Living in Florida's Space Coast
Island Forest Preserve
Island Forest Preserve is the newest gated subdivision on North Merritt Island, built by Maronda Homes off East Crisafulli Road. Houses went up between 2023 and 2026 on quarter-acre and larger homesites along Moonrise Drive, Andromeda Avenue, Cygnus Place and Omega Lane. Expect 2,068 to 4,075 square feet of block and stucco, three-car garages, and pond or preserve views out the back.
Island Forest Preserve In Merritt Island, Florida
This is a Maronda Homes community, and that matters to how the place reads. Maronda has been family owned since 1972 and builds across eleven states, so the plans here are national production designs adapted to Florida code rather than one-off custom work. Almost every house is concrete block with stucco and a shingle roof. Storm shutters came standard on most of them. Ceilings run high, layouts are open, and the finish level varies by what each original buyer selected at the design center.
The street names are all sky: Moonrise Drive is the spine, Andromeda Avenue and Cygnus Place branch off it, and Omega Lane closes the loop. Moonrise carries the most addresses. The subdivision was laid out with stormwater ponds worked into the plan, so a good share of the homesites look out over water or back to wooded preserve rather than another roofline. Sprinklers front and rear are typical. Lots run 0.25 to 0.36 of an acre, which is generous for anything built this decade.
Island Forest Preserve HOA, Inc. has been an active Florida nonprofit corporation since 2019 and association records still list it in care of Maronda Homes. Dues are annual, not monthly, and most owners pay $955 a year, with a handful at $995 and $1,051 depending on when they bought. That money covers the gate, the common areas and the pond banks. There is no clubhouse, no community pool and no age restriction. You are paying for a controlled entrance and maintained common ground, nothing more.
Prices have run from $430,200 up to $760,000, with the middle of the market around $591,000 and roughly $202 a square foot. That price per foot is low for new construction on Merritt Island, which is the practical argument for buying here instead of buying older and renovating. Homes take about 41 days to go under contract, and sellers have been holding within about one percent of their original asking price. Builder inventory and resale inventory compete with each other, so timing matters.
Two honest points before you buy. First, taxes: annual county bills range from a few hundred dollars on parcels assessed before the house was finished to roughly $7,600 on a fully assessed larger home, so budget from the higher end, not from whatever a current bill shows. Second, pools: almost nobody has one yet. Yards are level, fenced or unfenced, and wide open, which is either a blank canvas or a project depending on how you look at it.
Island Forest Preserve At A Glance
The numbers that describe Island Forest Preserve as it stands today.
| Detail | What you get |
|---|---|
| Location | North Merritt Island, north of the Canaveral Barge Canal, off East Crisafulli Road |
| Built | 2023 to 2026, most homes 2025 |
| Builder | Maronda Homes |
| Home size | 2,068 to 4,075 square feet, about 3,029 typical |
| Bedrooms | 3 to 6, most commonly 4 |
| Bathrooms | 2 to 5, typically 3 |
| Lot size | 0.25 to 0.36 acre, about 0.26 typical |
| Construction | Concrete block with stucco, shingle roof, storm shutters common |
| Levels | Mostly single story, with a number of two story plans |
| Garage | 2 to 3 bays, three car is the norm |
| Association | Island Forest Preserve HOA, Inc., mandatory, $955 a year for most owners, some at $995 or $1,051 |
| Gated | Yes, controlled entrance |
| Age restricted | No |
| Water frontage | A small number of pond front homesites; no navigable water |
| Views | Pond, wooded preserve or neighborhood |
| Utilities | Public water and public sewer |
| Streets | Moonrise Drive, Andromeda Avenue, Cygnus Place, Omega Lane |
| Price range | $430,200 to $760,000, around $202 per square foot |
Island Forest Preserve Details
Newest Construction On The North End
Every house here dates to 2023 or later, and a large share were still under builder warranty when they first changed hands. If you want current wiring, current plumbing, current impact and shutter packages and a roof with decades left, this is the shortest path to it on Merritt Island.
A Real Gate, Not A Decorative One
The entrance off Moonrise Drive is controlled, and the security gate shows up in the community amenities on most homes here. It is one of only a few gated subdivisions north of the barge canal, and the traffic on the interior streets reflects that.
Oversized Homesites For A New Build
Quarter acre is the floor and 0.36 of an acre is the ceiling. That is unusual for production construction, where 0.15 is more typical. The extra width is what makes a future pool, a fence line and side yard boat parking realistic rather than theoretical.
Pond And Preserve Backdrops
The stormwater ponds and the wooded edge give a meaningful number of these homesites something to look at besides a neighbor. Pond front lots carried premiums when they sold new and they still trade above the interior street pricing.
Low Price Per Square Foot
Around $202 a foot for new block construction is the headline. Older waterfront pockets on the island trade well north of $300 a foot for far less house. What you give up is water access; what you get is space and a house that needs nothing.
Simple Annual Dues
One bill a year, most commonly $955, and no amenity complex driving future assessments. There is no pool to resurface and no clubhouse roof to replace, which keeps the long term fee picture more predictable than it is in amenity heavy communities.
Homes For Sale In Island Forest Preserve
Here is what is currently available inside Island Forest Preserve. Inventory moves in batches here because resales and remaining builder homes trade in the same pool.
Island Forest Preserve Frequently Asked Questions
Is Island Forest Preserve gated?
Yes. The community has a controlled entrance and the gate is one of the reasons the annual dues exist. Interior traffic on Moonrise Drive, Andromeda Avenue, Cygnus Place and Omega Lane is almost entirely residents and their guests.
Who built Island Forest Preserve?
Maronda Homes, a family owned builder operating since 1972 across eleven states including Florida. The homes come from Maronda's production plan library, so you will see the same floor plans repeat with different elevations and finish selections.
What does the association cost?
Most owners pay $955 annually to Island Forest Preserve HOA, Inc. A few pay $995 or $1,051 depending on when their lot closed. It is billed once a year rather than monthly, and it covers the gate and common area maintenance.
Are there waterfront homes here?
Not in the boating sense. A handful of homesites front stormwater ponds and a good number have water or wooded views, but there is no canal, no dock and no navigable access. For boat water on Merritt Island you need to look at the canal neighborhoods.
How big are the houses?
From 2,068 square feet at the small end to 4,075 at the large end, with about 3,029 square feet in the middle. Bedroom counts run three to six and bathrooms two to five. Both single story and two story plans were built.
What will my property taxes actually be?
Higher than a current bill may suggest. Some parcels were assessed before the house was finished, which produces very low first year numbers. Fully assessed larger homes here carry annual county bills approaching $7,600. Budget from that end.
Is it an age restricted community?
No. There is no age restriction of any kind at Island Forest Preserve.
How close is it to the beach and the port?
You are roughly ten miles from the Cocoa Beach Pier and about six miles from Port Canaveral, with Kennedy Space Center and the commercial space campuses a short run up State Road 3. Day to day shopping sits south of you along North Courtenay Parkway.
Moonrise Drive, Merritt Island 32953
Island Forest Preserve sits on the north half of Merritt Island, above the Canaveral Barge Canal, in the 32953 ZIP code. From State Road 528 you take North Courtenay Parkway (State Road 3) north a few miles and turn east on East Crisafulli Road or Hall Road, then into Moonrise Drive. This is the quieter, more open part of the island, where citrus land and preserve still outnumber subdivisions and the traffic thins out noticeably once you clear the 528 interchange.
Practically speaking: Port Canaveral is about six miles away, the Cocoa Beach Pier about ten. Kennedy Space Center and the launch complexes are a straight shot north and northeast, which is why so many of the owners here work in aerospace. State Road 528 puts Orlando International Airport within roughly an hour. The tradeoff for the calm is groceries and restaurants, which are concentrated in central Merritt Island around North Courtenay Parkway, a ten to fifteen minute drive south.
Near Island Forest Preserve In Merritt Island
Considering Island Forest Preserve?
New construction resale has its own rhythm: warranty transfers, builder punch items, unfinished yards, and tax bills that have not caught up yet. My partner Nichole and I know which homesites back to preserve, which back to pond, and which plans hold value best when it is time to sell. Call or text (321) 212-7676 and we will look at Moonrise, Andromeda, Cygnus and Omega with you.
