SilverLeaf vs. Tributary: St. Johns County or Nassau County?

Picture two mornings. In the first, you pull out of a neighborhood off St. Johns Parkway in SilverLeaf, and in a few minutes you are on State Road 16 with World Golf Village just up the road and St. Augustine's old streets a short drive south. In the second, you turn from Tributary Drive onto State Road 200 in Yulee, I-95 is a couple of miles ahead, and Amelia Island is the other way.

Both mornings start in a newer master-planned community with a pool, trails and a builder model down the street. But they are about 50 miles apart, in two different counties, and that changes your taxes, your drives and your weekends.

A quick correction: older versions of this page called both of these St. Johns County communities. Only SilverLeaf is. Tributary is in Yulee, Nassau County.

Two Counties, About 50 Miles Apart

SilverLeaf is a St. Johns County master plan developed by The Hutson Companies. Dream Finders Homes places it between County Road 210 and State Road 16 at St. Johns Parkway, west of I-95. St. Augustine's visitor bureau lists it at 11,000 acres with more than 4,000 acres of nature preserves, and puts World Golf Village 3.1 miles away.

Tributary is in Yulee, in Nassau County. Tributary Drive meets State Road 200 (A1A) about 2.2 miles west of the I-95 interchange at exit 373. GreenPointe describes it as roughly 1,500 acres with approximately 3,200 homes of different types planned.

By road, the two communities are about 49.8 miles apart. If you are deciding between them, you are really deciding between the St. Augustine side of the region and the north Jacksonville and Amelia Island side.

Side by Side: SilverLeaf vs. Tributary

Distances below are road miles measured with OpenStreetMap routing in October 2026, from SilverLeaf's Evergreen Island section and from Tributary's Lily Pond Court area. Prices and fees are dated, because they change.

	SilverLeaf	Tributary
County	St. Johns	Nassau
Main roads	St. Johns Parkway, between CR 210 and SR 16	SR 200 (A1A), west of I-95 exit 373
Developer	The Hutson Companies	GreenPointe
Size	11,000 acres	About 1,500 acres
Active single-family listings (MLS, Oct. 28, 2026)	60, from $349,990 to $1,369,000	39, from $359,900 to $649,900
Master or main HOA	SilverLeaf Master Association $1,200 a year, plus a neighborhood association in many sections	Most listings show $150 a year; some sections differ
CDD	None on active listings checked	Yes, Three Rivers CDD; listed amounts of $1,273 to $3,142.97 by section
Lennar's approximate tax rate (Oct. 28, 2026)	1.13% (Silver Falls)	1.41% (Lakeview)
Nearest beach	Vilano Beach, 19.1 miles	Main Beach, Amelia Island, 18.5 miles
Jacksonville International Airport	38 to 44.5 miles, depending on section	14.5 miles
Downtown Jacksonville	26.7 miles	23.9 miles
Historic downtown St. Augustine	18.4 miles	61.5 miles
Big shopping trip	St. Johns Town Center, 20.1 miles	River City Marketplace, 13.1 miles

The airport line is the one people underestimate. From Tributary it is a short run down I-95. From SilverLeaf you cross most of the metro to get there. St. Augustine's visitor bureau lists 38 miles from SilverLeaf; our routing from the Evergreen Island section came to 44.5.

The two communities are also in different county school districts. Check the St. Johns County and Nassau County school district websites directly for zoning on any home you are considering.

Builders, Homes and What You Get

SilverLeaf has several builders, each with its own sections. Here is what was on the builders' sites on October 28, 2026:

• David Weekley Homes, Evergreen Island at SilverLeaf: a gated section. The Classic collection, on 40-foot homesites, ran from $457,900 with homes of 1,767 to 2,690 square feet. The Executive collection started at $464,900.
• Lennar, Silver Falls at SilverLeaf: 40', 50' and 60' collections priced from $404,990 to $664,480 as of October 28, 2026, with plans of roughly 1,602 to 3,571 square feet.
• Dream Finders Homes, Silver Landing: final homes from $519,990, with plans of 2,246 to 2,881 square feet.

Toll Brothers (its gated Newbrook neighborhood, announced in 2024 with townhomes and single-family homes) and ICI Homes (homesites from 50 to 80 feet wide) also build in SilverLeaf. The master plan includes single-family homes, townhomes and apartments.

Tributary is simpler. David Weekley was selling two sections on October 28, 2026: 50-foot homesites with plans from $366,900 (1,707 to 2,796 square feet) and 70-foot homesites from $498,900 (2,604 to 3,482 square feet). Lennar's Lakeview at Tributary, marketed as active-adult living, ranged from $459,990 to $629,990 with plans of about 1,929 to 2,726 square feet. Earlier phases were built by Dream Finders and Richmond American, and those homes now show up as resales.

Amenities: Big Network vs. One Lakefront Hub

SilverLeaf's amenities are spread across a much bigger footprint. Builder pages list multiple resort-style pools, a clubhouse, tennis and pickleball courts, a splash pad, dog parks and trails. Toll Brothers' 2024 announcement describes a family aquatics center with two large pools and a water park with waterslides. David Weekley notes a fire house and an urgent care facility within SilverLeaf, and the visitor bureau mentions the SilverLeaf town center.

Tributary's shared amenities center on one lakefront amenity center, called The Lookout on David Weekley's pages, with a resort-style pool, fitness center, lakefront pickleball courts, a dog park, playground, fire pits and trails. Lennar's Lakeview section adds its own planned clubhouse of about 8,000 square feet, plus tennis, pickleball and bocce. GreenPointe also describes access to Boggy Creek, which leads to the Nassau River; David Weekley calls that access future, so ask what is open today.

Fees and Taxes: Where the Two Really Differ

HOA. David Weekley lists the SilverLeaf Master Association at $1,200 a year and its Evergreen Island neighborhood association at $999.56 a year. Many SilverLeaf listings show a second association line like that. In Tributary, most active listings on October 28, 2026 showed a $150 annual fee, while Lennar's brochure estimates about $134.75 a month for Lakeview.

CDD. This is the biggest gap. Dream Finders and David Weekley both say their SilverLeaf sections have no CDD fees, and none of the active SilverLeaf listings on the MLS on October 28, 2026 were marked as having one. Tributary is in the Three Rivers Community Development District; David Weekley lists $2,915 for its 50-foot section and $3,142.97 for its 70-foot section.

Tax rates. Lennar's own estimates, dated October 28, 2026, put the approximate tax rate at 1.13% for Silver Falls at SilverLeaf and 1.41% for Lakeview at Tributary. County commission rates differ too. For 2025 to 2026, the Florida Department of Revenue shows the Nassau County commission's levy at 6.7457 mills and St. Johns County's general levy at 4.4999 mills. Each county adds other levies (Nassau a municipal services fund, St. Johns a fire district and a transportation fund), and school and water management levies come on top. The fair way to compare is the actual tax bill on two similar homes.

Homestead rules are set by state law in both counties, and the filing deadline is March 1. See our guide to homestead portability for Florida movers if you are bringing a Save Our Homes benefit with you. If you are also weighing a move toward the coast, read moving from SilverLeaf or Shearwater to the beaches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are SilverLeaf and Tributary both in St. Johns County?

No. SilverLeaf is in St. Johns County near World Golf Village. Tributary is in Yulee, Nassau County, about 49.8 road miles to the north.

Which one has lower fees?

It depends on the home. SilverLeaf sections we checked carry a $1,200 a year master association fee, usually plus a neighborhood fee, but no CDD. Tributary's HOA is often $150 a year, but homes carry a CDD, with listed amounts from $1,273 to $3,142.97 depending on the section. Add the lines up for the exact homes you are comparing.

Which is closer to the beach?

They are close to even. Tributary is 18.5 road miles from Main Beach on Amelia Island, and SilverLeaf's Evergreen Island section is 19.1 road miles from Vilano Beach.

Which is closer to the Jacksonville airport?

Tributary, by a wide margin. It is 14.5 road miles from Jacksonville International Airport, compared with 38 to 44.5 miles from SilverLeaf depending on the section.

Search homes in SilverLeaf, Tributary and across Northeast Florida:

What To Do Right Now

1. Write down the places you will drive to every week (airport, doctors, family, beach) and check the miles from each community.
2. Pick one home in each community at a similar price and list every yearly cost: HOA lines, CDD and the estimated tax bill.
3. Check each county property appraiser's site for the parcels and note the March 1 homestead deadline.
4. Tour both on the same day, starting in one and driving the I-95 stretch between them so you feel the distance.
5. Call or text Joey Larsen at 904-863-6679 to set up the tour and get the fee figures for the homes on your list.

Cover photo: NassauRiver-YuleeAerial (33121832944) by formulanone, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.