Suburban Estates, located in Florida near Holopaw, St. Cloud and Melborne, is one of the "paper subdivisions" in Florida. It was created in the late '60s and is approx. 11,000 acres of Florida scrub and swamp. The lots were sold in mainly 1.25 and 2.5 acre parcels all over the world, with a large part being sold in Canada, Hawaii and northern states.

For the most part, the terrain is Florida scrub, which consists of sandy soil, palmettos, pine and a few oak scrubs. The north end of the property is considered swamp, and is part of the Big Bend Swamp.

The property is zoned Recreational, and property taxes are about $20 a year for 1.25 acre lots. The property is NOT ZONED buildable, and is used as a camping, hunting and 4 wheeler riding destination. Some people DO buy the lots as investment property, as the new town of Harmony has sprung up just a few miles north, and borders the property.

As original owners have died, moved, or just abandoned the property, investors have bought the land, both through tax deed sales and from the orginal owners or their families and are now selling them on Ebay and elsewhere. The majority of buyers are Florida residents, looking for private property to be able to camp and ride 4 wheelers.

There is a non-mandatory land-owners association, which, for a low membership fee, tries to keep some of the roads passable, and a seperate website for for landowners and their guests to help introduce everyone to eachother and creates a sort of fellowship with other landowners.

Suburban Estates is different from other areas in Florida, such as River Ranch. At Suburban Estates, contrary to some sellers images and descriptions, THERE IS NO CAMPING AREA!! Suburban Estates is PRIVATE PROPERTY and as you will OWN your lot, if you plan on setting up a camp, you need to do so on YOU OWN LOT.

So....If purchasing a lot in Suburban Estates:

If you plan on camping, buy a DRY LOT that you can camp on, DO NOT SET A CAMP ON A LOT THAT IS NOT YOURS.

If you are just buying a lot to gain access, a WET LOT will do, but think hard about this, as you may want a camp in a couple of years, and will have to buy a dry one.

GET A WARRANTY DEED!!! Anyone can sell by quit-claim, even if they DO NOT OWN the property.

I RECOMMEND a title search, to make sure there are no other owners. Some of these lots have had multiple owners, and you might just be buying a 25% interest without knowing it.

RESEARCH the lot!! If the person selling the lot bought it from someone in Canada, but the deed was notarized in Florida, QUESTION IT!!! I have seen some here, and researched them to find out the notary was a company employee violating Florida Notary laws by notarizing the deed without the original owner being present.

In general, Suburban Estates is a great place for outdoor family fun, which may or may not be worth more later.