1,000 of taxable value. The 2025 millage book for district 017 lists these levies, per the Property Appraiser's 2025 Taxing District Millage Book:

The district 017 list carries no community development district levy, and the county parcel layer places every Vanderbilt Lakes parcel in that one district.

The City adopted a final FY2026-27 operating millage of 0.8411 mills, equal to the rolled-back rate, on September 23, 2026 (Resolution 26-027, vote 5 to 2). The 2026 total for district 017 was still preliminary in the Property Appraiser's 2026 book we read (2026 preliminary millage book), so the examples below use the 2025 total and say so.

Worked example: a Vanderbilt 1 home at the median

The 12-month Lee County median for the 234 homes is $800,000 (13 recorded sales through September 25, 2026). For a Vanderbilt 1 home at that price with homestead, using 2025 rates:

That is about $927 a month before insurance, solid waste and utilities. Vanderbilt 1 has no HOA of its own, so this is the full published stack. With the associations' site figure for 2026 ($1,408.69) in place of the 2025 budget line, the total is $11,189.42.

Worked example: a Bermuda Cays or Isles condominium

The 12-month Lee County median for the 300 condominiums is $275,000 (18 recorded sales). At that price, with homestead and 2025 rates:

• School levies: 5.3190 mills x $250,000 = $1,329.75.
• Other levies: 7.4780 mills x $225,000 = $1,682.55.
• Ad valorem tax with homestead: about $3,012.30 ($3,519.18 without).
• VCSA and Commons line for Carmel, Cays and Isles: $256.28.
• Total: $3,268.58 a year before the condominium assessment.

The condominium assessment includes the club share, and neither it nor insurance and utilities is published. This example leaves out the City stormwater line, which is covered in its own section below.

Worked example: a Bermuda Gardens condominium

Bermuda Gardens recorded 5 sales in the 12 months, from $212,500 to $305,000. At $290,000, the price of one of those five sales, with homestead and 2025 rates:

• School levies: 5.3190 mills x $265,000 = $1,409.54.
• Other levies: 7.4780 mills x $240,000 = $1,794.72.
• Ad valorem tax with homestead: $3,204.26.
• VCSA and Commons line for Gardens: $697.48.
• Total: $3,901.74 a year before the Gardens condominium assessment.

The City stormwater line and the 2026 millage

The City's stormwater assessment for FY2026-27 is $50.00 per equivalent residential unit, a non-ad valorem line on the tax bill (Resolution 2026-021). The City's stormwater page describes the 2019 tiers as $20 under 1,800 square feet of impervious surface and $50 above. The final City budget for FY2026-27 is $52,561,791 across all funds (Resolution 26-028). The amount of any solid waste line or other non-ad valorem line on a Vanderbilt Lakes bill is not published in the records we read.

The rail trail bond

Voters approved the Bonita Estero Rail Trail general obligation bond on August 18, 2026. Ordinance 26-05 authorizes bonds of up to $35,000,000, maturing within 30 years and paid from ad valorem taxes on all taxable property in the City, and press reports of the result put approval above 68 percent. The ordinance does not state a cost per home, so we do not print one.

Homestead and portability

The Lee County Property Appraiser handles homestead exemption applications. Portability, which lets a qualifying owner carry a prior homestead benefit to a new home, is also handled there (portability).

What Rules Apply to Owners and Renters in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs has one set of master rules for every owner, covering short stays, signs, boats and overnight street parking, and each neighborhood adds its own lease, pet and approval rules. Carmel requires a 90-day minimum lease, Bermuda Cays 60 days, and three condominiums 30 days.

Data updated: October 2026 (recorded declarations and amendments read October 10 to 12, 2026; associations' application forms dated as shown).

The rules below come from the recorded documents, summarized by neighborhood. The recorded documents control over any summary, and current amendments can differ from the versions we read; where we did not read an amendment, we say so.

Is Vanderbilt Lakes age-restricted?

None of the recorded declarations we read contains an age restriction; the governing documents control.

Leasing rules by neighborhood

Short-term rentals

The master declaration (2014 restated, section 10.1) says: "No parcel and residence may be leased more often than four (4) times in any calendar year for periods less than thirty (30) days." That is a frequency cap on short leases, not a ban, and no other minimum term appears in that section. Guests' length of stay is not restricted (section 10.2).

Carmel and the four condominium buildings add their own minimums of 30 days or longer, so a lease shorter than 30 days is not permitted by those declarations as we read them. The Estates declaration text we read has no lease-term rule, which leaves the master cap as the rule we found there.

Pets by neighborhood

The master declaration (section 7.4) allows dogs, cats and other common household pets not kept for commercial purposes. They must be leashed or carried outside the parcel, and the Board may require removal of a pet that becomes an unreasonable annoyance. That section sets no number or weight limit. Neighborhood rules go further:

Signs, open houses and showings

The master declaration (section 7.6) bars any For Sale, For Rent or Open House sign anywhere in Vanderbilt Lakes except as the Board approves, including size, shape, content, location and duration. In the Estates, the 1989 declaration (section 10.8) allows no sign of any kind, including For Sale or For Rent, without Design Review Committee approval, which may be withheld. Both rules bear directly on how a listing is shown.

Parking, vehicles and boats

Overnight parking on roadways and streets is prohibited (section 7.22), and non-commercial vehicles belong in a garage or driveway. On the lakes, powered boats are not allowed, non-motorized boats or canoes need approval, and docks are prohibited (1985 declaration paragraph (s); restated section 7.17).

Architectural review and building minimums

VCSA's three-member Architectural Review Board handles architectural review under the master declaration, and the Estates have their own Design Review Committee. For single-family homes the master declaration sets a minimum of 1,750 square feet under air (section 7.16) and a first living floor at least 12.5 feet above mean sea level (section 7.13). The Estates declaration limits use to single-family (section 10.11).

A March 2024 amendment made street lighting and mailboxes in Vanderbilt 1 an association installation and maintenance item. Owners maintain, repair and replace the new mailbox in matching style. Carmel owners work with the Carmel association on exteriors, as described above.

Buyer approval in the condominiums

Sales in the Bermuda condominiums go through the association:

• Bermuda Cays: prior written approval with 15 days' notice; the association may furnish another buyer or buy the unit itself, and the sale is deemed approved if the association does not act.
• Bermuda Isles I: Board approval of sales under the original declaration.
• Bermuda Isles II: a sales and rental application (form dated 8-23).
• Bermuda Gardens: prior written Board approval, with 30 days' notice before closing; the Board decides within 30 days of complete information or 60 days of notice, whichever comes first, and a buyer who would own more than two units may be refused.
• Carmel: 20 days' written notice to the association before a sale or lease closing.

The application charges for these steps are in the fee section above.

What Are the Neighborhoods Inside Vanderbilt Lakes?

Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs has seven neighborhoods with their own records and sales: Vanderbilt 1, the Estates, Carmel, Bermuda Isles I and II, Bermuda Cays and Bermuda Gardens. Each section below gives its homes, association, rules and recorded sales, in the window the county record supports.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County recorded sales through September 25, 2026; county roll file dated October 11, 2026).

County medians are published here only where the county record supports them. Where a neighborhood recorded fewer than 10 sales in 12 months, we name the longer window beside every figure: 24, 36 or 60 months, the first window that reaches 10 sales.

Vanderbilt 1

Vanderbilt 1 has 92 homes built from 1985 to 1988, with county heated areas of 1,777 to 3,755 square feet, on Winthrop Circle, Essex Place, Saybrook Place and Clinton Lane. It sits directly in VCSA with no separate HOA board and carries four votes per lot. Its master line is $1,345.00 in the 2025 budget and $1,408.69 for 2026 per the associations' site.

In the 12 months to September 25, 2026, Vanderbilt 1 recorded 7 sales, from $650,000 to $975,000, too few for a median. Over 24 months it recorded 12 sales at a $810,000 median and $355.86 per square foot of county heated area, and over 60 months 27 sales at an $815,000 median.

The Estates (Vanderbilt Lakes II and III)

The Estates have 102 homes (89 on the Vanderbilt Lakes II replat and 13 on Vanderbilt Lakes III) built from 1989 to 2019, with heated areas of 1,804 to 3,195 square feet, on Regis, Trenton, Seton and Crowfut Courts and the shared Winthrop Circle. The Vanderbilt Lakes II HOA governs them, and their master line is $216.40 in the 2025 budget and $255.28 for 2026 per the associations' site.

In the 12 months they recorded 6 sales, from $735,000 to $1,100,000, too few for a median. Over 24 months they recorded 11 sales at an $874,900 median and $401.65 per square foot, and over 60 months 28 sales at a $912,450 median ($620,000 to $1,485,000). Set beside Vanderbilt 1, the Estates' 24-month median is $64,900 higher. Both 12-month groups hold fewer than 10 sales, so we print their ranges and no median.

Carmel at Vanderbilt Lakes

Carmel has 40 villas on Carmel Way built from 1987 to 1997, with heated areas of 1,226 to 2,585 square feet (median about 1,537). The Carmel Residents Association maintains exteriors, driveways and front-yard landscaping, and leases need at least 90 days with one lease a year. Zoning is RM-2. The master line for Carmel is $256.28 in the 2025 budget and $268.40 for 2026 per the associations' site, and the Carmel assessment on top of it is not published.

Carmel recorded no sales in the 12 months. In 24 months it recorded 2 sales ($427,500 and $449,000), in 36 months 5 sales, and in 60 months 12 sales at a $496,500 median ($315,000 to $770,000), or $311.07 per square foot.

Bermuda Isles I and II

Bermuda Isles I has 56 condominiums in six buildings on Leeward Passage Court, built in 1989, 1990 and 1994, with 1,111 to 1,311 square feet and two and three bedrooms. The associations' site calls these the "white roof" buildings. Bermuda Isles II has 68 condominiums in eight buildings on the same street, built in 1994 and 1995, with 1,067 to 1,179 square feet, two bedrooms and two baths, called the "red roof" buildings. County address points label the buildings by the condominium's own name, Bermuda Isles. Both belong to the Swim and Racquet Club, require 30-day minimum leases with no more than three a year, and carry the $256.28 master line (2025).

All seven 12-month Bermuda Isles sales were Isles II units, from $242,000 to $295,000. Isles I recorded no sales in the 12 months; over 24 months it recorded 3 sales, from $290,000 to $410,000, and over 60 months 15 sales at a $365,000 median ($290,000 to $410,000), or $305.11 per square foot. Isles II recorded 7 sales in 12 months, 12 in 24 months at a $279,000 median and $246.38 per square foot, and 32 in 60 months at a $312,600 median.

Bermuda Cays

Bermuda Cays has 96 condominiums in 24 buildings of four, on Starboard Passage Way and Windward Passage Circle, built from 1989 to 1996. Units are 1,389 to 1,478 square feet with three bedrooms and two baths, apart from one 1,161 square foot two-bedroom building. Leases need at least 60 days with no more than three a year. The declaration makes water, sewer and trash a common expense, and the master line is $256.28 (2025).

Bermuda Cays recorded 6 sales in the 12 months, from $237,000 to $350,000. Over 36 months it recorded 14 sales at a $361,250 median and $257.88 per square foot, and over 60 months 28 sales at a $370,000 median.

Bermuda Gardens

Bermuda Gardens has 80 condominiums in eight buildings of ten on Bermuda Bay Way, built in 1996 and 1997, with 1,076 to 1,175 square feet, two bedrooms and two baths. It has its own pool, a non-voting seat in VCSA, a 17 percent share of the Commons and a master line of $697.48 in the 2025 budget ($730.50 for 2026 per the associations' site). Leases need at least 30 days, with no more than three in a calendar year and a one-year maximum.

Gardens recorded 5 sales in the 12 months, from $212,500 to $305,000. Over 36 months it recorded 10 sales at a $302,500 median ($212,500 to $365,000) and $261.41 per square foot, and over 60 months 18 sales at a $299,950 median.

Our Bermuda Gardens at Vanderbilt Lakes guide covers the condominium in depth: its building plans, every recorded sale over 36 months, its parking and lease rules and the Gardens association layer.

The neighborhoods at a glance

Source: Lee County recorded qualified sales through September 25, 2026; per square foot of county heated area. The windows differ because each is the first one holding at least 10 sales, so read the medians neighborhood by neighborhood, not across the rows. Longer windows also reach back to 2023 and 2024, when the condominium calendar-year medians were higher: $369,950 in 2023 against $272,500 in 2026 to September 25.

Neighbors that are not part of Vanderbilt Lakes

Two nearby places share a name or a boundary with Vanderbilt Lakes without belonging to it. Bermuda Pointe is a separate 60-unit condominium to the south with its own association; its 1997 declaration does not place it under the Vanderbilt Lakes master. Bermuda Lago and Bermuda Ridge belong to the Woods Edge cluster, which also includes Woods Edge Villas and Carriage Homes at Woods Edge.

For context only, and not Vanderbilt Lakes figures: Bermuda Pointe (61 county parcels) recorded one sale in the 12 months to September 25, 2026 ($331,000) and 10 sales over 60 months at a $328,000 median. The Woods Edge cluster with Bermuda Lago and Bermuda Ridge (285 parcels, mixed product) recorded 10 sales at a $340,000 median and $238.46 per square foot. None of these numbers is included in any figure on this page.

What Amenities Does Vanderbilt Lakes Have?

Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs has no single clubhouse. The Swim and Racquet Club runs two heated pools and one court for owners in Bermuda Isles I, Isles II and Cays, Bermuda Gardens has its own pool, and the common land is the entrance, roads, lakes and preserves. There is no golf, marina, dock or beach access.

Data updated: October 2026 (recorded documents, associations' pages and Lee County records read October 10, 2026; club pages read October 12, 2026).

The amenities in Vanderbilt Lakes depend on the neighborhood you buy in, because the pools belong to the condominium side and the single-family neighborhoods share roads, lakes and a gate rather than a recreation complex. The table below sets the neighborhoods side by side, using the recorded documents and the county roll.

The Swim and Racquet Club for Isles and Cays

The Bermuda Isles and Cays Swim and Racquet Club is a separate Florida not-for-profit corporation, incorporated March 30, 1989, under a Membership Agreement dated March 28, 1989 and recorded in Lee County Official Records Book 2075, page 2273. Its members are the owners of units in Bermuda Isles I, Bermuda Isles II and Bermuda Cays, one vote per unit. Three warranty deeds dated January 30, June 30 and October 31, 1995 conveyed the pool and court land to the club in fee simple.

The recorded agreement describes a tennis court and two swimming pools, each pool about 818 square feet and heated, with cabana and clubhouse buildings that hold restrooms, an equipment room and an outside shower. The court is not lit at night. The club's own page lists two pools and one tennis or pickleball court for owners and renters in the three condominiums, and we found no pickleball court count in any recorded document.

The club's rules, dated 2005 and 2023, set pool hours from 8:00 am to dusk, prohibit smoking on the pool decks and courts, and prohibit night swimming. The three condominium associations collect the club's assessments, which are uniform per unit and payable quarterly in advance; the amount is not stated in the documents we read, so the estoppel certificate and the resale documents show it. A selling owner returns both membership cards and both keys before the condominium association issues its estoppel letter, or pays a $200 non-compliance fee under the same rules.

Bermuda Gardens' own pool

Bermuda Gardens is not a member of the Swim and Racquet Club. Its 1996 recorded declaration sets aside a recreation parcel with a swimming pool and deck, a poolhouse and a picnic and barbecue area, and the association's 2022 welcome letter lists a pool, spa, gazebo and grills. We found no court recorded for Gardens.

The Gardens declaration also says a leasing owner may not use the recreation and parking facilities during the lease unless the tenant waives that right in writing, so a buyer who plans to rent a Gardens unit should read that clause before contract. Bermuda Gardens is one of the seven neighborhoods inside Vanderbilt Lakes; its 80 condominiums sit on Bermuda Bay Way.

Lakes and preserves

The master tract at the entrance includes Spring Lake, which the county shows as 11.50 acres of lake on that tract, and the Vanderbilt Lakes II homeowners association owns an 8.59-acre lake tract in the Estates. The Commons association maintains the lakes and preserves and carries the community's obligations under its South Florida Water Management District surface water permit, and its articles say so in terms: it exists to maintain, repair, replace, landscape, insure to the extent available, protect and operate the front entrance and guard gate area, the preserves, Winthrop Circle excluding landscaping, the lakes, and "to perform all obligations of SFWMD under the permit."

The lakes are not boating lakes. The recorded 1985 declaration and the 2014 restatement prohibit powered boats on the lakes and prohibit docks, and they allow non-motorized boats or canoes only with approval. Fishing rules are not published in the documents we read, and we print no water depth for any lot or lake.

Is there a clubhouse?

There is no single clubhouse, pool or tennis complex for all of Vanderbilt Lakes. The master association's common property is the entrance, the roads, the lakes, the preserves and the surface water system, and the recorded master declaration names no recreation facility. The cabana and clubhouse buildings that exist belong to the Swim and Racquet Club at the Isles and Cays pools, and the county's building footprint layer shows one one-story building on the Isles common area, which is the pool cabana.

Broker and portal copy that describes a community clubhouse, pool, tennis and pickleball for all of Vanderbilt Lakes does not match the recorded documents, so verify any amenity in a listing against the neighborhood's own association documents before you rely on it.

Is there golf, a marina or beach access?

Vanderbilt Lakes has no golf course, no marina and no docks. The recorded 1985 declaration prohibits docks and powered boats on the lakes. We also read every recorded declaration for a beach easement or beach club and found none; the word "beach" appears only in the old recorded name of the road at the community's west edge, which is today's Vanderbilt Drive in Bonita Springs and not a Naples road. The nearest public beaches are covered in the beaches and shopping section of this page.

Golf nearby

Spanish Wells golf parcels lie about 1.2 miles east of Vanderbilt Lakes on the county parcel layer. The club's own pages, read October 12, 2026, describe 27 holes in three 18-hole combinations at a semi-private club whose course is open to the public, with membership optional outside its one bundled neighborhood. We do not compare memberships or dues here. For the full side-by-side with the neighboring community, see Spanish Wells and the comparison section of this page.

How Do the Gates and Daily Logistics Work in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs is entered through a front gate with a visitor call box and resident SmartPass lanes, plus a back gate that opens by SmartPass only and is locked electronically from 9 pm to 5 am. Bonita Springs Utilities supplies water and sewer, Florida Power and Light supplies electricity, and the streets are private.

Data updated: October 2026 (Commons page, Lee County GIS and utility records read October 10, 2026).

The Commons association describes the gate system on its own page, and the county's subdivision layer flags Vanderbilt Lakes as gated with Sheriff traffic control. The table below lists who provides what, so a buyer knows which party to ask about each service.

The front gate and the back gate

The Commons runs the front gate and the back gate. At the front, visitors use a call box and the resident directory, residents give visitors an entry code, and residents use SmartPass lanes. The back gate is SmartPass only and is electronically locked from 9 pm to 5 am every day. The Commons page also reports video surveillance on all gates and a 20 mph limit on Winthrop Circle and the cul-de-sacs.

The Commons page says the Commons runs the SmartPass gate system for all the residents of Vanderbilt Lakes, so we do not write that every building sits inside one gate; the Bermuda condominium buildings are reached through the community road system, and the gate that serves a given building is worth confirming on a visit. County address points record a guard house at the Northlake Street entrance and a security gate on Meadowlark Lane at the north end. Whether the guard house is staffed is not stated in any current document we read.

Guests and vendors

Residents give visitors an entry code at the front gate call box, and visitors without a code use the directory there. We print no SmartPass fee because the association's own documents disagree on the amount, and the owner form and the Commons page are the places to confirm it.

Utilities and trash

Bonita Springs Utilities, the member-owned not-for-profit utility, supplies water and sewer, and the hydrants in the community are on its system. Florida Power and Light supplies electricity. Sewer service in the community began as a private system: the 1985 Vanderbilt wastewater declaration created a private sewer association that was voluntarily dissolved on March 10, 1997, and the 1996 Bermuda Gardens declaration already says Bonita Springs Utilities operates the system.

Trash is a neighborhood question. In Bermuda Cays the amended and restated condominium documents make water, sewer and trash a common expense of the association, so those lines sit inside the Cays assessment rather than on a separate bill. For the other neighborhoods, the estoppel certificate and the association budget show what the association pays for and what the owner pays directly.

Mail and street lights

A March 2024 amendment to the master documents says street lighting and mailboxes in Vanderbilt 1 are installed and maintained by the association, and owners maintain, repair and replace the new mailbox in matching style. The documents we read do not state the mail and lighting arrangements for the other neighborhoods, so ask for them in each association's resale package.

Roads and who maintains them

The community's streets are private: Winthrop Circle is the main loop shared by Vanderbilt 1 and the Estates, with courts and places off it, Carmel Way serves Carmel, Leeward Passage Court serves Bermuda Isles I and II, Windward Passage Circle and Starboard Passage Way serve Bermuda Cays, and Bermuda Bay Way serves Bermuda Gardens. The Commons maintains Winthrop Circle, excluding landscaping, and the 2014 restatement says the Commons also maintains the entrance, the guard house and gate house, the north gate, the clock plaza, signage and front-entrance landscaping under a 2008 Management and Service Agreement. If that agreement is not renewed, the duties revert to the master association.

Vanderbilt Drive, the county road outside the gate, is a different matter: Lee County's road centerline layer shows Collier County as the maintainer of Vanderbilt Drive inside the city. That is a county road outside the gates, not one of the community's private streets.

How Do Hurricanes Affect Vanderbilt Lakes?

Lee County places Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs in evacuation Zone B, among the first areas ordered to evacuate for a hurricane. Of the 234 homes, 231 were built in 2000 or earlier, every condominium predates the 2002 Florida Building Code, and the records we read show no storm damage specific to the community.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County Emergency Management, National Hurricane Center and Lee County Property Appraiser hazard layers, read October 10, 2026).

Evacuation zone B

Lee County Evacuation Zone B, which the county also labels surge zone 2, covers every Vanderbilt Lakes parcel we tested, and two county layers agree. The county's Zone B sheet says: "Zone B is very vulnerable and will experience significant impacts from land-falling storms." It adds: "Zone B will be among the first areas ordered to evacuate for a hurricane."

An evacuation zone is an ordering rule for leaving, not a flood map. Residents of Zone B should know their route and timing before a storm is named, and the county's evacuation layer is the place to check a specific address.

What the storm surge maps show

The National Hurricane Center's National Storm Surge Risk Maps are planning maps that show near-worst-case surge at high tide for each hurricane category. We decoded them at every Vanderbilt Lakes parcel in scope. They show no inundation in a Category 1 scenario, more than 3 feet above ground at most points in a Category 2 scenario, more than 6 feet in a Category 3 scenario, and more than 9 feet in Category 4 and 5 scenarios.

These are the National Hurricane Center's planning maps for a near worst case, not a forecast and not a depth at any one lot. We read them as a reason to know the evacuation zone, not as a statement about any particular house.

Wind design and the debris region

The Lee County Property Appraiser's hazard layers show a design wind speed of 160 mph for Risk Category II buildings, which covers houses and low-rise residential buildings, and place Vanderbilt Lakes inside the wind-borne debris region. Those are the county's design values for new construction and major work, not a rating of any existing building.

Homes built before the Florida Building Code

The Florida Building Code replaced local building codes statewide on March 1, 2002. Of the 234 single-family homes and villas in Vanderbilt Lakes, 231 were built in 2000 or earlier and three are later: two in 2003 and one in 2019. All 300 condominiums were built from 1989 to 1997.

For insurance, Citizens' 2026 Wind Loss Mitigation Guide applies the Florida Building Code year-built credit only to structures built in 2002 or later. Earlier homes rely on the guide's roof covering, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall, secondary water resistance and opening protection items. Citizens' bulletin of March 19, 2026 says form OIR-B1-1802 Rev. 04/26 is required for inspections from April 1, 2026.

The City's 50 percent rule

The City of Bonita Springs treats the restoration of a structure at or above 50 percent of its pre-damage market value as substantial damage, and it cumulates improvements over five years, with impact windows, shutters and code roofs counted for one year only, under its Chapter 10 ordinance. A buyer planning a large renovation should read that rule before pricing the work, because it can bring an older Vanderbilt Lakes home up to current flood and wind standards.

What the record shows for Ian, Irma, Helene and Milton

The National Hurricane Center's Hurricane Ian report records a Category 4 landfall on Cayo Costa on September 28, 2022 at 130 knots, and a second landfall near Punta Gorda at 125 knots. It states: "Maximum inundation levels of 8 to 12 ft AGL occurred in Estero, Bonita Beach, Bonita Springs, and North Naples." It adds: "Farther south in Bonita and North Naples, the most severe impacts were contained to the immediate coastline while inland high water marks ranged from 5 to 7 ft AGL." The nearest U.S. Geological Survey Ian high water marks to the community are about 1.42 kilometers away and read 8.8 to 11.76 feet on the NAVD88 datum; none is inside Vanderbilt Lakes, so we treat them as context only.

Hurricane Irma's report puts its final landfall near Marco Island as a Category 3 hurricane on September 10, 2017. The Milton report records storm surge inundation of 3 to 5 feet above ground from Bonita Beach through Marco Island, and the Helene report records 2 to 4 feet above ground south of Bonita Beach. We found no storm damage record specific to Vanderbilt Lakes for Irma, Ian, Helene or Milton. Absence from the records we read is not proof of no damage, and an individual home's repair and permit history is the place to look.

Fire protection

Fire and rescue service comes from the Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue District. Its Station 22 lies about 0.69 mile in a straight line from the community center, and the district's ISO rating page shows an ISO rating of 2 from a 2018 summary. Community tax district 017 is the City of Bonita Springs and Bonita Springs Fire district.

What Flood Zone Is Vanderbilt Lakes In?

Every parcel record we checked in Vanderbilt Lakes, 549 across six county plat names in Bonita Springs, is in FEMA flood Zone X on panels 12071C0654G and 12071C0658G, both effective November 17, 2022. Zone X is a map category, not a promise about water, so check any single address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.

Data updated: October 2026 (FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer read October 10, 2026).

Zone X at every parcel record we checked

We queried the FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer at every parcel record in the Vanderbilt Lakes plat groups on October 10, 2026. Each record returned the same polygon: Zone X, subtype "0.2 percent annual chance flood hazard in coastal zone," with no base flood elevation, outside the Special Flood Hazard Area. The table gives the parcel records by the plat name the county uses.

The 549 records include common parcels as well as homes and condominiums, so the number is larger than the count of residences. We report the zone parcel record by parcel record because a community is not one flood zone by assertion; here every record we sampled and the county layer agree.

Panels 0654G and 0658G

Two FEMA flood insurance rate map panels cover Vanderbilt Lakes: 12071C0654G covers 495 of the 549 records, and 12071C0658G covers 54 of them, all in the northern single-family plats. Both are countywide panels with an effective date of November 17, 2022, after Lee County's coastal map update. The panel layer also returns Collier County panels at each point because the grids overlap at the county line, but the zone polygon at every point is the Lee polygon, so the Lee panels govern.

The March 2, 2027 revision does not touch Vanderbilt Lakes

Lee County's 2026-2027 flood map revisions page reports a revision effective March 2, 2027 that changes six panels: 0576, 0577, 0578, 0579, 0581 and 0583. Panels 0654 and 0658 are not among them, and the pending and preliminary FEMA layers show no change to a Lee County flood zone in or near Vanderbilt Lakes.

Letters of map amendment on file

FEMA's letter-of-map-change layer holds 13 letters on lots and buildings in the Vanderbilt Lakes plats: 12 letters of map amendment and one letter of map revision based on fill. By plat, there are 10 on the Vanderbilt Lakes plats, 2 on Bermuda Isles and 1 on Bermuda Gardens, all dated 2003 to 2021, which is before the current map took effect. Lee County's LOMC job aid defines the two letter types. We draw no inference from them about any property's flooding, and we print no lot, unit or street number.

Zone X is not a guarantee

Zone X describes a mapped flood hazard, and it sits beside separate facts for Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs. Lee County places the community in evacuation Zone B, and the National Hurricane Center's planning maps show surge above ground in higher-category scenarios. Whether a lender requires flood insurance is a loan term, and the Citizens rule that takes effect January 1, 2027 applies to every new and renewing personal residential policy that includes wind coverage, whatever the zone (condominium unit-owner, tenant contents and wind-excluded policies are exempt).

So a Zone X record is one input to read with the evacuation zone, the surge maps, the home's age and any elevation certificate, not a reason to skip the question.

Ground elevation

The U.S. Geological Survey's 3DEP elevation service gives ground heights of 9.9 to 12.6 feet on the NAVD88 datum at the Vanderbilt Lakes parcel points we sampled, with group medians from 11.2 feet in the single-family plats to 12.2 feet in Bermuda Cays. That is ground, not floor height. The recorded master declaration separately sets a minimum first living floor of 12.5 feet above mean sea level for single-family homes, restated in 2014, and that is a rule about the floor.

First-floor elevations and elevation certificates are not published for the community. Ask the seller for an elevation certificate if one exists, and ask the City building department for the permit file by address.

The city's flood insurance discount

The City of Bonita Springs retains Community Rating System Class 5, according to its notices of July and November 2024, which gives a 25 percent discount on qualifying National Flood Insurance Program policies. Lee County explains the discount tiers on its flood pages. A qualifying policy is a program condition, so the discount is something to confirm with the policy's agent, not a number to assume.

How Does Insurance Work for Vanderbilt Lakes Homes and Condos?

In Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs, single-family and villa owners insure their own homes, and Carmel owners name their association as co-insured. Each condominium association insures its buildings while unit owners carry their own policy with loss assessment cover. From January 1, 2027 Citizens requires flood coverage on every new and renewing personal residential policy that includes wind coverage, whatever the zone (condominium unit-owner, tenant contents and wind-excluded policies are exempt). No premium for the community is published.

Data updated: October 2026 (Citizens Property Insurance and Florida Statutes pages, read October 10, 2026).

Who insures what

Owners of single-family homes in Vanderbilt 1 and the Estates insure their homes and contents. In Carmel, the association's duties under the amended and restated declaration include cleaning and painting residence exteriors, driveways and front-yard landscaping, while owners keep roofs, stucco, doors, windows, screens, air conditioning, pools and courtyards. Carmel owners insure at replacement cost and name the association as co-insured, and the declaration requires 20 days' written notice to the association before a sale or lease closes.

Condominium owners in Bermuda Isles, Isles II, Cays and Gardens hold unit-owner policies, and each association insures the building under Florida law. Florida Statutes section 718.111(11) requires adequate property insurance, with replacement cost re-determined at least every three years, and section 627.714 requires unit-owner policies to include at least $2,000 of loss assessment coverage.

Roof age and the 15-year rule

Florida Statutes section 627.7011(5) says an insurer may not refuse to issue or renew a policy solely because a roof is under 15 years old. For an older roof the owner may obtain an inspection, and a roof with five or more years of useful life left may not be refused solely for age. Roof ages and replacement dates are not published for Vanderbilt Lakes. Check the permit history for the address, and ask the seller for the roof's installation date and any inspection report.

Wind mitigation credits for pre-2002 homes

Because 231 of the 234 homes were built in 2000 or earlier, most single-family owners cannot use the Florida Building Code year-built credit and rely on inspected items instead, as the hurricane section explains. The state's My Safe Florida Home program offers free wind mitigation inspections and advertises $10,000 grants, but the page does not state whether 2026-27 funding is open, so confirm the program's current status before planning around it.

Citizens and the 2027 flood requirement

Citizens Property Insurance requires flood coverage on every new and renewing personal residential policy that includes wind coverage from January 1, 2027, regardless of property value and including outside the flood hazard area. Condominium unit-owner, tenant contents and wind-excluded policies are exempt from that rule. In a March 2026 release, Citizens reported that its 2026 multiperil rates fall 8.8 percent on average, with wind-only rates down 5.5 percent, effective July 1 for new policies and at renewal. That is Citizens' statewide average, not a rate for Vanderbilt Lakes.

For a Vanderbilt Lakes buyer or seller, the practical point is timing: the requirement starts January 1, 2027 for a Citizens wind policy, whatever the FEMA zone says, and Citizens' own page sets the details.

Condominium master policies and loss assessment

An association's master policy covers the building elements Florida law assigns to it, and the unit-owner policy covers what the owner is responsible for, including loss assessment when the association's coverage falls short. Each association's insurance carrier, deductible and coverage limits are not published in the documents we read, so the association's insurance certificate and budget, included in the resale package, show them. Ask for them with the milestone and reserve documents covered in the next section.

What a Vanderbilt Lakes policy costs

Premiums depend on the carrier, the roof, the mitigation inspection, the construction year and the coverage chosen, and no carrier or filing gives a premium for Vanderbilt Lakes as a community. A quote for the specific address, with the roof age and an inspection report in hand, is the only reliable figure.

Do Milestone Inspections and SIRS Apply to the Bermuda Condominiums?

Florida's milestone inspection and structural integrity reserve study laws reach condominium buildings of three habitable stories or more. The county records every residential condominium building in Bermuda Isles, Isles II, Cays and Gardens at Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs as two stories, so reserves for roofs, painting and paving are the live question.

Data updated: October 2026 (Florida Statutes and Lee County Property Appraiser building records, read October 10, 2026).

The three-story test

Florida Statutes section 553.899 sets milestone inspections, and section 718.112 sets the structural integrity reserve study in paragraph (2)(g). Both apply to condominium buildings of three habitable stories or more, as the Florida Building Code determines, and the SIRS paragraph says it "does not apply to buildings less than three stories in height."

How the Florida Building Code counts habitable stories for any one Bermuda building needs the plans and certificates of occupancy, which sit with the City building department and are not published. We print the county's story counts and the statute's test, and we leave the code determination to those records.

What the county records show for each building

The county's building footprint layer shows every residential condominium building in Bermuda Isles I and II, Bermuda Cays and Bermuda Gardens at two stories; the one one-story building on the Isles common area is the pool cabana. The roll groups the 300 condominiums as follows.

Reserves still matter

Florida Statutes section 718.112(2)(f) requires condominium budgets to include reserves for roof replacement, building painting and pavement resurfacing regardless of amount, and for any other item over $25,000. Unit owners may vote by a majority of the voting interests to provide no reserves or less reserves, in the situations where the structural reserve study limits do not apply. Whether any Bermuda association funds, waives or reduces reserves is not published in the documents we read. Ask for the budget and the reserve schedule in the resale package.

My Safe Florida Condo

The state's My Safe Florida Condo pilot program offers a free mitigation inspection for associations within 15 miles of the coast and a two-to-one state match up to $175,000 per association, with a board vote and at least 75 percent of resident unit owners in the building required. The pilot's 2026-27 status is not stated on its page, so we describe the program and make no claim about any association's participation.

Documents a condo buyer should ask for

A condominium seller in Florida must give the buyer the declaration, articles, bylaws and rules, the annual financial statement and budget, the frequently asked questions sheet, the governance form and, where applicable, the milestone summary and the most recent structural integrity reserve study or a statement that none is required, under section 718.503. A condominium resale contract is voidable by the buyer within seven days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, after signing and receiving the governing documents; the state purchasing guide's shorter period is outdated.

Beyond the statutory package, ask each Bermuda association for the insurance certificate, the reserve schedule, the Swim and Racquet Club rules and assessment for Isles and Cays units, and the estoppel certificate, which also shows any assessment due at closing. The Swim and Racquet Club needs both membership cards and both keys returned before the estoppel letter issues, or a $200 non-compliance fee applies under the club's rules.

What Schools Serve Vanderbilt Lakes?

At every address we tested across all seven neighborhoods of Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs, the School District of Lee County assigns study area 2202: elementary Zone Q, middle Zone GG and high school South Zone 3. Applicants rank schools inside those zones, so the zone sets the list of choices rather than one fixed school.

Data updated: October 2026 (School District of Lee County 2026-27 zone layers; FLDOE 2025-26 grades as of September 1, 2026).

We ran the district's own zone layers, the ones behind its SchoolSite Locator titled "Lee County 26-27", at 13 addresses chosen to cover every street type in the community: the nine single-family and villa streets of Vanderbilt 1, the Estates and Carmel, and every Bermuda condominium group. All 13 returned the same study area, the same elementary zone, the same middle zone and the same high school zone, so the answer does not change from one Vanderbilt Lakes neighborhood to the next. The district publishes the zone map on its School Zones page, and its Student Enrollment Plan 2026-2027 lists the schools open to each zone.

Zone assignment is a fact about an address, and the district lookup is the final word for any single home. Check the specific address on the district's locator before relying on this page, and treat our result as the pattern we found across the community.

How Lee County's school choice zones work

Lee County does not assign one neighborhood school to each address. It places each address in a choice zone and lets applicants rank the schools in that zone. When more applicants want a school than it has seats, the district runs a lottery. According to the 2026-2027 enrollment plan, preferences are applied in this order: exceptional student education and special programs, then a sibling already attending, then Proximity 1, then Proximity 2, and then the House Bill 7029 categories.

Two procedural points matter to anyone moving in. Proof of address for enrollment excludes a driver's license, and a child must be 5 by September 1 to start kindergarten. The district's student enrollment page is the place for forms and dates.

Elementary: zone Q

Zone Q offers five elementary schools: Bonita Springs, Pinewoods, San Carlos Park, Spring Creek and Three Oaks. By road, the two closest to Vanderbilt Lakes are Bonita Springs Elementary, 7 to 10 minutes free-flow, and Spring Creek Elementary, 8 to 10 minutes. The other three are farther south and east: Three Oaks Elementary at 20 to 22 minutes, Pinewoods at 23 to 25 and San Carlos Park at 23 to 26.

The state's 2025-26 school grades, published by the Florida Department of Education in a file dated as of September 1, 2026, were C for Bonita Springs Elementary, B for Spring Creek, A for Pinewoods, A for San Carlos Park and A for Three Oaks. The 2024-25 grades, in the same order, were C, C, A, C and A. We print the letters as the state published them and rank nothing; a school's grade is one measure among several, and its own page, linked in the table below, shows more.

Middle: zone GG

Zone GG has two middle schools: Bonita Springs Middle Center for the Arts and Three Oaks Middle. Bonita Springs Middle is 9 to 11 minutes from the community and earned a B in 2025-26 (B in 2024-25). Three Oaks Middle is 22 to 24 minutes away and earned an A in 2025-26 (B in 2024-25).

High school: South Zone 3 and busing

Vanderbilt Lakes sits in high school sub-zone 3 of the South Zone, and the 2026-27 enrollment plan lists three high schools for it: Bonita Springs, Estero and South Fort Myers. The district's transportation optimization page, which we read on October 10, 2026, shows sub-zone 3 residents bused to all three: Bonita Springs High, Estero High and South Fort Myers High.

Free-flow drive times from inside the community are 14 to 16 minutes to Bonita Springs High, 16 to 18 to Estero High and 28 to 30 to South Fort Myers High. The state's 2025-26 grades were B for Bonita Springs High, B for Estero High and C for South Fort Myers High. Busing is a district service that can change with each school year, so confirm the route for the year in question on the transportation page.

Schools at a glance

Drive times are free-flow, from four points inside Vanderbilt Lakes, computed with OSRM routing on OpenStreetMap roads; school-day traffic adds time. Grades are from the Florida Department of Education's 2025-26 School Grades file.

Enrollment dates and documents

We do not print enrollment dates. The 2027-28 dates are not published in the plan we read, and the district sets them after its Board votes, so the district enrollment page is the source to check. For documents, the enrollment plan names proof of address, with the driver's license excluded, and the kindergarten age rule of 5 by September 1.

How Far Is Vanderbilt Lakes From Hospitals?

From Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs, the NCH Bonita freestanding emergency department is about 10 to 13 minutes away and open 24 hours. Lee Health's Coconut Point emergency department and NCH North Hospital are about 12 to 14 minutes. The region's Level II trauma center, Gulf Coast Medical Center, is about 27 to 30 minutes, free-flow.

Data updated: October 2026 (hospital operator pages and free-flow routing read October 10, 2026).

Those times come from four starting points inside the community and assume no traffic. In an emergency, call 911; the times here describe geography, and they are not a promise about how long any trip takes. Seasonal traffic on US 41 can add to every number below.

Hospitals and emergency rooms

The Level II designation comes from Lee Health's own page, which calls Gulf Coast the only Level II trauma center between Bradenton and Miami. This table lists distance only, and it does not say which hospital serves a given emergency.

Urgent care and outpatient

The Lee Health Bonita Community Health Center is 10 to 12 minutes from the community and offers urgent care, imaging and specialty clinics. Its page lists no emergency department and says to call 911 in an emergency, so we keep it out of the emergency table above and list it here as outpatient care.

Insurance network note

Lee Health's own site carries a dated notice: beginning January 1, 2027, Lee Health hospitals and physicians will be out of network with UnitedHealthcare, covering employer-based, individual and Medicare Advantage plans. Several facilities in the table above are Lee Health facilities, namely Coconut Point, Gulf Coast, HealthPark and the Bonita Community Health Center, while the NCH and Physicians Regional facilities are not part of Lee Health. Read the Lee Health UnitedHealthcare notice and your own plan documents for what applies to your coverage.

How Long Is the Drive From Vanderbilt Lakes to Everywhere?

From inside Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs, it is about 3 to 6 minutes to US 41 and Bonita Beach Road, 6 to 8 to Bonita Beach Park, 11 to 13 to I-75, 12 to 15 to Coconut Point, 27 to 29 to downtown Naples and 29 to 31 to Southwest Florida International Airport, free-flow.

Data updated: October 2026 (free-flow routing on OpenStreetMap roads, run October 10, 2026).

Drive times table

Method: we routed from four points inside the community (the Publix trip from six points) using OSRM on OpenStreetMap roads, free-flow, with no traffic, on October 10, 2026.

Why the times are ranges

A community with seven neighborhoods does not have one starting point. A Bermuda Gardens condominium and a Winthrop Circle home sit in different corners of the gate system, so the same trip takes a slightly different number of minutes from each. We report the shortest and longest time across the four interior points rather than averaging them.

Free-flow means the router assumed empty roads. Winter season, weekday rush hour, beach weekends and construction add time.

Getting to I-75 and US 41

The community's entrance is on Vanderbilt Drive, and the trip to US 41 and Bonita Beach Road takes 3 to 6 minutes, with I-75 Exit 116 at 11 to 13. Two state and city projects touch these routes, and neither is on community land. The City's Northwest Quadrant Roadway and FDOT's US 41 and Bonita Beach Road redesign are described in the construction section below. The I-75 widening is east of US 41, not adjacent to the community.

What Is Near Vanderbilt Lakes for Beaches, Shopping and Parks?

Bonita Beach Park is 6 to 8 minutes from Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs, but its parking lot has been closed for Hurricane Ian repairs since September 8, 2026, the Access 1 lot closes November 1, 2026 and the Little Hickory Island Beach Park lot has been closed since September 8, 2026, while Accesses 2 to 9 stay free. Publix at the Center of Bonita Springs is 4 to 6 minutes away.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County Parks pages read October 10, 2026).

Beaches and the 2026 parking closures

Vanderbilt Lakes has no beach access of its own, and no beach easement or beach club appears in any recorded document we read. The nearest public beaches are on Hickory Boulevard, and the 2026 closures change which ones have parking.

• Bonita Beach Park (27954 Hickory Blvd): Lee County's page says that starting September 8, 2026, "the parking lot and beach park amenities will be closed to patrons due to construction efforts to restore and repair damages from Hurricane Ian." Pedestrian access continues through Bonita Beach Access 1. Parking had been $2 an hour, and the county's annual parking subscription was not accepted there. See the county's Bonita Beach Park page.
• Bonita Beach Access 1 (27890 Hickory Blvd): the parking lot closes starting November 1, 2026, and pedestrian access remains. See the Access 1 page.
• Bonita Beach Accesses 2 to 9 (27720 to 26220 Hickory Blvd): free to park, with no pets, fires or grilling, and the county notes the beaches "have not been restored to pre-Hurricane Ian conditions." See the Accesses 2 to 9 page.
• Little Hickory Island Park (Access 10, 26082 Hickory Blvd): the lot and amenities closed from September 8, 2026, pedestrian access remains, and the Lee Parks annual pass is valid there. See the Little Hickory page.

Lee County approved a $6.95 million contract on June 16, 2026 for restoration at Bonita Beach Park, Access 1 and Little Hickory Island Beach Park, according to Gulfshore Business; a completion date is not published. The City of Bonita Springs posted on July 30, 2026 a pilot that would reimburse the first 300 full-time residents toward a Lee County annual beach parking pass, and the City's notice does not state the amount or the start date, so we print no amount.

Barefoot Beach Preserve and Lovers Key State Park

Two other beaches sit 14 to 19 minutes away. Collier County's Barefoot Beach Preserve (505 Barefoot Beach Blvd) is open 8 am to sunset, charges $10 to park without a Collier resident permit and allows no dogs; it is 14 to 16 minutes from the community. Lovers Key State Park (8700 Estero Blvd) is open 8 am to sunset, charges $8 per vehicle and, per a dated alert, has had no food, gift or bait shop since May 1, 2026; it is 17 to 19 minutes away.

Groceries and everyday shopping

Publix at the Center of Bonita Springs (Store 1449, 3304 Bonita Beach Rd) is open 7 am to 10 pm daily and is 4 to 6 minutes from the community, with pharmacy hours posted on the store page. The landlord's own site plan for the Center of Bonita Springs lists Publix, Kohl's, Burlington, Gold's Gym, Bealls Outlet and restaurants; that is landlord marketing, so confirm current tenants before planning a trip around one.

Parks, preserves and boating

The Imperial River Preserve and boat ramp (27551 S Tamiami Trail) has two ramps, a paddlecraft launch and a fishing pier path, charges $5 a day for parking and accepts the annual pass; it is about 5 to 7 minutes away. The City-managed Oak Creek Preserve (27880 Matheson Avenue) covers about 4 acres under the Conservation 20/20 program. Riverside Park is 8 to 10 minutes away, and the City reports its phase 2 renovation began in April 2026, with completion targeted for winter 2026, on its Downtown Projects Update.

Inside the community, the 1985 declaration prohibits docks and powered boats on the lakes, so the boating options above are public ones off site.

Library, culture and events

The Bonita Springs Public Library (10560 Reynolds St) is open Monday 10 to 6, Tuesday noon to 8, Wednesday and Thursday 10 to 6, Friday and Saturday 9 to 5, and closed Sunday. The City's 2026-27 approved special events include Boo-Tanical Evening on October 23, 2026 at Everglades Wonder Gardens, Kris Kringle Village on December 12 and 13, 2026 at the Liles Hotel, concert band and big band evenings at Riverside Park, and the Center for the Arts Art Festival in January, February and March 2027.

Public transit

LeeTran's Bonita Springs ULTRA on-demand zone borders the community: its edge lies within about 0.1 mile of every interior point we tested, and eligibility depends on the pickup address in the app. Fixed route 600 stops on US 41 at Woods Edge Parkway, about 0.57 mile from the community, measured in a straight line.

What Is Being Built or Changed Near Vanderbilt Lakes?

The City of Bonita Springs has authorized a construction agreement with FDOT for a new two-lane road from Windsor Road to US 41, about a third of a mile from Vanderbilt Lakes. FDOT's US 41 and Bonita Beach Road redesign is in design with construction unfunded, and nearby applications are small commercial and townhome cases, none on community land.

Data updated: October 2026 (City and FDOT records read October 10, 2026).

All distances in this section run in a straight line from the community's center to the nearest edge of the named site. They are not drive times, and a resident at the gate is up to about 0.3 mile closer or farther than the center.

The Northwest Quadrant Roadway at Windsor Road

The City will build a new two-lane road from Bonita Beach Road at Windsor Road to US 41 at the Center of Bonita Springs, and will widen Windsor Road to two southbound lanes and one northbound lane with a 12-foot shared-use path on the east side. The City authorized a construction agreement with FDOT on May 6, 2026 in Resolution 26-010. Windsor Road is about 0.32 mile from the community's center. Construction dates are not published in the records we read, and FDOT describes the road in its US 41 at Bonita Beach Road relocation plan.

US 41 at Bonita Beach Road

FDOT's project at US 41 and Bonita Beach Road (financial project 444321-1), about 0.9 mile away, accepted its concept on July 25, 2025: a partial displaced left turn, a northeast quadrant road to Arroyal Road and 12-foot shared-use paths. In FDOT's August 2025 work program, design is ongoing, right of way is partly funded and construction is not funded. The 2024 public hearing put the preliminary total cost at $61,810,000 and reported no residential relocations. See the project page, the August 2025 newsletter and the hearing slide deck. We print no construction year because the records read disagree on timing and none funds it.

Applications within a mile

The City's Projects of Interest report listed these nearby cases when we read it on October 10, 2026:

• A 16,900 square foot warehouse and office building on Trails Edge Boulevard, 0.60 mile away.
• A car wash on US 41, 0.57 mile away.
• Eleven townhomes on Bonita Beach Road SW, 0.75 mile away.
• A Bonita Village master planned development amendment, 0.81 mile away.
• An amendment to the 4200 Bonita Beach Road master planned development that cuts hotel rooms from 202 to 75, 0.88 mile away.
• An outdoor-seating special exception on Crown Lake Boulevard, 0.95 mile away, scheduled for the Zoning Board on October 20, 2026.

No case in the report concerns land inside or touching Vanderbilt Lakes. The City also keeps a Projects of Interest page that updates as cases move.

Hickory on the Bay

Ordinance 25-10, adopted September 17, 2025, rezoned about 5 acres on Bonita Beach Road SW to a commercial planned development of up to 23,717 square feet of commercial uses, 6 multifamily units and up to 25 transient wet slips, with a 35-foot height limit. The site is about 1.12 miles from the community.

The internet relay station on Imperial River Road

Neighbors of the site at Bonita Beach Road and Imperial River Road called it a data center. According to the City, as reported by WINK News in June 2026, it is an internet relay station for an international fiber network, approved in September 2025, about the scale of a two-story office building with no more than six employees on site, and county conduit permits match that description. It is about 0.85 mile away by road. The press report is the source for the City's description, so treat it as a news account rather than a City document.

The Windsor Road city parcel

Lee County's planned development datasheet for Windsor Road covers a Bonita Springs Utilities water tank parcel and a 9.79-acre city-owned vacant governmental parcel, about 0.32 mile from the community. We found no adopted plan for the city parcel.

I-75 widening

FDOT's I-75 project (financial project 452544-1) adds congestion relief lanes between Immokalee Road and Bonita Beach Road, with a construction phase from mid 2026 and an in-person public hearing on October 27, 2026. I-75 is east of US 41 and is not adjacent to the community. See the FDOT project page.

How Does Vanderbilt Lakes Compare With Nearby Communities?

Same instrument, same 12 months, for Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs and its neighbors: Vanderbilt Lakes homes recorded 13 sales at an $800,000 median, Spanish Wells single-family 43 at $820,000, Pelican Landing 40 at $1,292,500 and Bonita Bay 62 at $1,700,000. Condominiums recorded 18 sales at $275,000 against Spanish Wells' 13 at $353,225.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County recorded sales through September 25, 2026; county roll file dated October 11, 2026).

We pulled every recorded sale for each community from the Lee County record for the 12 months to September 25, 2026, using the same tool and the same window for every row, so the figures can sit side by side.

For the step up to a bay-front club community a few minutes north, Bonita Bay recorded 62 single-family sales at a $1,700,000 median in the same 12 months.

How to read the benchmark

The rows differ in product, lot, age and amenity, so a gap between two medians describes the mix of homes that sold, and it does not make one community better or cheaper than another. The denominator for price per square foot is the county's heated area, which can differ from an appraiser's or a builder's measurement. The Woods Edge row mixes single-family, villa and condominium parcels, which is why we label it a neighbor with mixed product, and it should not be read against a single-product row. Figures from other pages or from the multiple listing service are not mixed into this table; days on market and similar measures are a separate source that we do not mix in.

Vanderbilt Lakes homes and condominiums are never blended into one median here. The condominium row is its own product with its own price level.

Price per square foot in context

Vanderbilt Lakes homes recorded $362.73 per square foot of county heated area across 13 sales in the 12 months. Inside the community, Vanderbilt 1 recorded $355.86 across 12 sales over 24 months, and the Estates recorded $401.65 across 11 sales over 24 months, so the two single-family neighborhoods sit on either side of the community figure. For comparison, Spanish Wells single-family recorded $328.28, Pelican Landing $454.91 and Bonita Bay $523.30 in the 12-month window. Vanderbilt Lakes condominiums recorded $234.44, against $203.35 for Spanish Wells condominiums.

Vanderbilt Lakes vs Spanish Wells: Which Community Fits Your Priorities?

Vanderbilt Lakes and Spanish Wells are two gated Bonita Springs communities on either side of US 41. Vanderbilt Lakes is 534 residences from 1985 to 1998 with no golf or clubhouse and layered association fees; Spanish Wells is larger, with 27 holes of semi-private golf its homeowners association bought in 2018.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County recorded sales through September 25, 2026; club pages read October 12, 2026).

Spanish Wells recorded a slightly higher single-family median in the same window. The table sets the two communities side by side, using the county record for sales and counts and each community's own pages for amenities.

How the two compare on price

Using the same instrument and the same window, the Spanish Wells single-family median of $820,000 is $20,000 above the Vanderbilt Lakes median of $800,000, while Vanderbilt Lakes is $34.45 per square foot higher ($362.73 against $328.28). Among condominiums, the Spanish Wells median of $353,225 is $78,225 above the Vanderbilt Lakes median of $275,000, and Vanderbilt Lakes is $31.09 per square foot higher ($234.44 against $203.35). Spanish Wells recorded more single-family sales in the window, 43 against 13, so its median rests on a larger count.

The Spanish Wells figures combine four legal-description groups: Spanish Wells, Marbella, Cordova and Lake Club. By group, the 12-month medians were $810,000 for the Spanish Wells plats (22 sales), $429,000 for Marbella (19), $1,005,000 for Cordova (10), while Lake Club's 5 sales ran from $480,000 to $750,000, too few for a median, so the blended number hides a wide spread between groups. The same caution applies inside Vanderbilt Lakes, where we keep homes and condominiums apart.

How the two compare on amenities and fees

Vanderbilt Lakes has no single clubhouse, golf course, marina or beach access. Its pools and one court belong to the Swim and Racquet Club for the Isles and Cays condominiums, and Bermuda Gardens has its own pool. Its published master and Commons line runs from $216.40 to $1,345.00 a year by neighborhood in the 2025 adopted budget, and the neighborhood association dues sit on top and are not published in the documents we read.

Spanish Wells Country Club describes "27-holes of Championship Golf in three different 18-hole combinations" and says the property "was purchased by the Home Owner's Association" in January 2018. It lists a recently renovated 32,000 square foot clubhouse, 3 Har-Tru tennis courts and 4 pickleball courts on its Our Club page. Its FAQ page calls it "a Semi-Private Club" whose course "is open to the public," says "Spanish Wells is not an Equity Club," and says membership is optional except in Cordova, "the only one bundled community." We do not compare Spanish Wells fees on this page.

How the two compare on rules and age of homes

Vanderbilt Lakes homes were built between 1985 and 1998, with one rebuild in 2019, and 231 of its 234 homes date to 2000 or earlier. Spanish Wells parcels were built from 1979 to 2019 across its groups: the Spanish Wells plats from 1979 to 2019, Lake Club from 1981 to 2003, Marbella from 2004 to 2008 and Cordova from 2014 to 2018. Those are years built, and they are not founding dates.

On rules, Vanderbilt Lakes changes by neighborhood: the master declaration limits stays under 30 days to four a year, Carmel requires a 90-day minimum lease with one lease a year, Bermuda Cays requires 60 days with three leases a year, and the other condominiums set 30-day minimums. We have not compared Spanish Wells rules here, and the governing documents of each community control.

Which fits which priorities

Read the table by priority, and describe the home you want rather than the buyer you are. If the priority is a golf course and a large clubhouse inside the gate, those exist on the Spanish Wells side of the table and not in Vanderbilt Lakes. If the priority is a condominium under about $300,000, the record shows 14 of the 18 Vanderbilt Lakes condominium sales between $200,000 and $300,000 in the 12 months. If the priority is a single-family home on a private lake loop with no club dues line, the Vanderbilt Lakes single-family neighborhoods are described in the sections above, with the association layers set out in the fee section of this page. If the priority is a larger sales count to price against, Spanish Wells recorded 43 single-family sales to Vanderbilt Lakes' 13.

Lease and association rules are a legal difference more than a price difference, and they decide how a home can be used. Read the governing documents of each community, and the estoppel and resale documents for the specific home, before comparing. The same rule applies to the golf and club membership terms at Spanish Wells, which are the club's to state.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Vanderbilt Lakes?

Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs offers a gate system on private roads near US 41, a $275,000 condominium median, Zone X at every parcel record checked and published master fees. The trade-offs are evacuation Zone B, pre-2002 construction, layered and partly unpublished fees, no clubhouse, golf or beach access, and rules that differ by neighborhood.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County recorded sales through September 25, 2026; recorded declarations and county records read October 10, 2026).

This list weighs the record, not the community, and the two columns below are the facts we would put in front of any buyer or seller before a contract.

What the record shows in Vanderbilt Lakes' favor

• A gate system on private roads. The Commons runs a front gate with a visitor call box and resident SmartPass lanes, and a SmartPass-only back gate locked from 9 pm to 5 am, with video surveillance on all gates. The county's subdivision layer flags the community as gated.
• Close to US 41 and Bonita Beach Road. It is 3 to 6 minutes free-flow to US 41 and Bonita Beach Road, 4 to 6 to Publix and 6 to 8 to Bonita Beach Park.
• An entry price near $275,000 for a condominium. The condominium median was $275,000 across 18 recorded sales in the 12 months, with 14 of the 18 between $200,000 and $300,000.
• Zone X at every parcel record we checked. FEMA's flood layer, read October 10, 2026, mapped all 549 parcel records in the seven in-scope plat groups in Zone X, outside the Special Flood Hazard Area.
• Published master fees and recorded rules. The 2025 master and Commons line is public by neighborhood, from $216.40 to $1,345.00 a year, and the lease, pet and sale rules of each neighborhood sit in recorded declarations.
• A range of products in one gate system. Vanderbilt 1 and Estates homes, Carmel villas and four condominium groups share one set of gates, lakes and roads.

What a careful buyer should weigh

• Evacuation Zone B. Lee County places the community in Zone B at every parcel, one of the first zones ordered to leave for a hurricane, even though FEMA's flood maps show Zone X.
• Age of construction. Of the 234 homes, 231 were built in 2000 or earlier, and every condominium dates to 1989 through 1997, so the buildings predate the 2002 Florida Building Code. Roof age, wind mitigation and insurance quotes belong in every offer.
• Layered and partly unpublished fees. The master and Commons line is published, but the Estates HOA, Carmel, the four condominium associations and the Swim and Racquet Club dues are not in the documents we read. The estoppel certificate and the resale documents show them, and a resale capital assessment of $1,500 for single-family or $750 for multi-family is due at closing.
• No clubhouse, golf, marina, dock or beach access. Amenities are limited to the Isles and Cays pools and court and the Gardens pool.
• Rules that differ by neighborhood. Lease minimums run from 30 days to Carmel's 90, pets and sale approvals differ, and none of the recorded declarations we read contains an age restriction; the governing documents control.
• Thin sales counts in the smaller neighborhoods. Carmel recorded no sales in 12 months and 12 over 60 months, and Vanderbilt 1 and the Estates recorded 7 and 6 in the 12-month window, so for those groups we print counts and ranges, not medians.
• A softer condominium market in the calendar record. The condominium median moved from $369,950 in 2023 to $272,500 in 2026 to September 25, down 26.3 percent. That is a comparison of calendar years from the county record, and it is not a forecast.
• Active projects within a mile. The Northwest Quadrant Roadway at Windsor Road is about a third of a mile away, and construction dates are not published.

Thinking of Selling Your Vanderbilt Lakes Home? List With the #1 Team in Southwest Florida Since 2012

Selling a Vanderbilt Lakes home or Bermuda condominium in Bonita Springs starts with the neighborhood, because seven associations set different fees, lease rules and approvals. McGreevy and Comisar, the #1 team in Southwest Florida since 2012, price each listing from the county's recorded sales and the recorded documents.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County recorded sales through September 25, 2026; county roll file dated October 11, 2026).

If you're searching for the best Vanderbilt Lakes listing agent, or thinking, "I need to sell my house in Vanderbilt Lakes...", you are choosing between a price taken from a portal estimate and a price taken from the record. Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar price every Vanderbilt Lakes home and Bermuda condominium against Lee County's recorded sales for the same product, then put the association layer, the lease rules a buyer inherits, the flood map and the evacuation zone in front of the buyer before the buyer has to ask. See how we sell homes across the city on our Bonita Springs seller guide.

• Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008
• 5 Star Award for Customer Satisfaction for 21 Straight Years. Only 5 out of 21k+ Licensees (Gulfshore Life Magazine)
• #1 Team in Southwest Florida since 2012
• McGreevy and Comisar and their Domain Realty Group team have sold over $2.5 Billion in Real Estate
• McGreevy and Comisar alone have over $900 million in Sales
• Nationally Recognized Top Producing Realtors
• Platinum Sales Production Award Winners

We pulled every recorded Vanderbilt Lakes sale in the Lee County public record for the 12 months to September 25, 2026 (Lee County Property Appraiser public roll and sales files, our analysis). The 234 single-family homes and villas recorded 13 resales at a median of $800,000, from $650,000 to $1,100,000, or $362.73 per square foot of county heated area. The 300 Bermuda condominiums recorded 18 resales at a median of $275,000, from $212,500 to $350,000, or $234.44 per square foot. Those are the two numbers a seller prices against, and we never blend them into one.

Inside those totals the samples are small, so we show them as samples and not as market rates. Vanderbilt 1 recorded 7 home sales, from $650,000 to $975,000, and the Estates recorded 6, from $735,000 to $1,100,000. Carmel recorded none in the 12 months and 12 over 60 months, at a median of $496,500. By building group, Bermuda Isles II recorded 7 condominium sales, from $242,000 to $295,000, Bermuda Cays 6, from $237,000 to $350,000, and Bermuda Gardens 5, from $212,500 to $305,000, while Bermuda Isles I recorded none in the 12 months and 15 over 60 months, at a median of $365,000. None of the 31 sales was a builder-direct sale.

Sellers describe the process in their own words:

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For the full selling process, from the estoppel to the closing table, read how to sell a home in Vanderbilt Lakes.

What Is Your Vanderbilt Lakes Home Worth? Get a Free Valuation in 60 Seconds.

Start with our free home valuation and we will follow up with a Vanderbilt Lakes number built on the recorded sales for your neighborhood and product, adjusted for size, pool and roof in the single-family neighborhoods and for the building group and floor plan in the condominiums. For the wider market, our Bonita Springs home valuation page explains how we value homes across the city.

Call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072. Talk to Jesse direct: (239) 898-6072, text or call. Confidential conversations welcome.

For a neighborhood by neighborhood walk through the recorded sales, see what a Vanderbilt Lakes home is worth.

How we price a Vanderbilt Lakes home or condo

Pricing in Vanderbilt Lakes is a comparison inside one neighborhood and one product, and these are the inputs we set beside each other:

• The neighborhood and its association line. The 2025 master and Commons line runs from $216.40 a year in the Estates to $1,345.00 in Vanderbilt 1, and the Estates, Carmel and each condominium add dues of their own that are not published.
• County heated area and bedrooms. Single-family homes run 1,777 to 3,755 square feet in Vanderbilt 1 and 1,804 to 3,195 in the Estates, and Carmel villas run 1,226 to 2,585.
• Pool and roof. Most single-family lots carry a private pool, and roof age is not published for any address, so it comes from the permit history.
• The condominium building group and floor plan. Bermuda Cays units run 1,389 to 1,478 square feet with three bedrooms, Isles I units 1,111 to 1,311, Isles II units 1,067 to 1,179 and Gardens units 1,076 to 1,175, and each group has its own association and lease rules.
• The Swim and Racquet Club. Isles I, Isles II and Cays units belong to it, and Gardens units do not.
• The same-window recorded sales. We compare against the county's recorded sales for the same neighborhood, using the longer windows when a neighborhood has fewer than 10 sales in 12 months.

Seller closing costs at the Vanderbilt Lakes medians

Two closing lines are set by statute and rule and can be worked out from the price: the deed documentary stamp tax and the owner's title insurance premium. In Lee County the seller customarily pays both, and the contract controls. At $800,000, the stamp tax is 8,000 units of $100 at $0.70, or $5,600.00. The promulgated owner's premium is $5.75 per $1,000 on the first $100,000 ($575.00) plus $5.00 per $1,000 on the next $700,000 ($3,500.00), about $4,075.00 before any reissue credit.

At $275,000 the stamp tax is 2,750 units of $100 at $0.70, or $1,925.00, and the premium is $575.00 plus $5.00 per $1,000 on $175,000 ($875.00), about $1,450.00. The rates come from Florida Statutes section 201.02 and Florida Administrative Code Rule 69O-186.003. Commission is negotiable and closing settlement fees vary by title company, so we print neither. The association items that can sit beside these lines are the resale capital assessment, the estoppel certificate and the condominium application fees, each covered in the fee section above.

Documents a Vanderbilt Lakes seller should gather first

Buyers and title companies ask for the same paper in every Vanderbilt Lakes sale, and having it ready shortens the contract period:

• The estoppel certificate from the association, which states what is owed at the time of the sale (section 718.116 for condominiums, section 720.30851 for homeowners associations).
• The condominium resale documents, which a seller must give the buyer: the declaration, articles, bylaws and rules, the annual financial statement and budget, the frequently asked questions sheet, the governance form and, where they apply, the milestone summary and the most recent structural integrity reserve study or a statement that none is required (section 718.503).
• The homeowners association disclosure summary for the single-family neighborhoods under a homeowners association, the Estates and Vanderbilt 1; condominiums are exempt (section 720.401).
• The Swim and Racquet Club cards and keys for a seller in Bermuda Isles, Isles II or Cays, which the club's rules require before the condominium association issues its estoppel letter.
• The sign approval from the Board, or from the Design Review Committee in the Estates, before a For Sale or Open House sign goes up.

Call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072 and we will confirm which of these apply to your neighborhood.

How long does a Vanderbilt Lakes home take to sell?

Days on market comes from the Southwest Florida MLS, and the MLS was not available when we published. Information not available at time of publishing (checked 2026-10-10). The county record shows how many sales closed, not how long each took: 13 home sales and 18 condominium sales were recorded in the 12 months to September 25, 2026. If you want a read on pace for your neighborhood, call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072 and we will run it from the MLS.

Do I need association approval to sell my Bermuda condominium?

Yes in each building group, and the process differs. Bermuda Cays requires prior written approval on 15 days' notice, and the association may furnish another buyer or buy the unit, with the sale deemed approved if it does not act. Bermuda Isles I requires Board approval of sales under its original declaration, Bermuda Isles II uses a sales and rental application, and Bermuda Gardens gives its Board 30 to 60 days to act on a transfer. The application fees are listed in the fee section above.

Who pays the resale capital assessment when a Vanderbilt Lakes home sells?

The assessment is due to the master association at closing, $1,500 for a single-family home and $750 for a multi-family unit, and the Board's rule says it is payable by the buyer or otherwise negotiated between buyer and seller. That makes it a contract term to settle in the offer. Whether it applies to Estates lots and Bermuda Gardens units is not established in the documents we read, and the estoppel certificate shows the amount due.

Can I put a For Sale sign in my yard in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Only with approval. The master declaration bars any For Sale, For Rent or Open House sign anywhere in Vanderbilt Lakes except as the Board approves, including its size, shape, content, location and duration. In the Estates, the 1989 declaration allows no sign of any kind without Design Review Committee approval, which may be withheld. Plan sign approval before the listing date, since it bears on how the home is shown.

Does the Swim and Racquet Club need anything from me at closing?

If you sell in Bermuda Isles, Isles II or Bermuda Cays, yes. The club's rules require a selling owner to return both membership cards and both keys before the condominium association issues its estoppel letter, or to pay a $200 non-compliance fee. Bermuda Gardens owners are not club members, so the rule does not reach them, and the club's assessments are collected through each condominium association.

What should a Carmel seller tell a buyer about leasing?

Tell the buyer that Carmel's 2018 amendment requires leases of at least 90 days and no more than one year, allows one lease in any twelve-month period, requires Board approval of renewals and bars subleasing. The association also needs 20 days' written notice before a sale or lease closes. Carmel is a villa neighborhood with exteriors, driveways and front-yard landscaping handled by the association, and the master cap on short leases applies on top.

Your Local Real Estate Experts

McGreevy and Comisar are the Bonita Springs team Vanderbilt Lakes owners and buyers call to sort out seven associations, their fees and their lease rules before a contract, and our headquarters is in Bonita Springs. We are Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008 and lead the #1 team in Southwest Florida since 2012.

As the leaders of Domain Realty Group our team has closed over $2.5 billion in real estate, and McGreevy and Comisar alone have over $900 million in Sales. Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar bring over 45 years of combined direct experience between them. Read more about our team.

Awards and recognition

• Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008
• 5 Star Award for Customer Satisfaction for 21 Straight Years. Only 5 out of 21k+ Licensees (Gulfshore Life Magazine)
• #1 Team in Southwest Florida since 2012
• McGreevy and Comisar and their Domain Realty Group team have sold over $2.5 Billion in Real Estate
• McGreevy and Comisar alone have over $900 million in Sales
• Nationally Recognized Top Producing Realtors
• Platinum Sales Production Award Winners
• #5 real estate team in Florida (RealTrends 2026)
• #1 real estate team in Bonita Springs (RealTrends 2026)

How to reach us

• Jesse McGreevy: (239) 898-6072 · [email protected]
• Marc Comisar: (239) 287-5873
• Office: 24031 S Tamiami Trl #101, Bonita Springs, FL 34134

Jesse McGreevy (Sales Associate) and Marc Comisar (Broker Associate) are licensed Florida REALTORS® with Domain Realty; Florida real estate licensure is regulated by the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC).

You can also read more about McGreevy and Comisar.

Our team

McGreevy and Comisar lead Domain Realty Group, a full-service Southwest Florida real estate team. Learn more about our team at DomainRealtyGroup.com.

To browse homes for sale in Vanderbilt Lakes, see Vanderbilt Lakes homes for sale at Domain Realty Group.

Selling in Vanderbilt Lakes? Get a free home valuation or call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072. Buying in Vanderbilt Lakes? Call Marc at (239) 287-5873, or read how we represent buyers in Southwest Florida. Buying elsewhere in the city? Start with our Bonita Springs buyer guide.

Vanderbilt Lakes FAQ: Buyer Edition

Vanderbilt Lakes buyers in Bonita Springs ask 38 questions most often, from how many associations a home belongs to, to flood zones, hurricanes and schools, and how the community compares with Spanish Wells. Each answer draws on the county record or a recorded document, and where a figure is not published we say so.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County recorded sales through September 25, 2026; recorded declarations and county records read October 10, 2026).

★★★★★ "Jesse and Marc are extremely knowledgeable about Southwest Florida real estate! If you are looking to buy or sell property, look no further than Domain Realty and their amazing team!" Verified Google review

What is Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs?

Vanderbilt Lakes is a gated residential community in the City of Bonita Springs, Lee County, ZIP 34134, with 234 single-family homes and villas and 300 Bermuda condominiums, 534 residences in seven neighborhoods. It sits west of US 41 and south of Bonita Beach Road and is entered from Vanderbilt Drive. A 1985 master declaration ties the neighborhoods together, and 231 of the 234 homes were built in 2000 or earlier.

Where is Vanderbilt Lakes located?

Vanderbilt Lakes is west of US 41 and south of Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs, entered from Vanderbilt Drive (County Road 901) by Northlake Street. The center of the community is about 0.55 mile from US 41 and 0.73 mile from Bonita Beach Road in a straight line, and the free-flow drive from inside the community to the US 41 and Bonita Beach Road intersection is 3 to 6 minutes.

Is Vanderbilt Lakes in Bonita Springs or Naples?

Vanderbilt Lakes is in Bonita Springs, in Lee County, not Naples. Every parcel in scope is in the City of Bonita Springs tax district 017 and inside the city limit. The old recorded name of Vanderbilt Drive was Vanderbilt Beach Drive, and the community has no connection to Vanderbilt Beach or Vanderbilt Country Club in Collier County. Naples is a 27 to 29 minute free-flow drive away, and the Estates association uses a Naples management company.

Is Vanderbilt Lakes a gated community?

Yes. Lee County's subdivision layer flags Vanderbilt Lakes as gated, and the Commons runs a front gate with a visitor call box and resident SmartPass lanes, plus a back gate that opens by SmartPass only and is electronically locked from 9 pm to 5 am daily. Video surveillance covers all gates. County address points record a guard house at the Northlake Street entrance, but staffing is not stated in any current document we read.

How many homes and condos are in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Vanderbilt Lakes has 534 residences: 234 single-family homes and villas and 300 condominiums. The associations' own list counts 92 homes in Vanderbilt 1, 102 in the Estates, 40 in Carmel, 56 condominiums in Bermuda Isles I, 68 in Isles II, 96 in Bermuda Cays and 80 in Bermuda Gardens. The 2014 restated declaration counts 92 single-family and 340 multi-family residences, which matches. The county roll also lists 17 common-element parcels.

What are the neighborhoods in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Vanderbilt Lakes has seven neighborhoods: Vanderbilt 1 with 92 homes, the Estates (Vanderbilt Lakes II and III) with 102 homes, and Carmel at Vanderbilt Lakes with 40 villas, plus four condominium groups, Bermuda Isles I with 56 units, Bermuda Isles II with 68, Bermuda Cays with 96 and Bermuda Gardens with 80. Each condominium group and the Estates and Carmel have their own association on top of the master association.

Is Bermuda Isles part of Vanderbilt Lakes?

Yes. The 1989 declarations for Bermuda Isles and Bermuda Cays place each condominium within the Vanderbilt Lakes planned unit development, the associations' own list names Bermuda Isles I and II as neighborhoods, and the county's address points label the buildings Bermuda Isles. Bermuda Isles I has 56 units built in 1989, 1990 and 1994, and Bermuda Isles II has 68 units built in 1994 and 1995.

Is Bermuda Pointe part of Vanderbilt Lakes?

No. Bermuda Pointe is a separate 60-unit condominium next door with its own association; its 1997 declaration does not place it under the Vanderbilt Lakes master, and the associations' own list leaves it out. We keep its sales and fees out of every Vanderbilt Lakes figure on this page, and a buyer comparing the two should read each community's documents separately.

Are Bermuda Lago and Bermuda Ridge part of Vanderbilt Lakes?

No. Bermuda Lago and Bermuda Ridge belong to the Woods Edge cluster, which also includes Woods Edge Villas and Carriage Homes at Woods Edge, a separate planned development to the south and east. The associations' own list of Vanderbilt Lakes neighborhoods does not include them. Their sales are not in any Vanderbilt Lakes figure here, and the Woods Edge cluster is shown only as a neighboring benchmark.

What do homes cost in Vanderbilt Lakes?

In the 12 months to September 25, 2026, Lee County recorded 13 resales of Vanderbilt Lakes homes at a median of $800,000, from $650,000 to $1,100,000, or $362.73 per square foot of county heated area. Vanderbilt 1 recorded 7 sales, from $650,000 to $975,000, and the Estates 6, from $735,000 to $1,100,000, both too few for a median. Over 24 months the county recorded 25 home sales at a median of $815,000. Carmel recorded none in 12 months and 12 over 60 months at $496,500.

What do Bermuda condos cost in Vanderbilt Lakes?

In the 12 months to September 25, 2026, Lee County recorded 18 condominium resales at a median of $275,000, from $212,500 to $350,000, or $234.44 per square foot, with 14 of the 18 between $200,000 and $300,000. Bermuda Isles II recorded 7 sales, from $242,000 to $295,000, Bermuda Cays 6, from $237,000 to $350,000, and Bermuda Gardens 5, from $212,500 to $305,000, and Bermuda Isles I recorded none. Units measure about 1,067 to 1,478 square feet.

When were the homes in Vanderbilt Lakes built?

Vanderbilt 1 was built from 1985 to 1988, the Estates mostly from 1989 to 1999 with Vanderbilt Lakes III in 1998 to 2000 and one 2019 rebuild, and Carmel from 1987 to 1997. The condominiums date from 1989 to 1997: Bermuda Cays 1989 to 1996, Isles I in 1989, 1990 and 1994, Isles II in 1994 and 1995 and Gardens in 1996 and 1997. The Florida Building Code replaced local codes statewide on March 1, 2002, so nearly all of it predates that code.

Who developed Vanderbilt Lakes?

The recorded documents name developer entities, not one builder. The 1985 master declaration was made by the original developer entities and joined by Arthur Rutenberg Corp. as owner of the single-family lots. Western Express, Inc. declared Carmel, Shelltex Marketing, Inc. declared Bermuda Cays and Bermuda Isles in 1989, and B.I. Devco, Inc. declared Bermuda Isles II and Bermuda Gardens. A Vanderbilt Lakes II partnership developed the Estates. We make no claim about who built any single home.

Is Vanderbilt Lakes a 55+ community?

None of the recorded declarations we read contains an age restriction; the governing documents control. We read the master declaration and its 2014 restatement and the declarations for the Estates, Carmel, Bermuda Cays, Bermuda Isles I and II and Bermuda Gardens, and a buyer should confirm the current documents for the specific home in the resale package.

What are the HOA fees in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Every owner pays a combined master and Commons line. In the 2025 budget approved November 18, 2024 it is $1,345.00 a year in Vanderbilt 1, $256.28 in Carmel, Bermuda Cays and Bermuda Isles, $216.40 in the Estates and $697.48 in Bermuda Gardens; the associations' site lists $1,408.69, $268.40, $255.28 and $730.50 for the 2026 payment due January 1. The Estates association, Carmel, the four condominium associations and the Swim and Racquet Club dues are not published in the documents we read; the estoppel certificate and the resale documents show them.

What does the Vanderbilt Lakes master fee cover?

The 1985 master declaration covers roads, stormwater, security systems, lakes and insurance, and the Commons maintains the lakes, guard house and gate house, north gate, signage, preserves, front-entrance landscaping and ingress and egress control. The 2025 budget totals $268,236.12 in maintenance fees, including a $12,000 paving reserve contribution, and the Commons line is $179,949.00. Since 2024 the association also installs and maintains street lighting and mailboxes in Vanderbilt 1.

How many associations will I belong to in Vanderbilt Lakes?

It depends on the neighborhood. A Vanderbilt 1 owner belongs to the master association only. An Estates owner belongs to the Vanderbilt Lakes II homeowners association and is billed a master line, and a Carmel owner belongs to the Carmel residents association. A Bermuda Cays, Isles I or Isles II owner belongs to a condominium association and the Swim and Racquet Club, and a Bermuda Gardens owner belongs to the Gardens association and has a non-voting master membership. The Commons has three associations as members, not individual owners.

Is there a resale capital or transfer fee when I buy in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Yes, at closing a resale capital assessment of $1,500 for a single-family home or $750 for a multi-family unit is due to the master association, set by a Board vote on December 5, 2017, payable by the buyer or as negotiated, and delinquent after 14 days. The Estates declaration adds a working capital contribution at each conveyance. Condominium application fees run $30 to $80 plus $70 processing per applicant, with a $50 background check in Isles II, and the Cays transfer fee may not exceed $100. The estoppel shows the amounts due.

Is there a CDD in Vanderbilt Lakes?

The county parcel layer places every Vanderbilt Lakes parcel in tax district 017, and the 2025 millage list for that district carries no community development district levy. The special district on the bill is the Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue District, and the City's stormwater assessment of $50.00 per equivalent residential unit for fiscal year 2026-27 is a non-ad valorem line. The tax bill's non-ad valorem section shows any other line for a specific home.

How much are property taxes in Vanderbilt Lakes?

The 2025 millage in tax district 017 totals 12.7970 mills. At the $800,000 single-family median with homestead, ad valorem tax would be about $9,730.73 ($10,237.60 without homestead). At the $275,000 condominium median it would be about $3,012.30 with homestead ($3,519.18 without), and at $290,000 in Bermuda Gardens about $3,204.26. These are worked examples, not a tax bill, since the Property Appraiser sets the value, and the 2026 total is not final.

Can I rent out my Vanderbilt Lakes home or condo?

Yes, within each neighborhood's rules. The master declaration caps leases under 30 days at four a year for every parcel. Carmel requires leases of 90 days to one year and one lease a year, Bermuda Cays requires at least 60 days and allows 3 leases a year, and Bermuda Isles I, Isles II and Bermuda Gardens require at least 30 days and allow 3 a year. The Estates declaration text we read has no lease-term rule, so the master cap is the rule found there.

Are short-term rentals allowed in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Partly. The master declaration says "No parcel and residence may be leased more often than four (4) times in any calendar year for periods less than thirty (30) days." That is a frequency cap, not a ban, and guests' length of stay is not restricted. Carmel and the four condominium groups set minimums of 30 days or longer, so a lease shorter than 30 days is not permitted there as we read the declarations, and the governing documents control.

Are pets allowed in the Bermuda condominiums?

For owners, yes, with limits by building group. Bermuda Cays allows up to two dogs 15 inches or less at the shoulder or two cats, Bermuda Isles I and Isles II allow two small pets under 30 pounds, and Bermuda Gardens allows two small pets of not more than 30 pounds at maturity, none in leased units. Cays allows no pets for tenants or guests, Isles II allows no pets in tenant-occupied units, Isles I bars pets in recreation areas and Gardens' 2022 welcome letter says no pets for renters, long-term lessees or guests. Later Isles I amendments were not read.

Does the association have to approve me as a condo buyer?

Yes in each condominium group, through different steps. Bermuda Cays requires prior written approval on 15 days' notice, and the sale is deemed approved if the association does not act. Isles I requires Board approval of sales, Isles II uses a sales and rental application, and Bermuda Gardens gives its Board 30 to 60 days. Separately, state law lets a condominium buyer void the contract within 7 days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, after signing and receiving the governing documents.

Is there a clubhouse or pool in Vanderbilt Lakes?

There is no community clubhouse. The Bermuda Isles and Cays Swim and Racquet Club has two heated pools and one court for owners and renters in Isles I, Isles II and Cays, and Bermuda Gardens has its own recreation parcel with a pool, spa, gazebo and grills and is not a club member. Most single-family lots in Vanderbilt 1 and the Estates have private pools on the county roll, and the master association owns the lakes, preserves, entrance and roads.

Does Vanderbilt Lakes have tennis or pickleball?

One court. The Swim and Racquet Club's own page lists one court for tennis or pickleball, with its two pools, for owners and renters in Bermuda Isles I and II and Bermuda Cays. The club's recorded 1989 agreement describes one tennis court that is not lit at night. No pickleball court count appears in any recorded document or county record we read, and Gardens, Carmel, the Estates and Vanderbilt 1 have no shared court.

Do Vanderbilt Lakes owners have beach access?

No beach easement, beach club or deeded beach right appears in any recorded document we read; the word beach appears only in the old road name. Bonita Beach Park is 6 to 8 minutes away, but its parking lot and amenities have been closed for Hurricane Ian repairs since September 8, 2026, and the Access 1 lot closes November 1, 2026. Accesses 2 to 9 on Hickory Boulevard are free to park, and a City pilot will reimburse the first 300 full-time residents toward a county annual beach parking pass.

Is there a golf course in Vanderbilt Lakes?

No. Vanderbilt Lakes has no golf course, marina or docks, and its declaration prohibits docks and powered boats on the lakes. The nearest golf is at Spanish Wells, whose golf parcels lie about 1.2 miles east and which offers 27 holes in three 18-hole combinations; its own club FAQ describes it as a semi-private club open to the public, and a buyer should read its terms with the club.

Can you boat or fish on the Vanderbilt Lakes lakes?

Not with motors, and fishing rules are not published. The 1985 declaration and the 2014 restatement prohibit powered boats and docks on the lakes and allow non-motorized boats or canoes only with approval. The lakes include Spring Lake on the entrance tract and an 8.59-acre lake tract owned by the Estates association, and the Commons maintains them. We print no water depth. The Imperial River Preserve boat ramp is 5 to 7 minutes away and charges $5 a day.

Is Vanderbilt Lakes in a flood zone?

FEMA's flood layer, read October 10, 2026, maps every parcel record we checked in Vanderbilt Lakes in Zone X, outside the Special Flood Hazard Area, across 549 records in the seven plat groups. The records fall on panels 12071C0654G and 12071C0658G, both effective November 17, 2022, and Lee County's March 2, 2027 map revision does not change those panels. Zone X is not a guarantee, and a buyer can check one address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.

Do Vanderbilt Lakes homes need flood insurance?

Whether a lender requires it is set by the lender and the flood determination for the address, and we never tell a buyer it is not needed. Zone X is outside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area, but Lee County puts the community in evacuation Zone B. From January 1, 2027, Citizens requires flood coverage on every new and renewing personal residential policy that includes wind coverage, regardless of value and including outside the flood hazard area; condominium unit-owner, tenant contents and wind-excluded policies are exempt. The City's Class 5 community rating gives a 25 percent discount on qualifying federal flood policies.

What hurricane evacuation zone is Vanderbilt Lakes in?

Lee County Evacuation Zone B at every parcel, and two county layers agree. The county's Zone B sheet says "Zone B is very vulnerable and will experience significant impacts from land-falling storms," and that "Zone B will be among the first areas ordered to evacuate for a hurricane." The National Hurricane Center's planning maps, in a near-worst-case scenario, show no inundation in a Category 1 storm and more than 3 feet above ground at most points in Category 2.

Do the Bermuda condos need milestone inspections or a SIRS?

Probably not under the three-story test, but reserves still matter. Florida's milestone inspection and structural integrity reserve study laws reach condominium buildings of three habitable stories or more, and the county's building footprint layer records every residential building in Bermuda Isles, Isles II, Cays and Gardens as two stories. The Building Code count needs plans, so confirm it in the resale documents, and ask each association for its budget and its roof, painting and paving reserve schedule.

How much is homeowners insurance in Vanderbilt Lakes?

No carrier filing or record we read publishes a homeowners premium for Vanderbilt Lakes, and quotes depend on the home. Two facts shape them: 231 of the 234 homes were built in 2000 or earlier, so Citizens' year-built credit for 2002 or later does not apply and its wind-mitigation items do, and Florida law bars an insurer from refusing or non-renewing a policy solely because a roof is under 15 years old.

What schools serve Vanderbilt Lakes?

At every address we tested in all seven neighborhoods the School District of Lee County assigns study area 2202: elementary Zone Q, middle Zone GG and high school South Zone 3. Applicants rank schools within those zones, and the high school sub-zone is bused to Bonita Springs High, Estero High and South Fort Myers High. Zone Q elementary choices are Bonita Springs, Pinewoods, San Carlos Park, Spring Creek and Three Oaks; enrollment steps are on the district enrollment page.

How far is Vanderbilt Lakes from the beach and the airport?

By free-flow drive from inside the community, Bonita Beach Park is 6 to 8 minutes, Barefoot Beach Preserve 14 to 16, Lovers Key State Park 17 to 19, Naples Airport 26 to 29 and Southwest Florida International Airport 29 to 31. Interstate 75 at Exit 116 is 11 to 13 minutes and downtown Naples 27 to 29. Season and rush hour add time, and Bonita Beach Park's lot is closed from September 8, 2026.

What hospitals are near Vanderbilt Lakes?

The NCH Emergency Department in Bonita Springs, on South Tamiami Trail, is open 24 hours and 10 to 13 minutes away. Lee Health's Coconut Point emergency department and NCH North Hospital are 12 to 14 minutes away, and Gulf Coast Medical Center, a Level II trauma center, is 27 to 30. Lee Health's Bonita community center is outpatient only. From January 1, 2027, Lee Health hospitals and physicians are out of network with UnitedHealthcare, per Lee Health's own notice.

How does Vanderbilt Lakes compare with Spanish Wells?

On the same county instrument and window, Spanish Wells recorded 43 single-family sales at an $820,000 median and $328.28 per square foot against Vanderbilt Lakes' 13 at $800,000 and $362.73, and 13 condominium sales at $353,225 against 18 at $275,000. Spanish Wells has 27 holes of semi-private golf and a large clubhouse, which Vanderbilt Lakes does not. To walk through either, call Marc at (239) 287-5873 or read how we represent buyers in Southwest Florida.

Vanderbilt Lakes FAQ: Seller Edition

Vanderbilt Lakes sellers in Bonita Springs ask 38 questions most often, about price, pace, closing costs, association approvals, documents, insurance and what a buyer will check. Each answer uses the county's recorded sales or a recorded document, and where a measure is not available to us we print that plainly and do not estimate it.

Data updated: October 2026 (Lee County recorded sales through September 25, 2026; recorded declarations and county records read October 10, 2026).

What is my Vanderbilt Lakes home worth?

Start from the recorded sales in your neighborhood. Lee County recorded 13 Vanderbilt Lakes home resales in the 12 months to September 25, 2026 at a median of $800,000, from $650,000 to $1,100,000, or $362.73 per square foot. Vanderbilt 1 had 7, from $650,000 to $975,000, and the Estates 6, from $735,000 to $1,100,000, and over 24 months the Estates' 11 sales had a median of $874,900. Request a free home valuation for a number built on your home's size, pool and roof.

What is my Bermuda condo worth?

Condominiums are priced inside their own building group. Lee County recorded 18 Bermuda condominium resales in the 12 months to September 25, 2026 at a median of $275,000, from $212,500 to $350,000, or $234.44 per square foot. Bermuda Isles II recorded 7, from $242,000 to $295,000, Bermuda Cays 6, from $237,000 to $350,000, and Bermuda Gardens 5, from $212,500 to $305,000, and Bermuda Isles I recorded none in the 12 months, so its 60-month median of $365,000 on 15 sales is the better guide.

How many Vanderbilt Lakes homes sold in the last year?

Lee County recorded 13 resales of Vanderbilt Lakes homes and villas in the 12 months to September 25, 2026, and none was a builder-direct sale. The longer record shows 25 home sales over 24 months, 40 over 36 months and 67 over 60 months. By calendar year the county recorded 12 home sales in 2025 and 12 from January 1 to September 25, 2026.

How many Bermuda condos sold in the last year?

Lee County recorded 18 resales of Bermuda condominiums in the 12 months to September 25, 2026, all resales. The longer record shows 30 over 24 months, 43 over 36 months and 93 over 60 months. By calendar year the county recorded 11 sales in 2025 and 16 from January 1 to September 25, 2026, so 2026 has already passed 2025 in sales count.

What is the median sale price in Vanderbilt Lakes?

There are two medians, and we never blend them. Homes and villas had a median of $800,000 on 13 recorded sales in the 12 months to September 25, 2026, and Bermuda condominiums had a median of $275,000 on 18. A single number across both would describe neither product. Over 24 months the home median is $815,000 on 25 sales and the condominium median $297,450 on 30.

Do Estates homes sell for more than Vanderbilt 1 homes?

In the record, yes, by a small margin. In the 12 months the Estates' 6 sales ran from $735,000 to $1,100,000 and Vanderbilt 1's 7 from $650,000 to $975,000, too few for medians. Over 24 months the median gap was $64,900, with the Estates at $874,900 on 11 sales and $401.65 per square foot and Vanderbilt 1 at $810,000 on 12 sales and $355.86. Both pairs are small samples, and size, pool and condition differ by home.

Do Carmel villas sell often?

Not often. Lee County recorded no Carmel resales in the 12 months to September 25, 2026, 2 over 24 months at $427,500 and $449,000, and 5 over 36 months. Over 60 months it recorded 12 sales at a median of $496,500, from $315,000 to $770,000, or $311.07 per square foot. With 40 villas, a Carmel price is set from the 60-month record and a close read of the specific villa.

What is the price per square foot in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Per square foot of county heated area, homes had a median of $362.73 on 13 sales in the 12 months to September 25, 2026, and condominiums $234.44 on 18. Over 24 months Vanderbilt 1 was $355.86 and the Estates $401.65, and Carmel over 60 months was $311.07. By building group, Isles II was $246.38 over 24 months, Cays $257.88 over 36 months and Gardens $261.41 over 36 months. County heated area is not the MLS living area.

Are Vanderbilt Lakes condo prices going down?

The calendar-year record shows lower condominium medians since 2023. The median was $362,000 on 23 sales in 2022, $369,950 on 16 in 2023, $330,000 on 13 in 2024, $310,000 on 11 in 2025 and $272,500 on 16 from January 1 to September 25, 2026, down 26.3 percent from 2023. Home medians moved the other way, from $770,000 in 2023 to $807,500 in 2026, up 4.9 percent. That is the county record, not a forecast, and building groups sell at different prices.

Is now a good time to sell a condo in Vanderbilt Lakes?

We do not predict prices, and the record can only say what has happened. Through September 25, 2026 the county recorded 16 condominium sales in 2026 against 11 in all of 2025, at a median of $272,500 against $310,000. Whether to sell depends on your plans and your building group's recent sales. Request a free home valuation and we will show you the sales for your building and floor plan.

How long does it take to sell in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Information not available at time of publishing (checked 2026-10-10). Days on market comes from the Southwest Florida MLS, and the county record has no such field. What the record does show is the volume: 13 home sales and 18 condominium sales in the 12 months to September 25, 2026, which is about one home sale a month and one and a half condominium sales a month. We add MLS pace to a valuation when we have it.

What is the sale-to-list ratio in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Information not available at time of publishing (checked 2026-10-10). The ratio compares the sale price with the list price, and the county's sales file records the sale price only. It comes from the Southwest Florida MLS, which was not available when we published, and we do not estimate it from memory or from a portal.

Which Vanderbilt Lakes streets sold for the most?

In the 12 months to September 25, 2026, the highest recorded home sale was $1,100,000 on Winthrop Circle on June 17, 2026, followed by $1,025,000 on Regis Court on June 30 and $975,000 on Saybrook Place on June 26. Essex Place recorded $925,000 and $650,000, and Clinton Lane $815,000 and $705,000. Winthrop Circle and Regis Court each recorded 3 sales. A street's range depends on the size and year of the homes sold.

What does it cost to sell a home in Vanderbilt Lakes?

Two lines are fixed by statute and rule. At the $800,000 home median, deed documentary stamps are $5,600.00 and the owner's title premium is about $4,075.00, about $9,675.00 together. At the $275,000 condominium median they are $1,925.00 and about $1,450.00, about $3,375.00 together. Commission is negotiable and is not printed, and closing settlement fees vary. Association items add the resale capital assessment if negotiated to the seller, the estoppel fee and any application fees.

Who pays documentary stamps and title insurance in Lee County?

In Lee County the seller customarily pays the deed documentary stamp tax of $0.70 per $100 of consideration under section 201.02 and the owner's title insurance policy, and the contract controls. The promulgated premium under Rule 69O-186.003 is $5.75 per $1,000 up to $100,000 and $5.00 per $1,000 from $100,000 to $1,000,000.

What will I net from my Vanderbilt Lakes sale?

We do not print a net figure, because it depends on your payoff, your commission terms and the contract. The framework is the sale price less your mortgage payoff, the deed documentary stamps, the owner's title premium, the commission you negotiate and any closing items the contract assigns to you. The first two statutory lines are about $9,675.00 on an $800,000 sale and about $3,375.00 on a $275,000 sale. We build a written estimate for your address on request.

Who pays the resale capital assessment?

It is due to the master association at closing, $1,500 for a single-family home or $750 for a multi-family unit, and the Board's rule says it is payable by the buyer or otherwise negotiated between buyer and seller, so the contract decides. It becomes delinquent after 14 days, and the Board may waive it for estate or tax planning transfers to first-degree relatives. Whether it applies to Estates lots and Bermuda Gardens units is not established, and the estoppel shows the amount due.

Does my condo association have to approve my buyer?

Yes, in every Bermuda condominium group, with different steps. Bermuda Cays requires prior written approval on 15 days' notice and deems the sale approved if the association does not act, Isles I requires Board approval, Isles II uses a sales and rental application and Gardens gives its Board 30 to 60 days. Application charges run $30 to $80 plus $70 processing per applicant, with a $50 background check in Isles II. Carmel requires 20 days' written notice before a sale closes.

What documents must I give a condo buyer?

Under section 718.503 a condominium seller must give the buyer the declaration, articles, bylaws and rules, the annual financial statement and budget, the frequently asked questions sheet, the governance form and, where they apply, the milestone summary and the most recent structural integrity reserve study or a statement that none is required. The buyer may void the contract within 7 days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, after signing and receiving them.

What is an estoppel certificate and how fast can I get one?

An estoppel certificate states what you owe the association at the time of the sale. A condominium association must issue it within 10 business days of a request, and it is valid for 30 days, or 35 if mailed. The statutes set a $250 base fee, adjusted every five years by the state; the current caps are $299, plus $119 if expedited and $179 if delinquent, and the association's actual fee may be lower. In Isles, Isles II and Cays, return your club cards and keys first.

Do I owe past-due assessments when I sell?

Yes, and so does the buyer. Under section 718.116(1)(a) a condominium buyer is jointly liable for unpaid assessments due at transfer, which is why the estoppel certificate matters: it shows the balance before closing so it can be resolved. In Bermuda Isles, Isles II and Cays, the club's assessments are collected through the condominium association. The master association's resale capital assessment is a separate charge due at closing.

Can I hold an open house in Vanderbilt Lakes?

With approvals, and visitors need a way through the gates. The master declaration bars any Open House or For Sale sign anywhere in Vanderbilt Lakes except as the Board approves, and in the Estates the Design Review Committee must approve any sign. Residents give visitors an entry code at the front gate call box, and the back gate opens by SmartPass only and is locked from 9 pm to 5 am. Plan sign approval and gate access before you schedule one.

Can I put a For Sale sign in my yard?

Only with approval. The master declaration bars any For Sale, For Rent or Open House sign except as the Board approves, including its size, shape, content, location and duration. In the Estates the 1989 declaration allows no sign of any kind without Design Review Committee approval, and approval may be withheld. Both rules apply before the listing goes live, so the approval request belongs on the same list as the photographs.

What does the Swim and Racquet Club need from a seller?

If you sell in Bermuda Isles, Isles II or Cays, return both membership cards and both keys before the condominium association issues its estoppel letter, or pay a $200 non-compliance fee under the club's rules. The club's land and its two heated pools and one court are owned by the club, and its members are the owners in those three groups, one vote per unit. Bermuda Gardens owners are not club members.

Does the 2027 Citizens flood rule affect my buyer?

It can. From January 1, 2027 Citizens requires flood coverage on every new and renewing personal residential policy that includes wind coverage, regardless of value and including outside the flood hazard area. Condominium unit-owner, tenant contents and wind-excluded policies are exempt. A buyer who plans to insure a Vanderbilt Lakes home with Citizens will need a flood policy even though FEMA maps every parcel record we checked in Zone X, and the buyer's quote should be in hand before the contract period ends.

Does my roof age affect my Vanderbilt Lakes sale?

It can affect your buyer's insurance. Florida law bars an insurer from refusing or non-renewing solely because a roof is under 15 years old, and for an older roof the owner may get an inspection; a roof with 5 or more years of useful life left may not be refused solely for age. Roof ages are not published for any address, and 231 of the 234 homes were built in 2000 or earlier, so a wind mitigation inspection and the permit history help a buyer's underwriter.

Will my buyer ask about milestone inspections or SIRS?

A condominium buyer may, and the answer is in the documents. Milestone inspections and structural integrity reserve studies apply to condominium buildings of three habitable stories or more, and the county records every residential building in Bermuda Isles, Isles II, Cays and Gardens as two stories. The resale package must carry the milestone summary and the latest study, or a statement that none is required, and buyers will ask for the budget and reserve schedule.

Does Zone X help when selling in Vanderbilt Lakes?

We make no causal claim about price. The record shows two facts a buyer will weigh together: FEMA's flood layer maps every parcel record we checked in Zone X, outside the Special Flood Hazard Area, and Lee County places the community in evacuation Zone B, among the first zones ordered to leave for a hurricane. Providing the flood map, the evacuation zone and any elevation certificate up front saves questions in the contract period.

Do I have to disclose hurricane damage?

What a seller must disclose is a legal question about your own home for your attorney. The record we read shows no storm damage specific to Vanderbilt Lakes for Irma, Ian, Helene or Milton, which says nothing about a particular home, so describe your own home's history accurately and keep the repair and permit records with the sale documents.

Can I rent my home while it is listed?

Only within your neighborhood's lease rules. The master declaration caps leases under 30 days at four a year. Carmel requires 90 days to one year and one lease in any twelve months, with renewals needing Board approval and no subleasing, Bermuda Cays requires at least 60 days and allows 3 a year, and Isles I, Isles II and Gardens require at least 30 days and allow 3 a year. A tenant in place also affects showings and the buyer's move-in date.

Do investor buyers need to know the lease rules?

Yes, because the rules decide what a buyer can do with the home. The master cap is four leases a year under 30 days, Carmel requires at least 90 days with one lease a year, Bermuda Cays at least 60 days with 3 a year, and Bermuda Isles I and II and Gardens at least 30 days with 3 a year. None of the recorded declarations we read contains an age restriction; the governing documents control, and the lease rules belong in the first conversation.

Does the rail trail bond affect my buyer's taxes?

Possibly, in a way the City has not yet quantified. The City's Bonita Estero Rail Trail ordinance put general obligation bonds of up to $35,000,000, maturing within 30 years and paid from ad valorem taxes on all taxable property in the City, on the August 18, 2026 ballot, and voters approved them. Vanderbilt Lakes is inside the City, but the cost per home is not published, so we print no per-home number.

What happens to my homestead benefits when I sell and buy again?

Your homestead exemption belongs to you, not to the home, so your buyer applies for their own through the Lee County Property Appraiser. Portability may let a qualifying owner carry a prior homestead benefit to a new Florida home, and the Property Appraiser's portability page sets out the rules. The homestead application is also there.

Should I renovate before selling my Vanderbilt Lakes home?

The county sales file records the price and the house, not whether it was renovated before sale, so the public record cannot measure what a renovation returns in Vanderbilt Lakes, and we print no figure. One rule shapes the decision: architectural review sits with the master association's three-member Architectural Review Board under the master declaration and with the Estates' own Design Review Committee, so check what approval an exterior project needs before a contractor is hired.

What is the best month to list in Vanderbilt Lakes?

The county record shows closing dates, not listing dates, so it cannot say which listing month sells best, and 13 home sales is too few to read a season. For the record, the 12-month home closings fell as 1 in December, 2 in January, 1 each in February, March, April and May, 3 in June, 2 in July and 1 in August, with none recorded from September 26 to November 30, 2025.

How do Vanderbilt Lakes prices compare with Spanish Wells?

On the same county instrument and window, the Vanderbilt Lakes single-family median of $800,000 is $20,000 below Spanish Wells' $820,000, while its $362.73 per square foot is $34.45 above Spanish Wells' $328.28. Condominiums show a $275,000 median against $353,225, $78,225 lower, with $234.44 per square foot against $203.35, $31.09 higher. Spanish Wells has 27 holes of semi-private golf and Vanderbilt Lakes has none.

Who is the best realtor to sell a Vanderbilt Lakes home?

McGreevy and Comisar are Top 1% Real Estate Agents Nationally Since 2008 and lead the #1 team in Southwest Florida since 2012, with our headquarters in Bonita Springs. As the leaders of Domain Realty Group our team has closed over $2.5 billion in real estate, and RealTrends 2026 ranks the team #5 in Florida. We price Vanderbilt Lakes homes from the recorded sales and the recorded documents, and we show a seller the association layer before a buyer finds it.

How do I start selling my Vanderbilt Lakes home with McGreevy and Comisar?

Start with a free home valuation, or call Jesse direct at (239) 898-6072, text or call; confidential conversations are welcome. We will price your home or condominium against the recorded sales for your neighborhood, list the documents and approvals your buyer will need, and agree a plan for photography, video and showings. If you are also buying, Marc can be reached at (239) 287-5873.

Sources

Every figure and rule on this Vanderbilt Lakes page in Bonita Springs traces to a dated source below: recorded Lee County documents, Florida corporate records, the associations' own site, county, city and state agencies, and operator pages labeled as such. Market figures come from our analysis of the Lee County Property Appraiser's public sales files.

Each line gives the title, the link in full and the date we read it. Where a record cannot be linked by address, the line says so and describes the record.

Recorded documents, Lee County Clerk of Court (Official Records and plats)

1. Lee County Clerk of Court, Official Records search (LandMarkWeb), index searched for the 2014 VCSA restatement, the 2018 Carmel amendment, the 2024 VCSA amendments and any recorded termination: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
2. O.R. 1797 page 680 et seq., Declaration of Vanderbilt Wastewater Treatment Area: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=O&booknumber=1797&pagenumber=680 (accessed October 10, 2026)
3. O.R. 1797 page 725, Master Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions of Vanderbilt Lakes (1985): https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=O&booknumber=1797&pagenumber=725 (accessed October 10, 2026)
4. O.R. 1951 page 1316, Master Declaration for Carmel at Vanderbilt Lakes: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=O&booknumber=1951&pagenumber=1316 (accessed October 10, 2026)
5. O.R. 2075 page 2273, Bermuda Isles and Cays Swim and Racquet Club Membership Agreement: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=O&booknumber=2075&pagenumber=2273 (accessed October 10, 2026)
6. O.R. 2075 page 2312, Declaration of Condominium of Bermuda Cays: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=O&booknumber=2075&pagenumber=2312 (accessed October 10, 2026)
7. O.R. 2075 page 2393, Declaration of Condominium of Bermuda Isles: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=O&booknumber=2075&pagenumber=2393 (accessed October 10, 2026)
8. O.R. 2501 page 1391, Certificate of Amendment to the Bermuda Isles declaration, May 17, 1994: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=O&booknumber=2501&pagenumber=1391 (accessed October 10, 2026)
9. O.R. 2510 page 3342, Declaration of Condominium for Bermuda Isles II: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=O&booknumber=2510&pagenumber=3342 (accessed October 10, 2026)
10. O.R. 2619 page 1381, Grant of Easement and Membership, Access, Utility and Drainage Agreement: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=O&booknumber=2619&pagenumber=1381 (accessed October 10, 2026)
11. O.R. 2660 page 3581, warranty deed to the Swim and Racquet Club: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=O&booknumber=2660&pagenumber=3581 (accessed October 10, 2026)
12. O.R. 2670 page 739, Declaration of Condominium of Bermuda Gardens: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=O&booknumber=2670&pagenumber=739 (accessed October 10, 2026)
13. O.R. 2862 page 2047, Declaration of Condominium of Bermuda Pointe: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=O&booknumber=2862&pagenumber=2047 (accessed October 10, 2026)
14. Plat Book 36 pages 6 to 11, "Vanderbilt Lakes, Section 4": https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=P&booknumber=36&pagenumber=6 (accessed October 10, 2026)
15. Plat Book 36 pages 92 to 97: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=P&booknumber=36&pagenumber=92 (accessed October 10, 2026)
16. Plat Book 37 pages 34 to 40: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=P&booknumber=37&pagenumber=34 (accessed October 10, 2026)
17. Plat Book 39 pages 40 to 44, Vanderbilt Lakes II: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=P&booknumber=39&pagenumber=40 (accessed October 10, 2026)
18. Plat Book 42 pages 88 to 92, Vanderbilt Lakes II replat: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=P&booknumber=42&pagenumber=88 (accessed October 10, 2026)
19. Plat Book 60 pages 48 to 49, Vanderbilt Lakes III: https://or.leeclerk.org/LandMarkWeb/Document/GetDocumentByBookPage/?booktype=P&booknumber=60&pagenumber=48 (accessed October 10, 2026)

Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) records

20. Articles of Incorporation of the Commons Association, filed Feb 25, 2008: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ConvertTiffToPDF?storagePath=COR%5C2008%5C0227%5C00048641.Tif&documentNumber=N08000001891 (accessed October 10, 2026)
21. Commons Association amendment, filed Jul 1, 2011: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ConvertTiffToPDF?storagePath=COR%5C2011%5C0707%5C09095165.Tif&documentNumber=N08000001891 (accessed October 10, 2026)
22. VCSA Amended and Restated Articles, filed Jan 30, 2014: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ConvertTiffToPDF?storagePath=COR%5C2014%5C0205%5C55866771.Tif&documentNumber=N05437 (accessed October 10, 2026)
23. Sunbiz, VCSA N05437: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=S&aggregateId=domnp-n05437-8acc9e98-4c47-413b-9629-e03a8523fe5c&searchTerm=S&listNameOrder=S (accessed October 10, 2026)
24. Sunbiz, VLCA N08000001891: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=S&aggregateId=domnp-n08000001891-ba3c55b9-bf87-44e0-be70-a9c83cb85358&searchTerm=S&listNameOrder=S (accessed October 10, 2026)
25. Sunbiz, Vanderbilt Wastewater Association N10295: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=S&aggregateId=domnp-n10295-635ec1d6-aef1-4946-ad23-fc7b956f09af&searchTerm=S&listNameOrder=S (accessed October 10, 2026)
26. Sunbiz, Carmel Residents Association N20072: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=S&aggregateId=domnp-n20072-6c5b1323-e683-436a-91ae-219b3f6398b5&searchTerm=S&listNameOrder=S (accessed October 10, 2026)
27. Sunbiz, VLII N30349: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=S&aggregateId=domnp-n30349-a06a237e-6291-4b0d-ac63-a8ccddf98352&searchTerm=S&listNameOrder=S (accessed October 10, 2026)
28. Sunbiz, Bermuda Cays N30587: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=S&aggregateId=domnp-n30587-c7ec28fe-a4ec-42db-bed0-28e1f0337252&searchTerm=S&listNameOrder=S (accessed October 10, 2026)
29. Sunbiz, Bermuda Isles Condominium Association N30589: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=S&aggregateId=domnp-n30589-021847dd-d032-476e-bd7f-92fc59180db0&searchTerm=S&listNameOrder=S (accessed October 10, 2026)
30. Sunbiz, Swim and Racquet Club N31436: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=S&aggregateId=domnp-n31436-c0910748-a7a8-40eb-9e5d-0be983fb2311&searchTerm=S&listNameOrder=S (accessed October 10, 2026)
31. Sunbiz, Bermuda Isles II N93000003657: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=S&aggregateId=domnp-n93000003657-174ea1c5-9925-424f-ade9-fccc114e84de&searchTerm=S&listNameOrder=S (accessed October 10, 2026)
32. Sunbiz, Bermuda Gardens N95000002310: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=S&aggregateId=domnp-n95000002310-2e808327-837c-4d81-abe8-78b04429f1f9&searchTerm=S&listNameOrder=S (accessed October 10, 2026)
33. Sunbiz, Bermuda Pointe Association N96000004535: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=S&aggregateId=domnp-n96000004535-fe8f8bab-a8bf-4a33-a92c-e9c351708f49&searchTerm=S&listNameOrder=S (accessed October 10, 2026)

Vanderbilt Lakes association documents and website (the associations' own copies)

34. Vanderbilt Lakes community website (the associations' own site), index: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
35. Community site, Bermuda Cays page: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/bermuda-cays.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
36. Community site, Bermuda Gardens page: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/bermuda-gardens.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
37. Community site, Bermuda Isles II page: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/bermuda-isles-ii.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
38. Community site, Bermuda Isles I page: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/bermuda-isles.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
39. Community site, Swim and Racquet Club page: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/bi-and-cays-swim-and-racquet-club.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
40. Community site, Carmel page: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/carmel.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
41. Vanderbilt Lakes community website, home and welcome page: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/front-page.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
42. Mediated Settlement Agreement and Release of Liens, Jan 10, 2008: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/ALL_Mediated_Settlement_Agreement_and_Release_of_Liens_Forming_the_Commons_1_10_2008.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
43. Cays lease application (8-23): https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/BERMUDA_CAYS_Lease_%20app_8-23.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
44. Cays purchase application (8-23): https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/BERMUDA_CAYS_Sales_app_8-23.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
45. Isles II sales and rental application (8-23): https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/BERMUDA_ISLES_II_Sales_and_Rental_application_8-23.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
46. Bermuda Gardens Letter of Welcome (8-22): https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/BG_Letter_of_Welcome_8-22.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
47. Bermuda Cays Amended and Restated documents: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/Bermuda_Cays_Complete_Condo_Docs.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
48. Isles I rental application (7-23): https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/Bermuda_Isles_1_Rental_Application_7_23.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
49. Isles I sales application (7-23): https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/Bermuda_Isles_1_Sales_Application_7_23.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
50. Carmel 2018 amendment: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/Carmel_Amendment_%20RE_%20Pets_and_%20Leasing.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
51. Carmel Amended and Restated documents: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/Carmel_Covenants.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
52. Swim and Racquet Club certificate of resolution: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/Swim_and_Racquet_Certificate_of_Resolution.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
53. Swim and Racquet Club membership rules, sections 7 to 14 (modified 2005): https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/Swim_and_Racquet_Membership_7-14_amendment.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
54. Swim and Racquet Club warranty deed: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/Swim_and_Racquet_warranty%20deed.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
55. VCSA FY2025 Approved Budget (approved 2024-11-18): https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/VCSA%202025%20Adopted%20Budget.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
56. VCSA 2024 amendments: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/VCSA%20_Amendments_to_%20VCSA_%20Documents_3_2024%20.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
57. VCSA, 2023 budget explanation (how to calculate your payment): https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/VCSA_2023_Budget_Eplanation_Or_How_to_Calculate_Your_Payment.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
58. VCSA Amended and Restated Declaration, Articles and By-Laws, 2014: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/VCSA_Amended_And_Restated_Docs-2014.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
59. VLCA Bylaws: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/VLCA_ByLaws.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
60. Vanderbilt Lakes II Homeowners Association, declaration of covenants and restrictions and related documents: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/media/files/VLII_HOA_Docs.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
61. Community website VCSA page (2026 payment amounts, resale capital note, document list): https://vanderbiltlakes.net/vcsa.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
62. Community website Commons page (gate, SmartPass, board roles): https://vanderbiltlakes.net/vlca-the-commons.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
63. Community website VLII page: https://vanderbiltlakes.net/vlii.html (accessed October 10, 2026)

Lee County Property Appraiser, county GIS and tax records

64. Lee County Property Appraiser, Hazards map service (design wind speed layers 4 to 6, debris region): https://gissvr.leepa.org/gissvr/rest/services/HazardsFloodZones/MapServer (accessed October 10, 2026)
65. Lee County Property Appraiser, building footprint layer: https://services2.arcgis.com/LvWGAAhHwbCJ2GMP/ArcGIS/rest/services/Building_Footprints_for_Damage_Assessment/FeatureServer/0 (accessed October 10, 2026)
66. Lee County parcel layer (LCPA): https://services2.arcgis.com/LvWGAAhHwbCJ2GMP/ArcGIS/rest/services/Lee_County_Parcels/FeatureServer/0 (accessed October 10, 2026)
67. Lee County GIS, Ultra_MoD_Zones layer: https://services2.arcgis.com/LvWGAAhHwbCJ2GMP/ArcGIS/rest/services/Ultra_MoD_Zones/FeatureServer/0 (accessed October 10, 2026)
68. Lee County evacuation layers: https://services2.arcgis.com/LvWGAAhHwbCJ2GMP/arcgis/rest/services/EvacuationZones/FeatureServer/0 (accessed October 10, 2026)
69. Lee County GIS NG911_Address_Points FeatureServer layer 0: https://services2.arcgis.com/LvWGAAhHwbCJ2GMP/arcgis/rest/services/NG911_Address_Points/FeatureServer/0 (accessed October 10, 2026)
70. Lee County Property Appraiser, home and parcel search: https://www.leepa.org/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
71. Lee County Property Appraiser, Portability: https://www.leepa.org/Exemption/Portability.aspx (accessed October 10, 2026)
72. Lee County Property Appraiser, Apply for Homestead: https://www.leepa.org/Homestead/ApplyForHomestead.aspx (accessed October 10, 2026)
73. Lee County Property Appraiser, 2025 Taxing District Millage Book (district 017 total 12.7970): https://www.leepa.org/TaxRoll/Millage%20Books/2025%20Taxing%20District%20Millage%20Book.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
74. Lee County Property Appraiser, 2026 Taxing District Millage Book, preliminary (district 017 proposed): https://www.leepa.org/TaxRoll/Millage%20Books/2026%20Taxing%20District%20Millage%20Book%20Prelim.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
75. Florida Statutes s. 553.899, milestone inspections: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0500-0599/0553/Sections/0553.899.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
76. Florida Statutes s. 718.112, condominium bylaws, budgets, reserves and SIRS: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0718/Sections/0718.112.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
77. Florida Statutes s. 718.116, condominium assessments and estoppel: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0718/Sections/0718.116.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
78. Florida Statutes s. 718.503, condominium resale disclosures and 7-day voidability: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0718/Sections/0718.503.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
79. Florida Statutes s. 720.30851, HOA estoppel certificates: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0720/Sections/0720.30851.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
80. Florida Statutes s. 720.401, HOA disclosure summary: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0720/Sections/0720.401.html (accessed October 10, 2026)

Flood, hurricane, insurance, building code and Florida Statutes

81. FEMA, National Flood Hazard Layer map service (layers 1, 3, 28, 34): https://hazards.fema.gov/arcgis/rest/services/public/NFHL/MapServer (accessed October 10, 2026)
82. FEMA, National Flood Hazard Layer, flood hazard zones (layer 28): https://hazards.fema.gov/arcgis/rest/services/public/NFHL/MapServer/28 (accessed October 10, 2026)
83. FEMA Flood Map Service Center (address lookup): https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home (accessed October 10, 2026)
84. My Safe Florida Condo Pilot Program: https://mysafeflcondo.com/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
85. My Safe Florida Home: https://mysafeflhome.com/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
86. USGS Short-Term Network, events index (Ian event 325 high water marks): https://stn.wim.usgs.gov/STNServices/Events.json (accessed October 10, 2026)
87. NHC National Storm Surge Risk Maps (tile services, Categories 1 to 5): https://tiles.arcgis.com/tiles/C8EMgrsFcRFL6LrL/arcgis/rest/services/Storm_Surge_HazardMaps_Category3_v3/MapServer (accessed October 10, 2026)
88. Citizens Property Insurance, Wind Loss Mitigation Guide for OIR-B1-1802 Rev. 04/26: https://training.citizensfla.com/lms/courses/core/CIS_Resources/Job_Aids/PolicyCenter/Wind_Loss_Mitigation_Guide_Rev0426.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
89. Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue District: https://www.bonitafire.org/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
90. Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue District, ISO rating page: https://www.bonitafire.org/iso-rating-2 (accessed October 10, 2026)
91. Citizens, press release 03.04.26: 2026 multiperil rates down 8.8 percent on average: https://www.citizensfla.com/-/20260304-citizens-2026-multiperil-rates-to-drop-statewide (accessed October 10, 2026)
92. Citizens, bulletin 03.19.26: OIR-B1-1802 Rev. 04/26 effective April 1, 2026: https://www.citizensfla.com/-/20260319-uniform-mitigation-verification-inspection-form-changes (accessed October 10, 2026)
93. Citizens Property Insurance, flood coverage requirement (new and renewing personal residential policies with wind coverage by January 1, 2027; condominium unit-owner, tenant and wind-excluded policies exempt): https://www.citizensfla.com/flood (accessed October 10, 2026)
94. Florida Building Commission, Key Commission Milestones (FBC replaced local codes March 1, 2002): https://www.floridabuilding.org/fbc/commission/FBC_0422/Commission/FBC_Milestones_February_2022.doc (accessed October 10, 2026)
95. Florida Administrative Code Rule 69O-186.003, promulgated title insurance premium rates: https://www.flrules.org/gateway/RuleNo.asp?title=Title%20Insurance%20Rules&ID=69O-186.003 (accessed October 10, 2026)
96. Florida Statutes, Online Sunshine index (2026): https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
97. Florida Statutes s. 201.02, documentary stamp tax on deeds ($0.70 per $100): https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0200-0299%2F0201%2FSections%2F0201.02.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
98. Florida Statutes s. 627.7011(5), roof age: https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0627/Sections/0627.7011.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
99. Florida Statutes s. 718.111(11), association property insurance: https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0718/Sections/0718.111.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
100. National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report AL092022, Hurricane Ian: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL092022_Ian.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
101. National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report AL092024, Hurricane Helene: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL092024_Helene.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
102. National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report AL112017, Hurricane Irma: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL112017_Irma.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
103. National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report AL142024, Hurricane Milton: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL142024_Milton.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
104. National Hurricane Center, National Storm Surge Risk Maps (data page): https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/nationalsurge/ (accessed October 10, 2026)

Schools, hospitals and drive-time method

105. Bonita Springs Elementary 10701 Dean Street SE, Bonita Springs, FL 34135 (239) 992-0801: https://bne.leeschools.net/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
106. Bonita Springs High 25592 Imperial Parkway, Bonita Springs, FL 34135 (239) 495-3022: https://bnh.leeschools.net/our_school (accessed October 10, 2026)
107. Bonita Springs Middle Center for the Arts 10141 W. Terry Street, Bonita Springs, FL 34135 (239) 992-4422: https://bnm.leeschools.net/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
108. Estero High 21900 River Ranch Road, Estero, FL 33928 (239) 947-9400: https://est.leeschools.net/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
109. NCH Emergency Department, Bonita freestanding, location page: https://locations.nchmd.org/fl/bonita-springs/nch-emergency-department-bonita-freestanding (accessed October 10, 2026)
110. NCH North Hospital, location page: https://locations.nchmd.org/fl/naples/nch-north-hospital (accessed October 10, 2026)
111. NCH emergency services page (NCH Baker Hospital): https://nchmd.org/services/emergency-services/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
112. Three Oaks Elementary 19600 Cypress View Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33967 (239) 267-8020: https://oak.leeschools.net/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
113. Three Oaks Middle 18500 Three Oaks Parkway, Fort Myers, FL 33967 (239) 267-5757: https://okm.leeschools.net/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
114. Pinewoods Elementary 11900 Stoneybrook Golf Drive, Estero, FL 33928 (239) 947-7500: https://pin.leeschools.net/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
115. OSRM public demo routes on OpenStreetMap data: https://router.project-osrm.org/route/v1/driving/-81.81815,26.31729;-81.81816,26.31905?overview=false&steps=true (accessed October 10, 2026)
116. San Carlos Park Elementary 17282 Lee Road, Fort Myers, FL 33967 (239) 267-7177: https://sac.leeschools.net/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
117. South Fort Myers High 14020 Plantation Road, Fort Myers, FL 33912 (239) 561-0060: https://sfm.leeschools.net/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
118. Spring Creek Elementary 25571 Elementary Way, Bonita Springs, FL 34135 (239) 947-0001: https://spc.leeschools.net/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
119. Florida Department of Education, 2025-26 School Grades (as of September 1, 2026): https://www.fldoe.org/file/18534/SchoolGrades26.xlsx (accessed October 10, 2026)
120. Lee Health Bonita Community Health Center, location page: https://www.leehealth.org/locations/find-a-location/bonita-community-health-center (accessed October 10, 2026)
121. Lee Health Coconut Point Emergency Department, location page: https://www.leehealth.org/locations/find-a-location/coconut-point-emergency-department (accessed October 10, 2026)
122. Gulf Coast Medical Center, Lee Health, location page: https://www.leehealth.org/locations/find-a-location/gulf-coast-medical-center (accessed October 10, 2026)
123. HealthPark Medical Center, Lee Health, location page: https://www.leehealth.org/locations/find-a-location/healthpark-medical-center (accessed October 10, 2026)
124. Lee Health, notice on UnitedHealthcare network status from January 1, 2027: https://www.leehealth.org/unitedhealthcare (accessed October 10, 2026)
125. School District of Lee County, Student Enrollment Plan 2026-2027 (PDF): https://www.leeschools.net/common/pages/GetFile.ashx?key=c5aKDQZk (accessed October 10, 2026)
126. School District of Lee County, Student Enrollment: https://www.leeschools.net/student_enrollment (accessed October 10, 2026)
127. School District of Lee County, School Zones: https://www.leeschools.net/student_enrollment/school_zones (accessed October 10, 2026)
128. School District of Lee County, Transportation Optimization (high school sub-zone busing): https://www.leeschools.net/support/transportation_optimization (accessed October 10, 2026)
129. Physicians Regional Medical Center, Pine Ridge, location page: https://www.physiciansregional.com/physicians-regional-pine-ridge (accessed October 10, 2026)
130. School District of Lee County, SchoolSite Locator (Lee County 26-27): https://www.schoolsitelocator.com/apps/leecounty/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
131. Zone layers: https://www.schoolsitelocator.com/server/rest/services/ssl_IM/MapServer (accessed October 10, 2026)
132. City of Bonita Springs Community Development, Projects of Interest report (data page): https://b4.caspio.com/dp/9aca2000452763d4f57c4800ab0c (accessed October 10, 2026)

Beaches, parks, shopping, library and transit

133. Brixmor, Center of Bonita Springs leasing page (landlord marketing): https://www.brixmor.com/leasing/retail-space/fl/bonita-springs/center-of-bonita-springs (accessed October 10, 2026)
134. Collier County Parks, Barefoot Beach Preserve: https://www.collierparks.com/Parks-and-Beaches/Beaches/Barefoot-Beach-Preserve (accessed October 10, 2026)
135. Florida State Parks, Lovers Key State Park: https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/lovers-key-state-park (accessed October 10, 2026)
136. LeeTran Route 600 timetable (PDF, Nov 2024): https://www.leegov.com/leetran/Documents/Route%20600%20112024.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
137. LeeTran ULTRA On Demand page: https://www.leegov.com/leetran/ultra (accessed October 10, 2026)
138. Lee County Library System, Bonita Springs Public Library: https://www.leegov.com/library/branches/bn (accessed October 10, 2026)
139. Lee County Parks, Bonita Beach Park: https://www.leegov.com/parks/beaches/bonitabeach (accessed October 10, 2026)
140. Lee County Parks, Bonita Beach Accesses 2 to 9 (free parking): https://www.leegov.com/parks/beaches/bonitabeachaccess (accessed October 10, 2026)
141. Lee County Parks, Bonita Beach Access 1: https://www.leegov.com/parks/beaches/bonitabeachaccess1 (accessed October 10, 2026)
142. Lee County Parks, Little Hickory Island Park (Access 10): https://www.leegov.com/parks/beaches/littlehickory (accessed October 10, 2026)
143. Lee County Parks, Imperial River Preserve and boat ramp: https://www.leegov.com/parks/preserves/imperialriver (accessed October 10, 2026)
144. Lee County Parks, Oak Creek Preserve: https://www.leegov.com/parks/preserves/oakcreek (accessed October 10, 2026)
145. Lee County Emergency Management, Evacuation Zone B sheet: https://www.leegov.com/publicsafety/Documents/Emergency%20Management/ZONE%20B.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
146. Publix, The Center of Bonita Springs (Store 1449): https://www.publix.com/locations/1449-the-center-of-bonita-springs (accessed October 10, 2026)

City, county and state records: roads, zoning, utilities, budget and millage

147. DBPR, Condominium Purchasing Guide (cancellation period text superseded by s. 718.503): https://www2.myfloridalicense.com/lsc/documents/purchasing_guide.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
148. Lee County planned development datasheet, Windsor Road CFPD (DCI2006-00065): http://www.leegov.com/dcd/zoning/pd/planneddevelopment?tid=DCI2006-00065 (accessed October 10, 2026)
149. Lee County planned development datasheet, Diamond Ridge/Woods Edge CPD/RPD (DRI960807): http://www.leegov.com/dcd/zoning/pd/planneddevelopment?tid=DRI960807 (accessed October 10, 2026)
150. Bonita Springs Utilities, About: https://bsu.us/about/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
151. Bonita Springs Utilities, wastewater: https://bsu.us/wastewater/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
152. City of Bonita Springs Community Development, Projects of Interest: https://cityofbonitaspringscd.org/resources/Projects_of_Interest.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
153. Bonita Springs Utilities, ServiceArea feature layer: https://services1.arcgis.com/OqhnNQ4rSYio76Mh/arcgis/rest/services/ServiceArea/FeatureServer/0 (accessed October 10, 2026)
154. City of Bonita Springs, ordinance amending Chapter 10 (substantial damage and improvement definitions): https://www.cityofbonitasprings.org//Userfiles/DBFiles/server_11726458/202301/19248222/ord_22_06_ada_building_and_construction_codes_chp_10.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
155. City of Bonita Springs, FEMA Community Rating System (Class 5 notices 2024): https://www.cityofbonitasprings.org/FEMACRS (accessed October 10, 2026)
156. City of Bonita Springs, History (incorporated 1999): https://www.cityofbonitasprings.org/about_us/history (accessed October 10, 2026)
157. City of Bonita Springs Resolution 2026-021 (stormwater $50.00 per ERU, FY2026-27): https://www.cityofbonitasprings.org/common/pages/GetFile.ashx?key=%2fcpFAUc0 (accessed October 10, 2026)
158. City of Bonita Springs Resolution 26-010 (Northwest Quadrant Road construction agreement with FDOT, May 6, 2026): https://www.cityofbonitasprings.org/common/pages/GetFile.ashx?key=0eNEAWod (accessed October 10, 2026)
159. City of Bonita Springs Ordinance 26-05 (BERT general obligation bond referendum, up to $35 million): https://www.cityofbonitasprings.org/common/pages/GetFile.ashx?key=EX1EAaqD (accessed October 10, 2026)
160. City of Bonita Springs Zoning Ordinance 25-10 (Hickory on the Bay): https://www.cityofbonitasprings.org/common/pages/GetFile.ashx?key=g8VEATg7 (accessed October 10, 2026)
161. City of Bonita Springs Resolution 26-027 (final FY2026-27 millage 0.8411, adopted September 23, 2026): https://www.cityofbonitasprings.org/common/pages/GetFile.ashx?key=uKNGAQFd (accessed October 10, 2026)
162. City of Bonita Springs Resolution 26-028 (final FY2026-27 budget): https://www.cityofbonitasprings.org/common/pages/GetFile.ashx?key=uqNGAQNd (accessed October 10, 2026)
163. City page, Downtown Projects Update (posted 04/08/2026): https://www.cityofbonitasprings.org/news/what_s_new/55555555959 (accessed October 10, 2026)
164. City page, MOU for residents to receive reimbursement for Lee County annual beach parking passes (posted 07/30/2026): https://www.cityofbonitasprings.org/news/what_s_new/m_o_u_for_residents_to_receive_reimbursement_for_l (accessed October 10, 2026)
165. City of Bonita Springs, Special Events (2026-2027 approved events): https://www.cityofbonitasprings.org/services___departments/communications_department/special_events (accessed October 10, 2026)
166. City of Bonita Springs, stormwater and drainage page: https://www.cityofbonitasprings.org/services___departments/public_works/stormwater__drainage (accessed October 10, 2026)
167. Gulfshore Business, "Lee approves $13.4M for beaches, parks, pier projects" (June 17, 2026): https://www.gulfshorebusiness.com/lee/lee-approves-134-million-for-beaches-parks-and-pier-projects/article_e4f3e0b9-5d56-4fd8-959e-634dd3411b3e.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
168. Lee County, LOMC Types job aid (LOMA and LOMR-F definitions): https://www.leegov.com/dcd/Documents/FloodMapping/LOMCTypes.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
169. Lee County, Community Rating System discounts: https://www.leegov.com/dcd/flood/firm/insurance/discounts (accessed October 10, 2026)
170. Lee County, 2022 Flood Map Revisions (effective November 17, 2022): https://www.leegov.com/dcd/flood/floodways/femamapchanges (accessed October 10, 2026)
171. Lee County, 2026/2027 FEMA Proposed Flood Map Revisions (effective March 2, 2027; six panels): https://www.leegov.com/dcd/flood/floodways/femamapchanges2026 (accessed October 10, 2026)
172. FDOT, US 41 at Bonita Beach Road Newsletter 4, August 2025: https://www.swflroads.com/project-files/126/444321%20US%2041%20at%20Bonita%20Beach%20Road%20Newsletter%204.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
173. FDOT, US 41 at Bonita Beach Road Conceptual Stage Relocation Plan FINAL: https://www.swflroads.com/project-files/126/444321-1%20Conceptual%20Stage%20Relocation%20Plan%20-%20FINAL.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
174. FDOT, US 41 at Bonita Beach Road Public Hearing slide deck with script (March 26, 2024): https://www.swflroads.com/project-files/126/444321-1%20US%2041%20Public%20Hearing%20Slide%20Deck%20with%20Script.pdf (accessed October 10, 2026)
175. FDOT, 444321-1 US 41 at Bonita Beach Road (C.R. 865) PD&E Study: https://www.swflroads.com/project/444321-1 (accessed October 10, 2026)
176. FDOT, 452544-1 I-75 widening (congestion relief lanes), project page: https://www.swflroads.com/project/452544-1 (accessed October 10, 2026)
177. Trust for Public Land release (Aug 18, 2026): https://www.tpl.org/media-room/bonita-springs-voters-approve-transformative-investment-for-bonita-estero-rail-trail (accessed October 10, 2026)

Press and neighboring community operator pages (context and comparison only)

178. WINK News, "Bonita Springs project sparks confusion: Why city says it's not the massive data center many neighbors feared" (June 2026): https://www.winknews.com/news/lee/bonita-springs-project-sparks-confusion-why-city-says-its-not-the-massive-data-center-many/article_c9382b03-e18f-443e-afa4-1221ec168220.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
179. WINK News, "Bonita Springs voters approve $35 million for Bonita Estero Rail Trail" (Aug 19, 2026): https://www.winknews.com/news/lee/bonita-springs-voters-approve-35-million-for-bonita-estero-rail-trail-here-s-what-comes/article_a53f17c2-ee3f-4ce0-8407-3c1baab40ea9.html (accessed October 10, 2026)
180. Spanish Wells Country Club, FAQs (operator page): https://www.spanishwellscountryclub.com/faqs/ (accessed October 10, 2026)
181. Spanish Wells Country Club, Our Club (operator page): https://www.spanishwellscountryclub.com/our-club/ (accessed October 10, 2026)

Estoppel certificate fee caps

182. Stewart Title underwriting bulletin FL2022001 attaching the DBPR adjusted estoppel fee schedule (dated September 8, 2022): https://assets.stewart.com/content/stewart/virtualunderwriter/en/bulletins/2022-9/fl2022001.html (accessed October 12, 2026)
183. Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, condominiums and cooperatives: https://www.myfloridalicense.com/DBPR/condominiums-and-cooperatives/ (accessed October 12, 2026)

Our analysis and county records without a public link

184. Lee County Property Appraiser cost cards for the Vanderbilt Lakes entrance tract and the Bermuda Isles common elements (parcel pages cited by record, not by address), accessed October 10, 2026
185. Lee County Property Appraiser roll (file dated October 11, 2026) and Lee County recorded sales through September 25, 2026, our analysis, accessed October 12, 2026

Downloadable Documents

These Vanderbilt Lakes documents are published by the associations, Lee County, the School District of Lee County, the City of Bonita Springs and state and federal agencies. Each link opens the issuer's own copy, so you read the current version, with the association's copy of any recorded text that the Clerk's search will not open directly.