Spruce Creek Preserve, Dunnellon

Spruce Creek Preserve is a gated 55+ community in Dunnellon, in southwest Marion County. It is a homeowners association community of 416 acres, bordered on three sides by Ross Prairie State Forest. It is the residential community, not the nature preserve or the state forest itself. It is also not Spruce Creek South, a separate community in Summerfield, and not the Spruce Creek airpark community in Port Orange.

This page comes from SwanGate Real Estate Services, an Ocala brokerage led by Broker-Owner Mika Harris. It covers what the community publishes about its age rule, its fees, and its rental rules, and it points out the questions that still need a direct answer from the HOA office.

What it is like to live here

The community’s own site describes an active adult, deed-restricted community with a gate, and it counts more than 50 clubs and activities. It has been established since 1996, and the HOA’s articles of incorporation are dated March 1997. The HOA lists about 675 built units: 625 individual homes, 44 villas, and 6 townhomes. Some third-party sites show a higher total, and SwanGate uses the HOA’s own count.

The Community Center has a ballroom with a stage, a library, a billiards room, a card room, a craft room, an exercise room, and a basketball court. Outdoors there is a swimming pool with a spa, tennis and pickleball courts, shuffleboard, bocce, cornhole, and horseshoe pits. There is also a butterfly garden at the welcome gate. A monthly newsletter, Spruce News, keeps residents up to date, and an on-site RV lot rents storage spaces.

Golf is nearby but separate. The Spruce Creek Preserve Golf Club is privately owned and open to the public. The pro shop and Oliver’s restaurant are also privately owned and open to the public, so none of the three is an HOA amenity.

Pets must be leashed. They are not permitted in common areas such as the Community Center, the Annex, the Boulevard, the pool and tennis areas, or the golf course.

The age rule is the community’s own. The HOA describes the community as a Homeowners Association Controlled Development, and its deed restrictions are filed in the Marion County official records. The HOA website also carries the governing documents, the disclosure summary, and the resale forms, so a buyer can read the actual rules before making an offer.

The recorded declaration says the property is housing primarily for persons 55 or older, operated as an age-restricted community under federal and state law. No one under 18 may stay overnight in a lot for more than 30 days in a calendar year. Buyers submit a Verification of Age with a copy of a driver’s license or other ID to the HOA office. Browse the other 55+ communities SwanGate covers.

Homes and prices

SwanGate does not publish a price range for Spruce Creek Preserve. Prices vary by the type of home, and no dated official range is available to quote. Ask Mika for current listings and recent sales.

The community has three kinds of homes: individual homes, villas, and town homes. They are not billed the same way. The HOA sets a different monthly assessment for each type, so compare the monthly cost for the type you are considering, not just the price.

There are two Spruce Creeks close enough to confuse. Spruce Creek Preserve is in Dunnellon, ZIP 34432. Spruce Creek South is in Summerfield, ZIP 34491, and has its own golf club. If you searched for one and found the other, check the town in the listing. For the Summerfield side, see Summerfield.

A buyer who lives out of state can settle the basics before a trip: the type of home, its monthly assessment, the age check, and the lease rules. Owners who are thinking about selling can find out what a home is worth.

Fees and rules

The HOA is mandatory, and it publishes dated figures. For budget year 2026 to 2027, the HOA’s disclosure summary, signed June 12, 2026, lists a monthly assessment of $209.00 for homes, $297.00 for villas, and $538.00 for town homes. Special assessments are possible, so ask whether any are planned or pending on the home you like.

The year before, 2024 to 2025, the monthly figures were $194.00, $278.00, and $487.00. Fees rise over time, so use the current year’s disclosure summary, not an older listing page, and ask Mika to pull it for the specific home.

Golf is billed separately, since the course is not part of the HOA. Water is controlled by Marion County Utilities, not by the HOA, and the water company is separate from the association too.

The resale process includes the age check above. Purchasers submit a Verification of Age, and renters submit their own Verification of Age for Prospective Lessees. The community’s documents are the final word on any rule, so ask Mika to confirm how the age rule applies to your household before you write an offer.

Getting around

The HOA office is at 11376 SW 136th Place, Dunnellon, FL 34432, in southwest Marion County. Any trip to Ocala takes a drive, so it is worth driving the route once at the time of day you would normally travel. The community’s site lists a gate house phone number, which is worth having when you arrange access for a contractor or a tenant. Downtown Ocala is about 30 minutes by car, roughly 17 miles, measured from the golf club with no traffic.

The nearest hospital among the three Ocala hospitals checked, HCA Florida West Marion Hospital, is about 22 minutes away, roughly 12.2 miles. AdventHealth Ocala is about 30 minutes. A closer facility outside Ocala was not checked, so ask Mika about the closest hospital or urgent care for this part of the county. These drive times are approximate and will vary with traffic.

Ross Prairie State Forest borders the community on three sides, which is part of how the setting is described. For a look at the closest town, see Dunnellon.

Renting and owning from out of town

Leasing is allowed under conditions. The recorded declaration says leases must be for residential use, must be in writing, and must be subject to the same age restrictions. A copy of the signed lease goes to the Association.

The lease must also include a clause acknowledging the declaration, bylaws, design guidelines, and rules, and renters must submit a Verification of Age. A minimum lease term is not verified here, so ask before you plan around one. Because the lease and the renter’s age verification go to the Association, an owner who lives elsewhere should keep copies of both.

An owner who lives elsewhere should plan for a few practical things. In practice, the order is simple. Confirm the age rule for everyone who will live in the home, confirm the lease rules if you plan to rent, and get the current disclosure summary for the exact home.

The HOA covers the community rules, the common areas, and the assessments, but not the golf course or the water service. Pets, RV storage, and lease paperwork all run through community rules. Read the out-of-town owners page for how SwanGate helps from a distance.

To talk through Spruce Creek Preserve, call Mika Harris at 352-850-6477.