Community Development Districts: An Innovative Institutional Framework for Financing and Managing Infrastructure in Florida?

Community Development Districts (CDDs) are multipurpose, independent special districts, which are empowered to finance and manage infrastructure services in Florida. Since their authorization through a state statute in 1980, the CDDs have grown across many counties in the state. This article presents exploratory research evaluating the role of CDDs in financing and managing infrastructure services. CDDs finance infrastructure through tax-free bonds, which are paid by property owners. The arrangement is beneficial for city/county governments since infrastructure is not financed through general obligation bonds. Managerially, however, CDDs pose accountability problems, since developers rather than residents control them during their initial stage of existence.