Community Details at a Glance
The Homes
Product
Resale single-family homes from about 1,961 to 2,958 sq ft, three and four bedrooms, one- and two-story, on standard Plantation homesites; many back the golf course, lakes, or wooded buffers
Builder
Built by Richmond American Homes across roughly 2005 to 2007; this was a single-builder village, so plans and vintage are consistent
Scale
A small named village of roughly 61 homes on Heritage Oaks Court off Town Center Boulevard, inside the 1,600-plus-acre Fleming Island Plantation master plan; a resale-only market
Distinct from
The 'Trace' in the name matters: this is not the same as Heritage Oaks in St. Johns (ZIP 32259) or Heritage Oaks at Julington Creek Plantation; confirm a listing says Heritage Oaks Trace, Fleming Island before you act on it
Costs & Fees
Village HOA
Reported around $67 per year for the Heritage Oaks Trace sub-association; confirm the exact current figure and scope in writing before you offer
Plantation CDD
Reported around $1,460 per year on the tax bill for the Fleming Island Plantation CDD that funds the shared amenities; verify the current itemized amount for the specific homesite on the Clay County tax roll
Reality
The village HOA is tiny; the real recurring number is the Plantation CDD that buys full master-plan amenity access, so budget the stack, not just the HOA line
Amenities
Full Plantation amenity access
Every Heritage Oaks Trace homeowner gets the Fleming Island Plantation package: two pool complexes, tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, playgrounds, parks, and miles of trails
Golf, pay-as-you-play
The Golf Club at Fleming Island, an 18-hole championship course, is pay-as-you-play with optional membership, so there is no mandatory club dues line in the stack
Village Square and Town Center
The Plantation's Village Square and Town Center retail sit minutes away, with groceries, dining, and services along the CR-220 and Town Center corridor
Not separately gated
Heritage Oaks Trace is an open village within the Plantation, not a separately gated enclave; the value is the shared amenity access, not a private gate
Location
Setting
Inside Fleming Island Plantation in Fleming Island, Clay County, ZIP 32003, on Heritage Oaks Court off Town Center Boulevard near the north end of the master plan
Highways
US-17 (County Road 220 / Town Center) runs the spine of Fleming Island; Orange Park, I-295, and the Buckman corridor connect you to greater Jacksonville and NAS Jacksonville
Errands
Plantation retail on CR-220 and the Town Center are minutes away for groceries, dining, and services, with the Orange Park Mall corridor a short drive north
The Homes & Style
Heritage Oaks Trace is a single-builder village, which makes the housing stock unusually consistent. Richmond American delivered roughly 61 homes across about 2005 to 2007, from about 1,961 to 2,958 square feet, three and four bedrooms, in one- and two-story plans on standard Plantation homesites.
Because the homes are now nearly two decades old, condition drives the offer. Expect a spread from original-condition homes with mid-2000s kitchens, baths, and roofs to fully renovated cores, and price the difference honestly, because the roof age and system age matter on a home this vintage.
Lot position is the other lever. Many Heritage Oaks Trace homes look onto the golf course, lakes, or wooded buffers, and those positions hold value best. Confirm exactly what a lot backs, since a golf-course or preserve view is a real premium over an interior lot.
Living in a Plantation Village
Day to day, Heritage Oaks Trace lives like the rest of Fleming Island Plantation: shared amenities within a short drive, retail on the CR-220 and Town Center corridor, and the Fleming Island school chain. Here are the questions buyers actually ask.
Is Heritage Oaks Trace gated?
No. It is an open village within Fleming Island Plantation, not a separately gated enclave. The value is full access to the shared Plantation amenities, not a private front gate.
Do I have to join the golf club?
No. The Golf Club at Fleming Island is pay-as-you-play with optional membership, so there is no mandatory club dues line in your fee stack.
What is the real recurring cost?
The village sub-HOA is tiny, reported around $67 a year, but the Plantation CDD on your tax bill, reported around $1,460 a year, funds the amenities. Budget the stack, and confirm the current itemized numbers in writing.
How do I know a listing is the right Heritage Oaks?
Look for the word Trace and the Fleming Island, ZIP 32003 address. Heritage Oaks in St. Johns and Heritage Oaks at Julington Creek Plantation are separate communities.
Before You Offer
- Confirm the full fee stack. Get the village sub-HOA, the master framework, and the itemized Plantation CDD in writing for the specific home.
- Verify the CDD on the tax roll. Reported around $1,460 a year, but confirm the current amount and any bond-versus-operating split on the Clay County tax roll.
- Confirm it is Heritage Oaks Trace. Not Heritage Oaks in St. Johns or at Julington Creek Plantation; look for Trace and the Fleming Island, 32003 address.
- Price the roof and systems. On mid-2000s homes, roof and HVAC age move the number; get ages and get an inspection.
- Confirm the lot position. Golf, lake, and preserve views are real premiums; know exactly what a lot backs.
- Confirm the school zoning. Zones are set by address and can change; verify with Clay County Public Schools.
- Understand the amenity access. Confirm the CDD buys the full Plantation package and what is included.
- Model the all-in carry. Combine the stack with taxes and insurance so the monthly number is real before you offer.
The mistake I see most in Fleming Island Plantation is buyers comparing villages on the HOA line alone. In Heritage Oaks Trace, the ~$67 village HOA is almost a rounding error; the number that matters is the ~$1,460 Plantation CDD that buys the pools, courts, trails, and golf access, and that is on your tax bill, not your HOA statement.
The other thing I make sure of is the name. There are several Heritage Oaks communities in Northeast Florida, and only one of them is this village inside the Plantation. Before we ever write, we confirm the listing, the comps, and the CDD all refer to Heritage Oaks Trace in Fleming Island, and we put the full fee stack in writing so there are no surprises at closing.
How Heritage Oaks Trace Compares
The most useful comparison is to the other Fleming Island Plantation villages, because they share the amenities and schools and differ mainly on price band, gating, and vintage. Against the gated Plantation villages such as Margaret's Walk and Cypress Glen, Heritage Oaks Trace gives up a private gate but tends to sit at a more accessible price with an unusually light sub-HOA. Against a larger established community like Eagle Harbor next door, Heritage Oaks Trace is a much smaller, single-builder village, so it trades Eagle Harbor's scale and variety for consistency and a simpler fee picture.
| Community | What it is | The trade vs. Heritage Oaks Trace |
|---|---|---|
| Margaret's Walk | Gated Plantation village with its own nature trail and St. Johns River dock | Adds a private gate and river dock; Heritage Oaks Trace is open but lighter on fees |
| Cypress Glen | Small gated pocket of the Plantation with full amenity access | Adds a gate for a small enclave; similar amenity access, different price band |
| River Hills Reserve | Gated Plantation village with an unusually transparent, retiring CDD bond | Gated with a knowable bond schedule; Heritage Oaks Trace is open, single-builder |
| Eagle Harbor | Large established Fleming Island master plan with its own amenities and golf | Much larger with more variety; Heritage Oaks Trace is small and consistent |
| Pace Island | Established gated Fleming Island community | Gated and separate master plan; Heritage Oaks Trace is a Plantation village |
The honest summary: Heritage Oaks Trace wins on price accessibility, a very light village HOA, single-builder consistency, and full Plantation amenity access, and gives ground on a private gate, community scale, and the deep inventory of a larger neighborhood.
Not sure which Plantation village fits? We will line up Heritage Oaks Trace against the gated villages and Eagle Harbor on price, fees, and lots, with real comps.
The Honest Trade-Offs
Where Heritage Oaks Trace wins
- Full Fleming Island Plantation amenity access
- The Fleming Island school chain
- A very light village sub-HOA (reported ~$67/yr)
- Single-builder, consistent Richmond American stock
- No mandatory golf-club dues in the stack
- An accessible price band inside a strong master plan
Where it gives ground
- Not a separately gated village
- No private clubhouse or pool of its own
- Small, so inventory is thin
- Mid-2000s homes, so roof and system age matter
- The real cost is the CDD, not the HOA line
- The name is easily confused with other Heritage Oaks communities













