Gated Communities in Palm Coast, FL: The Complete Guide
By David Pilvinsky, Florida Beaches Real Estate
Palm Coast has more gated communities than almost any city its size in Florida. That’s partly history (ITT laid out the city in the 1970s with large master-planned tracts) and partly geography, with the barrier island, the Intracoastal Waterway and the golf courses each spawning their own enclaves.
The trouble is that “gated” means different things here. Some communities have a staffed gatehouse 24 hours a day. Some have a virtual gate with a camera and a keypad. Some are gated only in one section. And a few that buyers assume are gated simply aren’t.
This guide sorts them out. Every community below is grouped by where it sits (oceanfront, Intracoastal, golf or inland), with what the gate actually is and the two or three things that distinguish it. At the end there’s a short list of communities people often think are gated but aren’t, because that question comes up on nearly every showing.
Quick reference
| Community | Gate type | Setting | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hammock Dunes | Staffed, 24 hr, 5 entrances | Oceanfront + Intracoastal, golf | Single-family, villas, condos |
| Sea Colony | Staffed, 24 hr | Oceanfront | Single-family |
| Ocean Hammock / Hammock Beach | Guard gate | Oceanfront, golf | Single-family + resort condos |
| Cinnamon Beach | Separate gate inside Ocean Hammock | Oceanfront | Condos + some homes |
| Matanzas Shores | Master gates | Ocean to Intracoastal | Condos + single-family |
| Surf Club | Staffed, 24 hr | Direct oceanfront | Condos |
| Beach Haven | Virtual gate | Between A1A and the Intracoastal | Single-family |
| Grand Haven | Staffed main gate | Intracoastal, golf | Single-family, townhomes, condos |
| Palm Coast Plantation | Staffed, 24 hr | Intracoastal, lake | Single-family |
| Yacht Harbor Village | Staffed, 24 hr | Intracoastal, marina | Homesites + condos |
| Marina Cove | Gated | Intracoastal, marina | Townhomes + condos |
| Canopy Walk | Gated | Intracoastal, marina | Condos |
| Tidelands | Virtual gate | Intracoastal | Condos + single-family |
| Country Club Harbor | Gated | Canal, near Palm Harbor Golf | Single-family |
| The Conservatory | Staffed, 24 hr | Inland, golf | Single-family custom |
| Toscana | Gated | Inland | Single-family custom |
Oceanfront gated communities
These sit on the barrier island along A1A, in the stretch locals call The Hammock. They’re the most expensive gated communities in Flagler County and the ones with the fewest resales in any given year.
Hammock Dunes
The most established of the oceanfront communities, and the largest. Hammock Dunes runs about two and a half miles along the Atlantic and more than five miles along the Intracoastal, reached by its own toll bridge. Five gated entrances, three of them staffed, with the main gate manned around the clock.
Around 1,200 residences in total, including roughly 460 oceanfront condominiums and the single-family estates on Island Estates, a separately gated island inside Hammock Dunes with 200 one-to-two-acre lots, most with deep-water docks. Two private courses: the Tom Fazio Links Course from 1989 and the Rees Jones Creek Course from 2003. Club membership is optional, not tied to ownership.
See homes for sale in Hammock Dunes →
Sea Colony
A single-family oceanfront community of about 350 homes on the north end of The Hammock, established in 1986, with a 24-hour staffed gate. Sea Colony is known for its New England and Cape Cod architecture, which is unusual on this coast, and for its oceanfront clubhouse and pool with a private beach walkover. No golf course, which keeps HOA costs lower than the resort communities.
See homes for sale in Sea Colony →
Ocean Hammock and Hammock Beach
Ocean Hammock is the guard-gated master community; Hammock Beach is the resort and club inside it. Together they cover the oceanfront between 16th Road and Jungle Hut Road, built around the Jack Nicklaus Signature Ocean Course, which opened in 2000 with six holes running along the Atlantic.
The core Ocean Hammock section has just over 200 homes and homesites. The Club at Hammock Beach is a separate membership, with a beach-club tier and a full golf tier, and owners are not required to join. Cinnamon Beach, below, is a separately gated section within Ocean Hammock.
See homes for sale in Hammock Beach and Ocean Hammock →
Cinnamon Beach
A gated section inside Ocean Hammock with its own entrance, made up of 275 condominiums in mid-rise buildings plus a small number of single-family homes. Two pools, one oceanfront and one overlooking the lake, a fitness center and a café. Many units are in the resort rental program, which makes this the most common entry point for buyers wanting oceanfront with rental income.
See condos for sale in Cinnamon Beach →
The Villages of Matanzas Shores
A master-planned community running from the ocean to the Intracoastal on the north end of The Hammock, planned in 1989. A1A was re-routed to make room for it. Master-level gates and guard buildings. It contains several distinct sub-villages: Surf Club I, II and III (direct oceanfront condos with their own 24-hour gate), Las Brisas, Lakeside by the Sea, Las Casitas and Los Lagos (88 single-family homes by Richmond American, built from 2021 and now sold out).
Residents share a beach club and walkovers on the ocean side and a boat club on the Matanzas River side, plus a recreation center, pools, tennis and pickleball.
See homes for sale in Matanzas Shores → · Surf Club condos → · Las Brisas condos →
Beach Haven
A newer community of 190 single-family homes between A1A and the Intracoastal, about a mile south of Marineland. Key West and Old Florida cottage architecture, a private dune walkover to the beach, community pool, pavilion, lake and trails.
One thing to know: Beach Haven’s gate is virtual: a camera and keypad entrance rather than a staffed gatehouse. That’s common in newer communities and worth understanding if a manned gate matters to you.
See homes for sale in Beach Haven →
Intracoastal gated communities
The Intracoastal Waterway runs the length of Palm Coast, and the gated communities along it range from golf estates to marina condos.
Grand Haven
The largest gated community in Palm Coast at around 1,400 acres, on the west bank of the Intracoastal off Colbert Lane, with a staffed main gate. Built around a Jack Nicklaus Signature 18-hole course. A mix of single-family homes, townhomes and condos, with roughly 1,900 planned homesites.
Grand Haven operates both a Community Development District, established in 1997, and an HOA, which is worth understanding when comparing monthly costs to communities with an HOA alone.
See homes for sale in Grand Haven →
Palm Coast Plantation
A 700-acre single-family community on the Intracoastal off Colbert Lane, with a 24-hour staffed gate where visitors must show ID. Its centerpiece is the 126-acre spring-fed Emerald Lake. Residents have a community pier on the Intracoastal, a kayak launch, boat and RV storage, a clubhouse, pool and tennis and pickleball courts. HOA only, no CDD, and no golf course.
See homes for sale in Palm Coast Plantation →
Yacht Harbor Village
The Intracoastal side of Hammock Beach, on the west side of A1A, with a 24-hour staffed gate. Around 200 homesites and 88 condominiums built around Hammock Beach Marina, which takes boats from 30 feet to over 100 feet on floating docks. Golf and beach club access is through the optional Hammock Beach membership rather than automatic with ownership.
See homes for sale in Yacht Harbor Village → · Condos →
Marina Cove
A gated community of roughly 100 townhomes and condominiums on the Intracoastal in the Palm Harbor area, dating from 1989. Its private 65-slip marina takes boats from 25 to 45 feet, and it’s the only gated-community marina in Palm Coast where non-residents can own or rent a slip.
See condos for sale in Marina Cove →
Canopy Walk
242 condominiums on 53 acres along the Intracoastal off Palm Harbor Parkway, gated, built by Centex from around 2003. A private marina with boat lifts, a 3,000-square-foot clubhouse and a zero-entry pool. No CDD.
See condos for sale in Canopy Walk →
Tidelands
80 acres on Colbert Lane with about a mile of Intracoastal frontage and water on three sides. Originally a Centex condominium community from 2006, with 252 condos built; Tidelands Estates adds single-family homes by SeaGate. Virtual gate. Eleven acres of lakes and canals inside the community, but no marina.
See condos for sale in Tidelands →
Country Club Harbor
A small gated community of 54 homes by D.R. Horton on about 22 acres, on Clubhouse Drive off Palm Harbor Parkway. Seventeen of the lots sit on a saltwater canal, and there’s a fishing pier and kayak launch to the Intracoastal inside the gates. It sits next to the municipal Palm Harbor Golf Course but isn’t a golf community itself.
See homes for sale in Country Club Harbor →
Inland gated golf communities
The Conservatory at Hammock Beach
340 custom homesites on 550 acres off the Matanzas Woods exit of I-95, with a 24-hour manned gate. The course is a Tom Watson design, and the community was developed in the Ginn era around 2005. The beach club and marina that come with Club at Hammock Beach membership are at the resort on A1A, not on site, so factor the drive in.
See homes for sale in The Conservatory →
Toscana
A gated community of custom single-story Mediterranean homes off Old Kings Road, developed by ABD Development. HOA only, no CDD, and lots of at least 90 by 140 feet. A second phase has been under way since 2023. No golf course, but the low HOA and the lot sizes are what bring buyers here.
See homes for sale in Toscana →
Gated 55+ communities in Palm Coast
None of the communities above is age-restricted. Palm Coast does have gated 55+ options, though: Park Place and American Village in the P-Section, Matanzas Lakes in the L-Section, and newer developments including Reverie at Palm Coast and the 55+ section of Sawmill Branch. Del Webb is opening a community in Flagler Beach in 2026. If you’re specifically looking at age-restricted communities, ask. The inventory changes quickly.
Communities that aren’t gated, but people assume are
This comes up constantly, so it’s worth being clear.
- Artesia: an established neighborhood in The Hammock between A1A and the Intracoastal. No gate, no HOA. Larger lots and a mix of original homes and new builds.
- Palm Coast Resort: a secured condominium tower with key-card entry and a garage, next to European Village, but there’s no community gate.
- Bella Harbor: 42 condominiums on a canal off the Intracoastal with deeded boat slips. Secured buildings, no gate.
- Lake Forest: attached villas backing onto the Palm Harbor golf course. An HOA, but not gated.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between a staffed gate and a virtual gate?
A staffed gate has a person in a gatehouse checking visitors, often 24 hours a day. A virtual gate uses a keypad, camera and remote monitoring; residents use a code or transponder and visitors are buzzed in. Virtual gates are common in communities built after about 2015. Both restrict traffic; only a staffed gate has someone physically present.
Which gated communities in Palm Coast are on the ocean?
Hammock Dunes, Sea Colony, Ocean Hammock and Hammock Beach, Cinnamon Beach, Matanzas Shores and Surf Club are all oceanfront. Beach Haven is just inland of A1A with a private walkover to the beach.
Do gated communities in Palm Coast have higher HOA fees?
Generally yes, because the gate, and often the staffing, is funded through the association. Communities with golf courses, marinas or beach clubs are higher again. Some, like Grand Haven, also have a Community Development District fee on top of the HOA. Ask for the full picture on any specific community before comparing.
Are there gated communities in Palm Coast without a golf course?
Yes. Sea Colony, Palm Coast Plantation, Beach Haven, Toscana, Marina Cove, Canopy Walk, Tidelands and Country Club Harbor are all gated without a course, which usually means lower monthly fees.
Is Grand Haven or Hammock Dunes the biggest gated community in Palm Coast?
Grand Haven is larger by land area at around 1,400 acres and by planned homesites. Hammock Dunes has more oceanfront and a larger share of condominiums.
David Pilvinsky is a Palm Coast realtor with Florida Beaches Real Estate. If you’re comparing gated communities, or trying to work out whether a gate matters for the way you’ll live here, get in touch. This is the conversation I have most often with buyers moving to Flagler County.