Cascara is a single-family new-home community built by Highland Homes in Auburndale, in East Polk County, off State Road 559 and Lake Mattie Road (Highland Homes community materials, 2026). Listing and builder guides describe roughly 90 homes at build-out, making it a smaller community rather than a sprawling master plan.
The community offers nine single-family floor plans ranging from about 1,301 to 3,141 square feet, with three to six bedrooms and two to three and a half bathrooms (Highland Homes plan guides, 2026). Homes feature open living areas, a private owner suite, and a front porch or covered lanai per plan, with stainless appliances and energy-saving features such as Low-E windows and an energy-efficient heat pump. Confirm the exact plan, square footage, and homesite for any specific home.
Because this is a smaller single-residential community, the money is made or lost on the homesite and the plan, not on a citywide number. The drivers are the lot, whether it backs to open space or water, the floor plan, the HOA structure, and the standard Florida diligence on flood zone and insurance for any low-lying or lakefront site, all of which should be read by address.
The pitch is lake-country living with corridor access. Cascara sits among four lakes, Lake Juliana, Lake Mattie, Lake Arietta, and Lake Van, with a public boat ramp reported nearby and easy reach to Interstate 4, putting Lakeland, Tampa, and Orlando within a manageable drive. The work is the diligence: confirm the dues and any community fee structure, read the homesite, and quote insurance before you buy the setting.
