On Top of the World

On Top of the World is a large, long-running 55-plus community developed by Colen Built Development, LLC, a privately held Florida land developer founded in 1947 by Sidney Colen and led since 1981 by his son, Kenneth "Ken" Colen. Colen purchased the roughly 13,000-acre Circle Square Ranch cattle operation southwest of Ocala in 1975 to begin the community, and the first of its three golf courses, Tortoise and Hare, opened in 1982. The community has since grown to be planned for as many as 10,000 homes across 14 subdivisions and seven distinct housing collections, though a precise current homes-built count and even the community’s population are surprisingly hard to pin to one figure, with Census-derived counts ranging from roughly 12,700 to 16,000 depending on vintage and a much lower, likely erroneous 4,000-resident figure also circulating. The community’s single most distinctive and financially consequential feature is a bifurcated ownership structure: in "OTOW Central," the original and core section, buyers purchase the home itself but hold only a 99-year leasehold estate on the underlying land, with the 99-year term beginning at the home’s original construction date rather than the purchase date — meaning a home built in the early 1980s could have considerably fewer years of lease remaining than a newer home in the same section. By contrast, newer subdivisions including Candler Hills, Weybourne Landing, and Indigo East are sold fee-simple, with buyers owning the land outright. Conventional mortgage lenders reportedly require a minimum 20 percent down payment on the leasehold properties, and while Colen Built has consistently indicated leases will be renewed at expiration, this is explicitly not a legal guarantee — a genuinely important, distinctive fact for prospective buyers to understand and verify directly rather than assume. At least one resident complaint alleges a salesperson never disclosed the leasehold structure at the time of purchase. Amenities are extensive and well corroborated by independent local news coverage (Space Coast Daily-style local reporting on the Circle Square Commons plaza and recreation facilities), including three 18-hole golf courses (Candler Hills, designed by Gordon G. Lewis and opened in 2005, is the most recent and highly regarded), 29 pickleball courts, 10 tennis courts, and more than 175 resident clubs. Balanced against this substantial amenity base, real drawbacks emerged in this research: resident complaints about rising and unevenly distributed HOA fees across subdivisions, anecdotal complaints about golf-ball property damage and unresolved infrastructure issues such as water-main breaks attributed to poorly placed trees, and employee-review sourced reports (from former staff, not residents) describing high turnover and difficult management culture that may signal service-quality risk. This research found no reported lawsuit, insurance dispute, or notable hurricane-damage news specific to On Top of the World for 2023 through 2026, which may reflect inland Marion County’s relative insulation from direct coastal storm impacts, or may simply reflect a coverage gap; either way, it should not be presented as a confirmed clean record. A 2025 news report described plans to add 233 more homes via a 44-acre expansion (a proposed sub-community called "Melody Preserve"), and the community’s water and sewer utilities are provided separately from HOA dues by the Bay Laurel Center Community Development District, whose bond-debt status could not be confirmed in this research.

Age Restriction

On Top of the World is uniformly marketed as a 55-plus, age-restricted community. This research found no On Top of the World-specific document confirming whether it uses the standard federal Housing for Older Persons Act "80/20" occupancy threshold (at least 80 percent of occupied units must have a resident 55 or older) versus a stricter internal policy that some Florida communities set; this is generic industry background rather than a verified community-specific policy and should be confirmed directly with the community before publishing as fact.

Housing Types

• Single-family homes
• Villas
• Condominiums/townhomes

Pricing

Sidney Colen purchased the Circle Square Ranch cattle ranch in 1975 to begin the Ocala community, with reported acreage figures conflicting between roughly 13,000 and 12,900 acres purchased at the time; part of the original ranch reportedly remains an active cattle operation today. The community is commonly described as planned for as many as 10,000 homes, though this research could not confirm a precise current total-homes-built figure, and even population figures conflict sharply across sources — a 2020 Census figure of 12,668 residents, a more recent American Community Survey estimate of roughly 16,007, and a much lower Nextdoor-sourced figure of 4,005 that is inconsistent with both — so no single population figure should be treated as authoritative without a fresh, precisely dated Census pull. Housing spans seven collections with more than 100 floor plans, from 1,204 to 3,039 square feet, 2-3 bedrooms and baths, and 2- to 3.5-car garages, spread across 14 subdivisions. New-construction starting prices were reported around $250,490 as of a recent snapshot; broad resale prices span roughly $89,000 to $799,900, with a "typical" resale range cited at roughly $200,000 to $450,000 and condos/townhomes at roughly $175,000 to $350,000, figures that should be re-verified against a live MLS pull before relying on a specific number.

Fees & Assessments

HOA Dues: HOA fees vary meaningfully by neighborhood/subdivision rather than following one flat community-wide number: the original "OTOW Central" section is reported at roughly $493 to $531 per month, while newer fee-simple neighborhoods run lower — Candler Hills at roughly $336 per month, Indigo East at roughly $241, and Weybourne Landing at roughly $221. Fees typically include basic Spectrum cable, roof repair, periodic exterior painting, exterior maintenance and insurance, landscaping, trash and recycling, 24/7 monitored gates, and access to community amenities. No capital contribution or resale transfer fee figure specific to On Top of the World was found in this research; Florida condominium associations are capped by statute at a $150 transfer-approval fee, but most of On Top of the World’s single-family and villa sections are likely governed instead by the state’s HOA statute, which carries no such cap, so buyers should confirm any transfer fee directly with the HOA before purchasing.

Club/Golf Fees: Golf club membership is optional, not mandatory, and separate from HOA dues. Published rates describe an annual "World Golf Membership" at $6,235 for a single member or $9,395 for a couple, plus a separate cart lease of $1,125 (single) or $1,705 (couple) annually; the membership year runs January through December, with pro-rated pricing for new residents. Fees are described as non-refundable and non-transferable except upon sale of the member’s home.

Amenities

• Three 18-hole, par-72 golf courses: Tortoise and Hare (opened 1982), The Links (opening year conflicts between sources, either 1982 or 2008), and Candler Hills Golf Club (opened 2005, designed by Gordon G. Lewis)
• Circle Square Commons/Town Square open-air retail and social plaza with a weekly farmers market and nightly live or recorded music for dancing
• Recreation Center with dedicated art, ceramics, sewing, bridge/cribbage, and woodworking rooms, plus a separate Hobby Building, Arbor Club, and Conference Center
• "The Ranch" fitness center and day spa with salon services
• 29 pickleball courts and 10 tennis courts
• A softball field and an Activity Center offering darts, shuffleboard, and electronic games
• Three community swimming pools
• More than 175 resident clubs and interest groups
• Three 24-hour monitored, guarded entrance gates plus video surveillance in common areas

Getting Around

Healthcare: Nearby providers cited include Ocala Family Medical Center, West Marion Community Hospital, and Ocala Regional Medical Center, which are described as more local than the larger AdventHealth Ocala campus (400-plus beds) in downtown Ocala; this research could not obtain a precise mileage or drive-time figure to any specific hospital.

Airport: The community sits roughly 11 miles, or about a 30-minute drive, southwest of historic downtown Ocala. No commercial-passenger airport operates directly in Ocala; the nearest commercial options cited are Gainesville Regional Airport (roughly 45 minutes) and Orlando International Airport (roughly 65 miles). Nearby shopping and dining are concentrated along the SW State Road 200 commercial corridor, supplementing the on-site Circle Square Commons retail plaza.