Hart Lake Hills is a gated single-residential community on the western shore of Lake Hart in the southern part of Winter Haven, Polk County (Hart Lake Hills HOA history page, 2025; community real estate guides, 2026). It was built between 1998 and 2007 and consists of roughly 85 homes, a small community rather than a sprawling subdivision, with a mix of lakefront and interior lots.
The community sits on Lake Hart, a natural freshwater lake of about 68 acres that is not part of the Winter Haven Chain of Lakes (Lake Hart Wikipedia entry cited by the HOA history page, 2025). Lake Hart is bordered to the south and east by the Lake Ashton gated community, which sets the surrounding context. The Hart Lake Hills HOA describes a community boat ramp for access to the lake for fishing, kayaking, and boating, along with maintained common areas.
Because this is a small gated community, the money is made or lost on the lot and the home, not just the address. The drivers are whether a home is lakefront or interior, the condition and updates of the house, the HOA dues and what they include, and the lake access, all of which have to be read from the HOA documents and a look at the specific lot. Listing guides describe homes generally in the range of three to four bedrooms; confirm the exact size, bedroom count, and lot for any specific home.
The pitch is gated lakefront living in south Winter Haven at a more reasonable entry than many central Florida lake communities. Legoland Florida, the Winter Haven Chain of Lakes, downtown Winter Haven, and US Highway 27 are within a manageable drive, with Lakeland and the Interstate 4 corridor farther out. The work is the diligence: read the HOA budget, verify the flood and lakefront elevation, and confirm the lake and dock rights before you buy.
