The recent Lay of the Land Florida 2023 Market Report from SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate highlighted 40 citrus grove sales in 12 Central Florida counties last year. The average sales price of $11,141 per net tree acre was up 3% from the prior year. The average gross acre sales price was $9,284, up 7%.
The highlighted grove sales totaled 15,699 acres, down 9% from the prior year. The average grove transaction size was 392 acres, up 142%.
HIGHLANDS COUNTY HAS MOST SALES
Almost half of the citrus sales, 18, were in Highlands County. Other Central Florida counties with reported multiple sales were Hardee (6), DeSoto (3), Hendry (3), Polk (3) and St. Lucie (2). Counties with one sale reported in 2023 were Glades, Lee, Manatee, Okeechobee and Osceola.
The largest citrus sale reported was 3,065 gross acres in Osceola County for $33.08 million, or $10,793 per gross acre. The second largest sale was 2,533 gross acres in Hendry County for $20.64 million, or $8,151 per gross acre.
The smallest sales reported were two 19-acre transactions in Highlands County, for $320,300 and $161,500, or $16,858 and $8,500 per gross acre, respectively.
VALUE FACTORS
“Citrus groves located in the short-term and long-term path of progress are still highly attractive for residential and commercial developers,” SVN Saunders Senior Advisor Brian Beasley reported.
Beasley noted that values for groves are based on factors including varieties, industry pricing for fruit and juice, crop production, juice quality, tree condition, irrigation and drainage, favorable marketing channels and, of course, location.
Beasley stated that groves with substantial production and “favorable forward-looking fruit contracts” generally yield profits. “However, citrus greening disease continues to be a challenge,” he added.
TREASURE COAST CITRUS DIMINISHES
SVN Saunders Senior Advisor Jeff Cusson pointed out that citrus dominated the Florida Treasure Coast landscape for more than a century but now makes up less than 10% of the land. The Treasure Coast includes Brevard, Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties.
Cusson reported that the Treasure Coast is now “a diverse landscape composed of a smaller but more diverse agricultural industry, solar fields, residential development, conservation and recreational lands.”
Source: SVN Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate
Share this Post
Sponsored Content