Lake County

Where Is Lake County?

Lake County is located northwest of Orange County and north of Polk County. It covers approximately 1,157 square miles. The county is named for its abundance of lakes, with over 1,000 named lakes within its borders.

Lake County is bordered by Orange and Seminole counties to the east, Volusia County to the north and northeast, Sumter County to the northwest, and Polk County to the south and southwest. The Harris Chain of Lakes connects to the St. Johns River system.

Major Communities

• Clermont is the largest city in southern Lake County, known for its rolling terrain, lakes, and growing residential communities. It is one of the more popular relocation destinations for buyers looking for new construction with lake access.
• Mount Dora is known for its charming historic downtown, antique shops, festivals, and a walkable Main Street. The city sits on a ridge with some of the higher elevations in Central Florida.
• Minneola sits along the SR 50 corridor, offering a mix of newer developments and established neighborhoods with easy access to both Clermont and the I-4 corridor.
• Tavares is the county seat and is known as "America's Seaplane City" due to its seaplane base on Lake Dora. The city has an active downtown area along the lakefront.
• The Villages (Lake County portion) is one of the largest 55+ communities in the country, extending from Sumter County into Lake County.
• Leesburg is one of the older cities in the county, located near the Harris Chain of Lakes.

Terrain and Geography

Lake County has some of the most varied terrain in Central Florida. The Clermont area features rolling hills, some of the highest elevations in peninsular Florida (the Citrus Tower in Clermont sits at approximately 250 feet above sea level), and a landscape that feels different from the flatter terrain found in most of the region.

The county's namesake lakes range from small ponds to large recreational lakes. The Harris Chain of Lakes, the Clermont Chain, and numerous other lake systems provide boating, fishing, and waterfront living opportunities.

Housing and New Construction

Lake County has become a significant new-construction market. The Clermont area, the Minneola corridor, and communities along the SR 50 and US 27 corridors have active building from multiple builders. Price points in Lake County are generally lower than comparable communities in Orange County, which has attracted many relocating buyers.

In 2026 the county's new-home market is anchored by D.R. Horton and Lennar (the top two builders by new-home permit volume in the Orlando area), with KB Home, Pulte, Mattamy, David Weekley, and others also active. Clermont-area listings start around $360,000 for townhomes and smaller homes, with roughly 42 builders active across the city and surrounding corridor. Active examples include Mattamy's Waterbrooke (from about $560,000), Trinity Family Builders' Ridgeview (ready inventory from roughly $502,000), Beazer's Vintner Reserve, Ryan Homes' Lake Nellie Crossing, and Lennar's Lakehaven Estates. In Minneola, Del Webb Minneola and the Hills of Minneola continue selling, and Tri Pointe Homes opened Pine Ridge at Sugarloaf Mountain on November 14, 2026, its first Central Florida community (about 178 homes from the high $400,000s to the $700,000s), with Lennar's Sugarloaf Ridge also active. Groveland is building out quickly (Lennar Waterstone, Taylor Morrison Waterstone townhomes, Mattamy Rainwood, KB Home Cypress Bluff), and Leesburg's active product includes Stanley Martin's Groves at Whitemarsh (from about $286,000) alongside the established Silver Lake and Troon Creek communities. Prices change by phase and quarter, so confirm the current sheet with each builder.

Things to Consider

• Commute times to Orlando employment centers are generally longer from Lake County communities. A drive from Clermont to downtown Orlando typically takes 35 to 55 minutes depending on traffic.
• Some Lake County communities are on well and septic systems rather than municipal water and sewer. Verify utility infrastructure for any property.
• The rolling terrain in the Clermont area can mean some properties have steeper grades than typical Florida lots.
• Lake County's northern areas (Mount Dora, Tavares, Eustis) have a different character and longer commutes than the southern communities near the I-4 corridor.

Schools and Education

Lake County Schools serves Clermont, Mount Dora, Tavares, Leesburg, Eustis, Groveland, Minneola, and surrounding communities. Contact: www.lake.k12.fl.us, (352) 253-6500.

For the 2026-27 school year, the district continued planning a high school and elementary school for the Wellness Way corridor with projected openings in the early 2030s, and runs an open enrollment window from June 1 to June 30 each year. A new K-8 academy opened in 2025, and the district prepared Minneola Horizon Academy, a K-8 with an engineering and coding focus, to open for 2025-26. Superintendent Diane Kornegay announced her retirement in July 2026, effective at the end of the 2026-27 school year; the School Board unanimously named Deputy Superintendent Chad Farnsworth as her successor at its August 19, 2026 meeting. The district also plans to combine Oak Park Middle School and Carver Middle School in Leesburg by the 2027-28 school year, operating on the current Carver campus.

School zones are address-based and can change. Verify the assignment for any specific address on the Lake County Schools website.

What's New in Lake County (November 2026)

These are verified developments from the past year that can affect a relocation decision. Planned projects are labeled as planned until construction starts. For the full rundown, see the Central Florida news page.

• Toll Brothers announces Regency at Lake Hills: On October 28, 2026, Toll Brothers announced a new lakefront 55+ active-adult community in Howey-in-the-Hills, priced from the mid-$400,000s with sales anticipated in summer 2027. Verify current age-qualification and HOA requirements with the developer before purchasing.
• Election-day floods: Record rainfall from October 31 through November 2 brought about 6.8 inches to Clermont and flooding concerns along the St. Johns River; the county was added to the state of emergency on November 4. Flood risk varies by property, so check FEMA flood maps for any specific address.
• 2050 growth plan paused: Lake County delayed releasing its draft 2050 Comprehensive Plan until January 2027 or later, in part to model the impact of the Amendment 3 property-tax vote on county finances. The 2030 plan remains in effect and was updated in October 2026.
• School tax referendum passes: Lake voters approved the school property-tax measure on November 3, preserving local school funding.
• Panther Run approved in the Wellness Way area: Lake County commissioners approved the rezoning in September 2026 for Panther Run, a 2,241-acre master-planned community in the Wellness Way corridor, with construction slated to start in 2027. The plan adds another large community to the fast-growing area southeast of Clermont.
• Leesburg gains two new residential projects: Hanover Land Company closed in September 2026 on the first phase of the Lake Bright-Brighurst PUD, a planned 208-acre community with 502 single-family homes along County Road 33, and KB Home purchased about 71 acres for Landings at Lake Lucille, a planned 184-home subdivision south of Dewey Robbins Road.
• SR 516 under construction: The new Lake/Orange Expressway connecting US 27 to SR 429 near the Wellness Way and Horizon West area is under construction, with a partial opening targeted for spring 2027. It will give Lake County residents a direct east-west connection toward west Orange County.
• Wekiva Parkway complete: The parkway fully opened in January 2024, completing Central Florida's beltway. FDOT reported improved commute times in April 2025, and the three wildlife crossings were completed in December 2025. The program widened seven miles of SR 46 in Lake and Seminole counties and rebuilt the US 441/SR 46 interchange in Mount Dora.
• US 27 improvements: FDOT resurfaced US 27/SR 25 from CR 33 to Middlesex Road (estimated completion in spring 2026), and a widening of US 441/US 27/SR 500 from four to six lanes in Leesburg is programmed.
• Wellness Way: The roughly 15,000-acre high-tech corridor southeast of Clermont continues to grow, anchored by the Olympus biotech campus. In July 2026 the school district advanced a master plan for a Wellness Way high school and elementary school, with projected openings in the early 2030s. The SR 516 toll corridor will connect the area toward Horizon West.
• Mount Dora: Lake County approved the 550-acre Mount Dora North and South projects along SR 46 in December 2025, adding residential and commercial development in the Wolf Branch Innovation District.
• Healthcare: AdventHealth Minneola opened in December 2025, an 80-bed hospital employing about 400 people and expanding care options for southern Lake County.
• New construction: The Clermont, Minneola, and Groveland corridors remain among the region's most active new-construction areas, with new phases continuing from multiple national builders. Taylor Morrison's Esplanade at McKinnon Grove in the Wellness Way corridor is adding about 650 homes, and multiple builders are selling in the Wellness Ridge, Lakehaven, and Windsor-area communities.
• Tri Pointe enters Lake County: Tri Pointe Homes, a new entrant to the Central Florida market, opened sales at Pine Ridge at Sugarloaf Mountain in Minneola on November 14, 2026, its first Orlando-area community, with about 178 built-to-order homes from the high $400,000s to the $700,000s. The builder has additional Central Florida land in Clermont, Lake Nona, and Sunbridge, so expect more Tri Pointe openings across the region in the coming years.

Verification: FDOT project pages, Lake County government releases, GrowthSpotter, WESH, and local media. Last reviewed November 6, 2026.