Cyrene at Minneola: New Homes in Minneola FL Near Clermont by Meritage Homes (2026 Guide)

If you have been hunting for new homes in Minneola FL that feel a little quieter than the Horizon West rush but still put you minutes from Clermont, Cyrene at Minneola deserves a look. This gated Meritage Homes community off North Hancock Road is now selling single-family homes from $440,000 and paired villas from the high $300s, with 266 homesites planned. It is one of the more attainable new build communities near Clermont right now, and every home is built to Meritage's energy-efficiency standard.

Cyrene at Minneola Quick Facts

About Meritage Homes

Meritage Homes is one of the largest builders in the country and has built its reputation almost entirely on energy performance. It was the first national builder to exceed the EPA's ENERGY STAR requirements in every home it built, a commitment it has held since January 2010. Meritage also earned EPA Indoor airPLUS qualification in 2020 for indoor air quality.

What that means in practice at Cyrene: spray foam insulation throughout the home including the attic, which keeps the HVAC system inside the thermal envelope; MERV 13 air filtration standard; UV-blocking Low-E windows; and ENERGY STAR appliances with WaterSense fixtures. Meritage states its homes are 20–30% more energy efficient than a comparable home built to current code. For buyers watching Florida utility bills and insurance costs, that is a real monthly number, not just a brochure line.

Floor Plans & Pricing at Cyrene at Minneola

There are two product lines here, which is part of what makes this community useful for a range of buyers shopping new homes in Minneola FL.

Single-family homes (from $440,000):

• Sycamore — 1,483 sq ft, 3 bed, 2 bath
• Willow — 2,082 sq ft, 4 bed, 2.5 bath
• Birch — 2,216 sq ft, 3 bed, 2.5 bath
• Florentine — 2,601 sq ft, 4 bed, 2.5 bath

Paired villas (from the high $300s):

• Cyrus — 1,754 sq ft, 3 bed, 2.5 bath
• Braylan — 1,776 sq ft, 3 bed, 2.5 bath
• Adessa — 1,926 sq ft, 4 bed, 2.5 bath
• Dorian — 2,054 sq ft, 4 bed, 2.5 bath

A handful of quick move-in homes have recently been listed in the roughly $495,000–$500,000 range. Builder pricing and incentives in this market change week to week, so treat every number here as a starting point and verify current pricing before you write an offer.

Amenities

Cyrene is a boutique community rather than a mega master plan, and the amenity package reflects that: a community pool with cabana, a tot lot, and walking trails inside a gated entry. If you want a full lifestyle campus with a fitness center and event lawn, Wellness Ridge or Hills of Minneola will serve you better. If you would rather trade amenity square footage for lower monthly dues and a shorter drive to your own front gate, Cyrene is the trade worth considering.

Location: What Is Actually Near Cyrene at Minneola?

The community sits off North Hancock Road, the spine of Minneola's growth corridor. Florida's Turnpike is right there at the Hancock Road interchange (Exit 278), giving you a clean run south toward Orlando or north toward Wildwood — and FDOT is widening the Turnpike from Minneola north to O'Brien Road to keep up with the growth.

From there: downtown Clermont and the Lake Minneola waterfront are about 10 minutes away, Winter Garden and the SR-429 corridor run roughly 20–25 minutes east, and Walt Disney World is typically a 35–40 minute drive. The South Lake Trail, a 13-mile paved trail with genuinely scenic stretches along Lake Minneola, crosses Hancock Road and is signed through town as the Minneola Scenic Trail. Lake County schools serving the area include Grassy Lake Elementary, East Ridge Middle and Lake Minneola High, plus the newer Minneola Horizon Academy K-8.

What Makes Cyrene at Minneola Stand Out

Three things separate it from the other new homes in Minneola FL and the new build communities near Clermont:

• Price of entry. Villas from the high $300s are hard to find in Lake County new construction right now, and they come with the same energy package as the single-family homes.
• Energy performance as a standard, not an upgrade. Spray foam, MERV 13 filtration and ENERGY STAR certification are included, which matters more every year in Florida.
• Scale. At 266 homesites and gated, it stays small. You are not buying into a decade-long build-out with construction traffic at your door.

The honest counterpoint: the amenity set is modest, HOA dues on the villas run higher than the single-family side because the association maintains more of the exterior, and Minneola is still a car-dependent market. All worth walking through with someone who will tell you both sides.

Thinking About New Construction Homes in the Clermont FL Area in 2026?

Bring your own agent to the first visit — builders expect it, and registering on your own can cost you representation for the entire transaction. I can pull current incentives, compare Cyrene against Wellness Ridge, Hills of Minneola and Sugarloaf Ridge, and tell you honestly which one fits what you are actually trying to do.

Rebecca Hamaoui, REALTOR® | Bella Trae Realty | 📞 407-922-8986 | ✉ rebecca@bellatraerealty.com