Living in Florida's Space Coast
Mandalay Grove
Mandalay Grove is a single gated cul-de-sac on North Tropical Trail in north Merritt Island. Every address is Mandalay Grove Court. Every house has a tile roof, a screened pool and a three or four car garage. Homes run 2,746 to 4,568 square feet on lots approaching half an acre, built 2012 to 2014 on land platted years before the downturn.
Mandalay Grove In Merritt Island, Florida
This is the smallest kind of community there is: one street, one gate, one cul-de-sac. Mandalay Grove Court runs off North Tropical Trail about half a mile south of Hall Road, on the Indian River side of north Merritt Island. There is no through traffic because there is nowhere for through traffic to go. Everything terminates. If you want the level of quiet that only a dead end street inside a gate produces, this is where you find it on this island.
The timeline is worth knowing. Mandalay Grove Community Association, Inc. has been an active Florida nonprofit corporation since 2005, but the houses did not go up until 2012 through 2014. The land was entitled and the association was formed before the crash, then the subdivision was built out on the other side of it. What that means practically is a post recession build standard on a pre recession lot plan, which is why the homesites are 0.36 to 0.46 of an acre instead of the tighter lots typical of 2013 construction.
The houses are large and consistent. Living area runs 2,746 to 4,568 square feet with about 3,507 in the middle, four to six bedrooms, three to five baths. Concrete block and stucco with poured concrete elements, and a tile roof on every single one, which is unusual on Merritt Island and materially different from the shingle roofs on most of the island's housing. Garages are three and four bays. Both single story and two story plans were built, with staircases and lofts in the larger ones.
Every home here has an in ground screened pool. Most are heated, most are saltwater, several have attached spas, and all of them sit under a cage looking out at the back of a half acre lot. There is no water frontage anywhere in the subdivision and no lake, so the pool is the water feature. That is a straight tradeoff: you are buying a large, current, low maintenance house on a quiet street instead of an older house on a canal at the same price point.
Assessments run $89 to $102.75 a month, so roughly $1,070 to $1,235 a year, paid to Mandalay Grove Community Association, Inc. and managed from off site by a contracted agent. That covers the gate and the common ground. Pricing has run $664,900 to $925,000 with the middle at $722,450 and about $216 a square foot, which is a very low per foot number for houses this new and this large. Time to contract has run near 52 days at roughly 96 percent of original asking price.
Mandalay Grove At A Glance
Everything that defines Mandalay Grove, on one street.
| Detail | What you get |
|---|---|
| Location | North Merritt Island, on North Tropical Trail between Hall Road and Grant Road |
| Built | 2012 to 2014 |
| Home size | 2,746 to 4,568 square feet, about 3,507 typical |
| Bedrooms | 4 to 6 |
| Bathrooms | 3 to 5, typically 3.5 |
| Lot size | 0.36 to 0.46 acre, about 0.39 typical |
| Construction | Concrete block and stucco with poured concrete, tile roof on every home |
| Levels | Both single story and two story plans |
| Garage | 3 to 4 bays |
| Association | Mandalay Grove Community Association, Inc., mandatory, $89 to $102.75 a month. Registered as an active Florida nonprofit since 2005, managed from off site by a contracted agent |
| Gated | Yes, controlled entrance |
| Pools | In ground screened pool on every home, most heated, most saltwater, several with spas |
| Water frontage | None. No canal, river or lake frontage in the subdivision |
| Street pattern | Single dead end cul-de-sac, no through traffic |
| Utilities | Public water and public sewer |
| Streets | Mandalay Grove Court |
| Age restricted | No |
| Price range | $664,900 to $925,000, around $216 per square foot |
Mandalay Grove Details
Tile Roofs Throughout
Every house here carries a tile roof. On an island where shingle is the default, that is a meaningful difference in service life, insurance treatment and how the street looks from the gate. It also explains part of why the original build cost sat where it did.
A Gate At The End Of A Dead End
One entrance, one street, one cul-de-sac. There is no cut through and no reason for anyone who does not live here to drive in. That combination is rare on Merritt Island and it is the single most cited reason owners give for buying on Mandalay Grove Court.
Nearly Half Acre Homesites
0.36 to 0.46 of an acre. Because the plan was drawn before 2008 and built after, the lots are sized like an earlier era while the houses are built to a later code. That is why a 4,000 square foot house, a three car garage and a screened pool all fit without crowding the property line.
Pool And Spa Are Standard
Screened, in ground, mostly heated and mostly saltwater. You are not shopping for a pool home here; you are shopping among pool homes. That removes a whole category of renovation cost from the conversation and lets you focus on the house itself.
Large Square Footage At A Low Per Foot Number
About $216 a square foot for 2012 to 2014 construction is well under what smaller, older waterfront trades for on this island. If your priority is space, ceiling height, garage bays and a current house rather than a dock, this is where the math works.
The Indian River Side
North Tropical Trail runs along the west shore, which is the sunset side. Grant Road and Hall Road connect you east to North Courtenay Parkway in a couple of minutes, so you get the quiet western road without giving up access to the island's main north south artery.
Homes For Sale In Mandalay Grove
Current availability on Mandalay Grove Court. With only a handful of homes behind the gate, this list is short and often empty.
Mandalay Grove Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mandalay Grove gated?
Yes. There is a single controlled entrance off North Tropical Trail and one street behind it. The gate and the common ground are what the monthly assessment pays for.
What are the HOA dues?
Between $89 and $102.75 a month depending on the parcel, so roughly $1,070 to $1,235 a year. They go to Mandalay Grove Community Association, Inc., which has been an active Florida nonprofit corporation since 2005 and is managed from off site by a contracted agent.
When were the homes built?
Between 2012 and 2014, with the middle at 2013. The association was formed in 2005, well before construction, because the land was platted and entitled prior to the housing downturn and built out afterward.
Does every home have a pool?
Yes. Every house on Mandalay Grove Court has an in ground screened pool. Most are heated, most run saltwater systems, and several have attached spas. There is no community pool because each home has its own.
Is there any waterfront here?
No. Mandalay Grove has no canal, lake or river frontage. The Indian River is across North Tropical Trail but no lot in the subdivision fronts it. If boat access is your requirement, this is not the right street.
How large are the houses?
From 2,746 to 4,568 square feet, typically around 3,507, in four to six bedroom layouts with three to five baths. Both single story and two story plans exist, and garages run three or four bays.
What should I budget for property taxes?
Annual county bills here have run roughly $4,811 to $9,323, with the middle near $7,236. These are the highest tax figures of any small neighborhood on this side of the island, which follows directly from the size and age of the houses.
Is it age restricted?
No. There is no age restriction at Mandalay Grove.
Mandalay Grove Court, Merritt Island 32953
Mandalay Grove is on the west side of north Merritt Island in the 32953 ZIP code, on North Tropical Trail roughly half a mile south of Hall Road. From State Road 528 you take North Courtenay Parkway north, turn west on Hall Road or Grant Road, then south on North Tropical Trail, and the gate is on your left. It is a two minute drive from the main north south corridor but it feels considerably farther out than that.
North Tropical Trail follows the Indian River shoreline, so this is the sunset side of the island and the quieter of the two north south roads. State Road 528 is a short run south, which puts Port Canaveral at roughly fifteen minutes, Kennedy Space Center and the launch complexes at about twenty, and Orlando International Airport at around an hour. Cocoa Beach is twenty to twenty five minutes by way of 528 or 520, and the island's shopping is a few minutes east on Courtenay.
Near Mandalay Grove In Merritt Island
Considering Mandalay Grove?
There are only a handful of houses behind this gate, and they do not come up often. If Mandalay Grove Court is where you want to be, the right move is to be known to us before a home is available rather than after. My partner Nichole and I track this street directly. Call or text (321) 212-7676 and we will tell you the moment something is coming.
