Del Webb Catalina sits inside Lakewood Ranch, Florida, the nation's top-selling master-planned community, and it's shaping up to be one of the most complete 55+ options on the Gulf Coast. The community centers on 70-acre Lake Catalina and carries Del Webb's largest amenity investment in all of Southwest Florida — a 36,000-square-foot clubhouse with more sports, fitness, and social space than most communities twice its size.
Where Del Webb Catalina is located
Lakewood Ranch straddles Manatee and Sarasota counties, roughly midway between Tampa and Sarasota. That puts you about 35 minutes from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport and 50 minutes from Tampa International. Beach days are easy: Anna Maria Island, Holmes Beach, Lido Beach, and Siesta Key are all 45 to 50 minutes away. For everyday errands and dining, Waterside Town Center — with shops, restaurants, and a weekly farmers market — is a 15-minute drive.
Because Lakewood Ranch is built inland on engineered stormwater infrastructure, it carries less hurricane and flooding exposure than coastal Sarasota or Bradenton neighborhoods. That's worth knowing before you talk to an insurance agent.
Amenities at Del Webb Catalina
The clubhouse is the real draw here. At 36,000 square feet overlooking Lake Catalina, it's not a typical Del Webb build — it's the largest the company has completed in Southwest Florida. Inside you'll find a grand ballroom with a fixed stage, a game room with a golf simulator, arcade games, and poker tables, plus a state-of-the-art gym, a movement studio, and a wellness center with infrared saunas.
The private bar and grill has a screened patio for lake views; residents carry a $750 annual food and beverage minimum, which most regulars will hit without trying. A dedicated lifestyle director handles the community calendar.
Outside, the resort-style pool has beach entry and dedicated lap lanes, with a separate resistance pool and a hot tub alongside. There's also a fire pit area and 12 pickleball courts — eight of them covered — plus Har-Tru clay tennis courts and bocce ball. A dog park is planned, and personal fencing is allowed within community guidelines.
Home sizes and standard features at Del Webb Catalina
You can go smaller or go big. Attached villas start around 1,400 square feet; single-family homes run up to 2,900 square feet on one level, with optional second-floor additions pushing the total to roughly 3,900 square feet. Every home comes with impact-resistant glass, wrap-around gutters, a tankless water heater, a Ring doorbell, 220V electric vehicle charger pre-wiring, and smart home pre-wiring. These are standard features, not upgrades you negotiate for.
Pool packages through Coast to Coast Pools are available if you want to add a private pool — both standard and custom configurations.
Pricing and HOA costs at Del Webb Catalina
Here's a clear breakdown of what you're looking at financially:
- Attached villas: low to high $400s
- Single-family homes: high $400s to $1.5 million
- Lot premiums: $30,000 to $165,000 for standard lots; $165,000 to $225,000 for premier lakefront lots
- HOA fee: approximately $400 per month (an $18/month increase is planned once amenities are fully complete)
- HOA covers: lawn care, mulching, irrigation, basic cable and internet through Spectrum, gated security, and the lifestyle director
- Lakewood Ranch CDD (Stewardship District) fee: $1,300 to $2,500 per year, lower for villas and higher for single-family homes
- One-time closing costs: $3,000 amenity fee plus $1,000 capital contribution
The CDD fee is a line item that catches some buyers off guard, so factor it into your monthly math from the start. At the lower end — say, a villa with a $1,300 annual CDD — your total monthly overhead (HOA plus CDD) runs about $508. At the higher end for a single-family home, it's closer to $608 before the amenity increase kicks in.
Quick facts: Del Webb Catalina
- Location: Lakewood Ranch, Florida (Manatee/Sarasota County)
- Age restriction: 55+
- Home sizes: 1,400 to 3,900 sq ft
- Price range: Low $400s (villas) to $1.5M+ (lakefront single-family)
- HOA fee: ~$400/month (rising ~$18 at buildout)
- CDD fee: $1,300 to $2,500/year
- Clubhouse: 36,000 sq ft — largest Del Webb amenity campus in Southwest Florida
- Pickleball courts: 12 (8 covered)
- Nearest beach: ~45 to 50 minutes (Siesta Key, Anna Maria Island)
- Nearest airport: Sarasota-Bradenton International, ~35 minutes
Is Del Webb Catalina worth a closer look?
If you want a low-maintenance lifestyle with serious amenities, a great inland location, and the built-in community of a large master-planned development, Catalina checks a lot of boxes. The price range is wide enough that it works for buyers looking at a villa in the $400s and for buyers eyeing a lakefront home north of $1 million. The amenity campus size is genuine — this isn't a modest clubhouse dressed up in marketing language.
The main trade-off is the CDD fee, which adds real cost over time, and lot premiums that can push a lakefront home well above the base price. Go in knowing both numbers.
If Del Webb Catalina sounds like it could be the right fit, create your free Explore55Plus account to see your personal match score for Catalina and other 55+ communities across Florida. You can save the ones that interest you to a shortlist and compare them side by side in the Decision Matrix — so when you're ready to visit, you already know which communities deserve your time.
