Florida's disclosure form for buyers in a homeowners' association community says the buyer "will be obligated to be a member of a homeowners' association." That is singular. At Marina Del Palma, the gated Intracoastal community in Palm Coast, the association's own spring 2025 newsletter lists four associations. A buyer who is comparing boating communities here is weighing a governance structure as much as a house. The boat and the marina slips sit in different parts of that structure, and they are run by different people.
The Slip That Comes With the Lot Is a Space in a Building
Paytas Homes, a preferred builder in the community, says every Marina Del Palma homesite includes a boat slip in a dry-storage facility owned and used only by residents, with valet boat service. So the boat a homeowner brings lives indoors, on a rack, and goes into the water only when staff put it there. The slip that comes with the lot is a space in that building. It is not a wet slip in the marina, which is a separate asset covered below.
The Marina Del Palma HOA FAQ and the spring 2025 newsletter describe how a launch works:
- The owner books a water launch or a work-rack launch in the SpeedyDock app.
- The dockmaster launches the boat at or before the requested time and sends a "Launch Complete" notice through SpeedyDock.
- The owner has 30 minutes from that notice to arrive and either leave the dock or move to another dock position. Under the FAQ, a boat whose owner is more than 30 minutes late goes back inside, and the launch has to be rebooked.
- On return, the owner sends an "I'm Back" notification and ties up where the dockmaster indicates or at the first open retrieval spot.
The FAQ sets other limits that affect which boats fit. Wave runners, pontoon boats and twin-hull catamarans that need a cradle must have one bought by the lot owner or homeowner, with no exceptions. Boats are no longer loaded or unloaded from trailers unless the boat is broken and cannot run. The boathouse is posted employees only, it cannot be used for personal storage, and passengers board with their gear through the South/West gate along a painted walkway once the boathouse manager gives the all-clear. The newsletter adds that the dockmaster needs current copies of the boat's insurance and registration before a launch.
For a buyer coming from a home with a backyard lift, this is a different way to own a boat. Departures are booked, staff handle the boat, and the boat's maintenance happens in someone else's building. One body governs all of it: the Boathouse association.
Four Associations, One Address
The spring 2025 newsletter gives the background. Sunbelt Land Management and its affiliates, the developer, control the Master Homeowners Association and decided to sell the slips in the marina. The newsletter said this would make the association setup "even more complex" and listed what each of the four associations would cover.
| Association | What it covers, per the spring 2025 newsletter |
|---|---|
| Master | Gates and Envera, roads and parking lots, clubhouse and pool/spa, dog park and tennis courts, ponds and fountains, the marina except the boathouse launch dock, and common areas and land around the boathouse |
| Boathouse | Boat storage building, launch/retrieval dock, future fuel building |
| Estates | Homes and lots |
| Marina | Slips, including lighting, electric and water; access and parking for slip owners; slip owners' use of the clubhouse, dog park and tennis courts |
According to the table, the Estates association, which homeowners belong to through their lots, governs the homes and lots and nothing else. The gate, the roads, the clubhouse, the pool and the marina all sit with the Master. The newsletter says that because Sunbelt controls so much of the community, nearly every issue raised on social media or at Estates and Boathouse meetings has to be sent on to the Master through May Management. It also says the Estates and Boathouse boards actively try to influence the Master on behalf of lot and home owners.
The Wet Slips Now Have Their Own Owners
The Marina association exists because the developer started selling marina slips. The newsletter said the Master association told all owners in March 2025 emails that it was actively selling them. Slips sold under that program come with access, parking, and use of the clubhouse, dog park and tennis courts. That puts a second group of amenity users, the slip owners, alongside homeowners in the same facilities.
The same newsletter said residents and lot owners had raised concerns about parking, community access, safety on the route to the marina slips through the boathouse operations area, and shared access to the amenities. These were set for discussion at the Estates board meeting in May 2025.
The association's website is members-only, and the spring 2025 issue is the latest newsletter shown publicly. Anyone shopping in the community this November should treat the slip sales and the developer's control of the Master as the situation in spring 2025. How either issue stands now is the first question to ask the sellers and the management company.
The Fuel Building Shows How Long Changes Take
The boathouse fuel station shows how long a change can take under this structure. In spring 2025, the Boathouse association reported that it had to change the fuel building's size and location to meet the City of Palm Coast Fire Marshal's requirements, and that it was waiting for revised drawings before resubmitting.
The city's record for permit 2024090523, an enclosure for a fuel tank and pump station at 46 Rio Vista Drive with the Marina Del Palma Boat House Association as owner and a job value of $40,000, gives the rest of the timeline. The first city reviews opened on September 13, 2024. The permit was issued on December 5, 2025. The footer inspection passed on January 6, 2026, and the fire final was approved on August 7, 2026.
That is nearly two years from first submission to final approval, for a $40,000 accessory structure on property the Boathouse association already controlled. The permit shows that inspections are complete. It does not say whether fuel is being pumped. A buyer who wants fueling on site should ask whether the station is running.
Where Florida's HOA Statute Comes In
Chapter 720 of the Florida Statutes anticipates layered structures like this one. Section 720.301 defines a declaration as subjecting community land to the control of "an association or associations." The disclosure summary required by Section 720.401 must be given to a prospective buyer "before executing the contract for sale." That form uses the singular and directs the buyer to the recorded covenants and governing documents. It does not lay out how several associations relate to one another.
Section 720.307 sets out when a developer hands over control. Members other than the developer are entitled to elect at least a majority of the board at the earliest of several triggers. The first trigger is three months after 90 percent of the parcels in all phases have been conveyed to members other than the developer. The governing documents can set a different percentage, date or event. Once 50 percent of parcels in all phases are conveyed, those members may elect at least one director.
The spring 2025 newsletter mentions new homes being planned or under construction, and the Estates FAQ addresses mowing on vacant lots. Both are signs that buildout was still underway. How close the community is to those conveyance thresholds determines how long the developer keeps the board seats over the gate, roads, clubhouse and marina.
Questions Buyers Ask
Does buying a Marina Del Palma home include a marina wet slip? The homesite includes a dry-storage slip in the boathouse, according to the builder's description. The marina's wet slips were being sold separately by the Master association as of spring 2025, and they are governed by the Marina association.
Who handles a complaint about the gate or the clubhouse? Both belong to the Master association. The newsletter describes these issues as going to the Master through May Management.
Which documents should a buyer request? Ask for the governing documents and budgets of each association that touches the property, not only the Estates association. The Marina declaration is recorded with the Flagler County Clerk.
This post is general information about how Marina Del Palma's associations are organized and what Florida's statute says. It is not legal or financial advice, so confirm your situation with a Florida real estate attorney before you sign.
If Marina Del Palma is on your shortlist, Andy Kalcounos can help you request each association's documents, compare the boathouse rules with how you actually boat, and get answers on slip sales and Master association control before your inspection period ends. Let's Connect.
