Tradition vs St. Lucie West: Size, I-95 Exits, CDDs and Neighborhoods Compared

Where to Live

Oct 24

Quick answer: Tradition and St. Lucie West are two of Port St. Lucie's master-planned areas: the city's June 2026 draft land use plan, in a table sourced to city data from 2025, puts St. Lucie West at 4,614 acres with 7,523 approved dwelling units and the Tradition Development of Regional Impact (DRI) at 2,727.45 acres with 6,161, though city documents from 2018 and 2020 describe the wider area known as Tradition as 8,200 acres. St. Lucie West is older: its utilities began under its developer in 1987 and its services district was established in 1990, while Tradition's first buildings opened on April 25, 2003, according to WQCS, and Mattamy Homes announced its purchase of more than 2,780 acres there on July 5, 2018. St. Lucie West lies between Florida's Turnpike and I-95, at Exit 121; Tradition is reached from Exit 118 at Tradition Parkway, according to the AARoads highway guide. Both carry special district charges: the St. Lucie West Services District puts a Benefit Assessment and a Maintenance Assessment on the property tax bill and bills water and sewer monthly, and Tradition Community Development District 1's audit for fiscal year 2018 says its assessments are billed and collected by the county tax collector. I found no current assessment amounts for either, so check the tax bill for the specific property.

Tradition and St. Lucie West are both master-planned parts of Port St. Lucie, but they were started in different decades, are served by different special districts and sit off different I-95 exits. This post uses the city's figures, the districts' own documents and the operators' descriptions, and says where I could not find a number.

Tradition vs St. Lucie West at a glance

Item	St. Lucie West	Tradition
City acres and approved dwelling units (June 2026 draft plan, city data 2025)	4,614 acres, 7,523 units	2,727.45 acres, 6,161 units
Wider area	Services district covers "4,600 acres," Turnpike to I-95	8,200 acres known as Tradition, including Southern Grove (city documents, 2018 and 2020)
Early dates	Developer utilities from 1987; services district established 1990	Tradition CDD 1 effective August 21, 2001; first buildings April 25, 2003
Special district	St. Lucie West Services District (Chapter 190)	Tradition Community Development District 1 (others not confirmed)
On the property tax bill	Benefit Assessment and Maintenance Assessment	Non-ad valorem assessments, billed and collected by the county tax collector (CDD 1 audit, fiscal year 2018)
Water and sewer	Services district, on a monthly bill	Not researched for this post
I-95 exit	121, St. Lucie West Boulevard	118, Tradition Parkway and Gatlin Boulevard (AARoads)
Facilities covered here	Clover Park, New York Mets spring training	Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital, Keiser University, Tradition Center for Commerce
Neighborhoods covered here	Lake Charles, Kings Isle	Manderlie, Emery, Telaro, Cadence

How big are Tradition and St. Lucie West?

In the city's draft Future Land Use Element, dated June 2026, the table of Developments of Regional Impact (DRIs), which the city sources to its own 2025 data, lists St. Lucie West at 4,614 acres with 7,523 approved dwelling units and Tradition at 2,727.45 acres with 6,161. Another table allows the Tradition DRI up to 1,725,664 square feet of non-residential space, 150 hotel rooms and "300 ALFs" (assisted living facility units).

"Tradition" can mean more than the DRI. An undated city fact sheet on Southern Grove, which cites dates in March and April 2018, says Southern Grove "is a part of an 8,200-acre region known to the public and marketed as 'Tradition'" and describes Western Grove as the undeveloped western section. So a home marketed as being in Tradition may sit in Southern Grove rather than the Tradition DRI; ask which.

Planned home counts also differ by source. Mattamy Homes' July 5, 2018 release on its purchase of "more than 2,780 acres" in Tradition said the land was "planned for 7,800 homesites for single-family, multifamily and active-adult homes," more than the DRI's 6,161. The release does not say whether that land includes Southern Grove or Western Grove.

When were they built, and who developed them?

St. Lucie West came first. The St. Lucie West Services District's August 28, 2024 rate presentation says its utilities began under the developer in 1987, and the district says it was "established in 1990." MiLB.com says Clover Park was "Completed in time for the 1988 season," and an undated Real Estate of Florida page says Kings Isle was "Built by Lennar in the early 90's." I did not find a primary source naming who planned and developed St. Lucie West, so I do not name one.

Tradition followed. Tradition Community Development District 1 was established "by ordinance of St. Lucie County, Florida, effective on August 21, 2001 as amended," according to its audit for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. WQCS reported in May 2023 that Tradition's Town Hall and Town Square were "the first buildings to open in the community" on April 25, 2003, and that Core Communities was "the original developer." The city's Southern Grove fact sheet says Core Communities worked with the city in 2007 to establish a Special Assessment District to fund $165,529,700 of Southern Grove infrastructure, and that in 2010 Core Communities defaulted on its obligation to an affiliate of Tradition Land Co., which became the owner of Southern Grove through a consensual foreclosure.

Where are they, and which I-95 exits serve them?

The St. Lucie West Services District says its service area "stretches from Florida's Turnpike to I-95," with the C-108 Canal near Torino on the north and Crosstown Parkway on the south. St. Lucie County's directions to Clover Park use I-95 Exit 121, St. Lucie West Boulevard.

For Tradition, the AARoads highway guide (a secondary source, updated October 29, 2022) describes Exit 118 as joining I-95 with "Tradition Parkway west and Gatlin Boulevard east." It also says the Exit 120 interchange at Crosstown Parkway "opened on March 28, 2009," and that Exit 114 at Becker Road "opened to traffic on July 31, 2009."

Is St. Lucie West a CDD? How the services district charges owners

Yes. The St. Lucie West Services District (SLWSD) says it was "established in 1990 under Florida Statute Chapter 190," and its August 28, 2024 presentation describes it as a community development district organized under the Uniform Community Development District Act of 1980. It serves "4,600 acres of land" and "approximately 7,000 water consumers," provides water, wastewater and reclaimed irrigation water, maintains stormwater systems, and is run by "a five-member, elected Board of Supervisors who live in the community."

Owners pay it in two places. The district says its "CDD Non-Ad Valorem Assessment" "appears on your annual property tax bill," while utility fees "appear on your monthly water and wastewater bill." Its FAQ describes two annual assessments on the tax bill: a Benefit Assessment that "funds special projects that benefit either the entire District or specific areas within it," and a Maintenance Assessment for stormwater systems, retention ponds, wetlands and other items.

The increases in the district documents I read are utility rates; none showed the tax-bill assessments rising. The August 28, 2024 presentation recommended utility rate increases of 9.0 percent for fiscal year 2025 (marked proposed) and 9.0 percent for 2026, then 3.5 percent a year for 2027 through 2029, 31.7 percent cumulative. The June 2025 newsletter put a combined water and sewer bill at $81.26 for 4,500 gallons and said a 9 percent increase was planned for fiscal year 2026. I did not find a current amount for either tax-bill assessment, so the property's own tax bill is the place to look.

What are Tradition's community development districts?

The one I confirmed is Tradition Community Development District 1. Its audit for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, filed with the Florida Auditor General, describes "non-ad valorem assessments on benefited lands within the District," billed and collected by the county tax collector, on a fiscal year that begins October 1. At September 30, 2018, it reported $45,810,000 of Special Assessment Refunding Bonds, Series 2014, and $6,095,000 of Irrigation System Revenue Bonds, Series 2017, outstanding. I did not review a later audit, and I could not confirm the full list of districts in Tradition or the current assessment for any of them.

Florida's s. 190.048 says CDD taxes and assessments are "SET ANNUALLY BY THE GOVERNING BOARD OF THE DISTRICT" and are in addition to county and other local taxes. For a resale in either area, ask for the latest property tax bill: SLWSD says its assessment appears there, and Tradition CDD 1's audit says its assessments are billed and collected by the county tax collector. If the home is in the Southern Grove part of the area marketed as Tradition, ask too whether the 2007 Special Assessment District applies.

What facilities are in each area?

St. Lucie West. "St. Lucie County operates Clover Park," the county says, calling it "the spring training home of the New York Mets" and "the hub for all New York Mets minor league operations." MiLB.com's February 1, 2023 article gives the address as 31 Piazza Drive, says the park was originally Thomas J. White Stadium, and says "The facility underwent a $57 million renovation project that was mostly completed just before Spring Training in 2020." The two disagree on size: the county lists seating capacity of 7,800, MiLB.com 7,160. I did not confirm any hospital or college campus in St. Lucie West.

Tradition. Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital is at 10000 SW Innovation Way, with physicians in "71 medical specialties and subspecialties" and 24/7 emergency services, according to Cleveland Clinic. Mattamy's July 5, 2018 release referred to "Tradition's recently opened 177-bed hospital," without naming it. Keiser University's Port St. Lucie campus, "The two-story, 74,000-square-foot campus on nine acres," is at 9400 Discovery Way in Tradition and held its grand opening July 19, 2017. The city's Economic Development Element, adopted October 26, 2020, describes Tradition Center for Commerce as "a 1,175-acre part of the 8,200 acre community" with "over 10 million square feet," and WQCS described Tradition Regional Park in 2023 as a "110-acre park."

Which neighborhoods are in each area?

In St. Lucie West, the Lake Charles association says the community "consists of 1128 homes," 102 townhomes and 1,026 single-family homes, behind "a manned security guard gated entry," and is "home of over 500 acres of open preserves"; its fees "include landscape care, basic cable and internet." Kings Isle is a "community of 987 homes" with "a 55+ age restriction," according to the undated Real Estate of Florida page, which puts owners' dues at $260 to $290 a month depending on the Isle sub-association; confirm current dues with the association. I have separate guides to Lake Charles and Kings Isle.

In Tradition, WQCS reported in May 2023 that over the past five years Mattamy Homes had "brought to life several new neighborhoods," including Manderlie, Emery, Telaro and Cadence. For the builders, advertised prices and 55+ labels in Tradition, see my post on new construction communities in Port St. Lucie. Vitalia at Tradition has its own guide.

What do homes cost in Tradition vs St. Lucie West?

I did not find sales figures for either area from a REALTOR association or another MLS-based public release. A listing portal publishes neighborhood figures, but its St. Lucie West page returned older data than its Tradition page, so this post does not compare prices. Closed sales for the specific neighborhoods are the fair comparison, and I can pull them for you.

What I could not confirm

Who planned and developed St. Lucie West; the full list of Tradition's districts and which one covers a given street; current assessment amounts for SLWSD or any Tradition district; which of the utility increases recommended for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 the board adopted; Clover Park's capacity and owner; and Tradition's water and sewer provider, which I did not research. The district, the county tax collector and the property's own tax bill are where to confirm the numbers for a specific home.

Questions people ask about Tradition and St. Lucie West

Is St. Lucie West a CDD?

Yes. The St. Lucie West Services District says it was established in 1990 under Chapter 190, and its August 28, 2024 rate presentation describes it as a community development district. It says its assessment appears on the annual property tax bill.

What does the St. Lucie West Services District charge on the tax bill?

A Benefit Assessment for district projects and a Maintenance Assessment for stormwater systems, retention ponds, wetlands and other items. Water and wastewater charges come on a separate monthly bill, and I did not find a current assessment amount.

Who develops Tradition?

Core Communities was the original developer, according to WQCS. Mattamy Homes announced on July 5, 2018 that it had purchased more than 2,780 acres in Tradition.

How big is Tradition compared with St. Lucie West?

The city's June 2026 draft land use plan, in a table sourced to city data from 2025, lists the Tradition DRI at 2,727.45 acres and 6,161 approved dwelling units and St. Lucie West at 4,614 acres and 7,523. City documents from 2018 and 2020 describe the wider area known as Tradition, including Southern Grove, as 8,200 acres.

Which I-95 exits serve Tradition and St. Lucie West?

St. Lucie County's directions to Clover Park use Exit 121, St. Lucie West Boulevard. The AARoads highway guide (secondary, updated October 29, 2022) describes Exit 118 as Tradition Parkway to the west and Gatlin Boulevard to the east.

Where do the Mets hold spring training?

At Clover Park in St. Lucie West, off I-95 Exit 121. St. Lucie County says it operates the park and calls it the spring training home of the New York Mets.

Talk with William. Deciding between Tradition and St. Lucie West? Call or text me your price range and the neighborhoods you are considering. I will pull recent closed sales in each, look up the district assessments on the tax bills of comparable homes, and lay out the drive to the I-95 exit you would use, so you can compare them street by street. Call or text (772) 800-2274 or send a message.

General information, not legal, tax, lending or insurance advice, and not a guarantee of any price, fee, date or outcome. I found no current assessment amounts for the St. Lucie West Services District or any Tradition community development district, could not confirm the full list of Tradition districts, and the utility rate increases shown were recommended in an August 2024 presentation; confirm assessments and rates with the district, the St. Lucie County Tax Collector and the property's own tax bill, and HOA dues with the association. References are as reviewed on October 24, 2026. William Merchant, REALTOR®, RE/MAX Gold. Each RE/MAX office is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Sources

tradition vs st lucie westst lucie westtradition port st luciest lucie west services districtcdd assessments

William Merchant