A gated, guard-staffed resort from the early 2000s, ringed by more than 300 acres of conservation wetlands less than three miles from Disney's gates. It's mature, green, and one of the corridor's cheapest entries into short-term rental ownership — with a three-tier HOA and a couple of governance question marks you should understand before you buy. Here's everything we know: real costs, real rules, and realistic rental numbers.
Built 2002–2006 by Park Square Homes, Emerald Island is roughly 600 homes — townhomes through 7-bedroom pool villas — wrapped in more than 300 acres of protected conservation wetlands, with an 11-acre woodland and nature trail at its center. It's a 20-year-old resort with a guest-recognized name, a full clubhouse, and a tiki bar by the pool, all within about 3 miles of Walt Disney World.
The 300+ acres of conservation wetlands encircling the resort are permanent. Most corridor resorts back onto the next subdivision; Emerald Island backs onto protected green space, plus an 11-acre interior woodland trail.
Animal Kingdom is about 6–8 minutes; Magic Kingdom roughly 15–20. For guests, "3 miles from Disney" is the headline that sells the booking.
Unlike ChampionsGate- or Solterra-style communities carrying roughly $1,200–$2,800 a year in CDD assessments, no CDD is reported at Emerald Island — verify on a specific unit's Osceola tax bill, but it's a real line-item saving.
Master dues cover cable TV, internet, 24/7 staffed gate security, resort-wide trash service, and all amenities — bills a short-term rental operator would otherwise pay out of pocket every month.
Unusually, the Villas (townhome) dues include exterior hazard and flood insurance plus all roof repairs and full roof replacement — two of the scariest surprise costs in Florida ownership, pre-paid inside the monthly fee.
Townhomes start around $210K — among the lowest entry points of any gated STR resort this close to Disney. The trade-off of a mature resort: homes and amenities are 20+ years old, listings sit ~5 months, and price cuts are common. That's negotiating room for buyers.
As of August 2026, Emerald Island owners pay two HOA fees — the Master at $266 per month plus a sub-association fee of $228 for townhomes or $112 for single-family homes (the 2023 schedule, the latest published — verify current rates with the association) — with no CDD reported and a one-time $3,000 capital contribution at purchase.
Sources: Emerald Island Resort Potential Buyer Information (2023 association schedule), Sunbiz corporate records, and live listing data (Aug 2026). One-time capital contribution at purchase: $3,000 ($2,800 Master + $200 sub) plus estoppel and transfer fees for each association — verify current amounts on your estoppel. Owners also pay electric, water, property taxes, interior upkeep, and (for single-family homes) their own building insurance. Compare these costs across all 15 corridor resorts in our Resort Cost Index.
Amenity list compiled from the resort's official community map and current resort and rental-operator materials. Clubhouse and pools published as 8 AM–10 PM daily; tiki bar 11 AM–10 PM. The HOA's own website was offline as of August 2026, so current operating status and hours of each amenity are unverified — confirm with the clubhouse at (407) 787-3965.
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Straight talk: nobody publishes Emerald Island–specific performance data, so the numbers below are labeled proxies for zip 34747 and the surrounding Four Corners market — a market where over 90% of listings are 3+ bedrooms and half are 5+ bedrooms. Blended averages skew toward big villas: expect a 3BR townhome to land below these figures and a well-run 6–7BR pool home above them.
Sources: AirROI Four Corners and Kissimmee market reports (TTM Aug 2025–Jul 2026) and Chalet zip-34747 analytics (2026). Estimates only — no dataset covers Emerald Island specifically, and results vary by bedroom count, condition, pricing, and management.
Market averages only tell half the story. Our free community guide includes real numbers from self-managing owners and property managers who run homes inside Emerald Island.
Emerald Island sits in Osceola County's short-term rental corridor. Renting short-term is fully legal — you just need the right registrations, and Osceola has one big catch most new owners miss: the county's 6% tourist tax is never collected by Airbnb or Vrbo. Our sister company handles all of this for owners.
Every community has trade-offs. These are the ones buyers should price in — and sellers should be ready to talk about.
Every owner pays the Master plus a sub-association — and at closing, a one-time $3,000 capital contribution ($2,800 Master + $200 sub) plus estoppel and transfer fees for each association. That buy-in doubled from $1,500 around 2020, which still stings for some owners. Budget it into your closing costs.
The Master ran roughly $262 in 2022, $266 in 2023, and a recent listing shows about $282. Those are modest moves by Orlando-insurance-era standards, but the last official schedule is three years old. Get current dues in writing from the association before you underwrite a deal.
The Villas dues covering full roof replacement plus exterior hazard and flood insurance is a genuine perk — until you remember those roofs and policies belong to buildings from the early 2000s. That's the classic setup for future dues increases or special assessments. We found no confirmed special assessment in public sources, but review the Villas budget, reserves, and insurance renewal terms closely during your inspection period.
As of August 2026, the association's own website was offline — its hosting vendor displayed a notice citing unpaid fees. It may be a simple administrative slip, but it's fair to ask the board or manager about it, and to read the association's financials with a little extra care. The clubhouse at (407) 787-3965 remains the working channel.
Emerald Island is 20+ years old, and owner forums have criticized HOA management and called some amenities dated. Mature landscaping and a guest-recognized name are real assets, but budget for renovation on most units and judge the clubhouse and pools in person, not from 2005 marketing photos.
Typical listings sit around 146 days with only a few closings a month, and price cuts of $5K–$28K are common on townhomes. For buyers, that's leverage. For sellers, pricing and presentation decide everything — which is exactly where real rental numbers and a featured listing earn their keep.
Compiled from association buyer documents, public records, owner discussions, and listing data. Always verify current association budgets, reserves, and disclosures during your inspection period — we can help you request them.
Emerald Island Blvd runs from the gatehouse to the clubhouse, pool, and tennis center at the heart of the resort, with the townhome streets and pool-home cul-de-sacs — La Isla Dr, Lido Key Dr, Secret Key Cove, Sunrise Key, Palm Harbor, Crystal Cove — branching off it. The nature trail threads the 11-acre woodland in the middle.
Community map courtesy of the Emerald Island Resort HOA (via VR360 Homes).
Buying, not selling?
This guide covers what Emerald Island is — the amenities, the floor plans, what it is like inside the gates. If what you need is whether the purchase works, John keeps a buyer’s breakdown on his agent site: HOA and CDD with their sources, the leasing rule, what to verify before you offer, and the calculator preloaded with this community’s figures.
See the Emerald Island buyer’s breakdown →johnandrewhomes.com · Johnathon Candelario, Preferred SHORE
Whether you're buying your first vacation home or deciding if it's time to sell, talk to a team that operates short-term rentals across this corridor every week.
For additional information regarding purchasing a home at Emerald Island Resort, contact John at 407-750-2434 or contact us here.
If you own a home at Emerald Island Resort and are considering selling or have questions about the sales process, contact us here to find out how your home would benefit as a featured listing.
Must-have information for owners and prospective owners — HOA details, real rental projections and historicals from owners and managers in the community, and what to check before you buy.
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