Last year, Florida remained on the national stage due to some of the largest real estate deals on the globe. Let’s take a look at the state’s 2024 roundup of mega land deals in terms of acreage sold. While some of the headliners remain the same as last year, you may be surprised to see a new phenomenon since the land grab report of 2024.
Florida’s State of Transition
Looking back, The Sunshine State might have been rightly be called the State of Transition. Florida saw a lot of acreage used for one purpose, then being sold for others. Over 72,000 acres of agricultural land were sold and transitioned into residential and commercial development.
While it’s a sure sign of the state’s economic growth, this phenomenon raised alarm bells among environmentalist groups regarding pressure on municipalities to rezone land that had been marked for agricultural and recreational use. As a result, there has been push back for more effective conservation strategies to protect Florida from over-development and loss of natural habitats.
The state has taken steps to address these concerns with several protective land acquisitions during 2024, culminating in purchases totaling over $318.38 million for 85,778 acres of Florida’s “most important wildlife habitats and rural ranchlands,” as reported by Audubon.
Municipal Bonding with Wildlife
One of Florida’s ecological concerns is the threat to its official state animal, the panther. The Panther is the larger of Florida’s two native cat species (panthers and bobcats) and is still listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973. In 2024 the state purchased almost 28,000 acres that will be designated as a Wildlife Management Area. The largest of the tract is a 25,000-acre stretch of land, the Caloosahatchee-Big Cypress Corridor, which links the Everglades to the rest of the Florida Ecological Greenways Network and will help protect the state’s panther population.
Last year,12,000 acres were purchased from Bear Creek Timber and marked for conservation and recreational use. Funded by the Florida Forever Program, the state’s initiative aims to acquire and protect lands of environmental importance.
Additionally, the Florida Cabinet approved the purchase of over 62,000 acres of working Florida farms and ranches for permanent conservation easements through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.
Meet the Largest Landowners in Florida
- Farmland Reserve
626,600 acres in Florida, 2.3 million acres together: According to its website, Farmland Reserve, is a nonprofit organization that invests in and operates agricultural assets to generate long-term value for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The entity serves as both an agricultural investment arm and a resource for the church’s food program with its largest holdingsare in Nebraska, Oklahoma and Florida.
Most Recent Florida Land Deal: Last October, Farmland Reserve increased its portfolio by adding 46 farms to it from eight states, including Florida. The purchase price was $289 million for a total of 41,554 acres.
Owner: Operating under the name Deseret Ranches and composed of two organizations—Deseret Ranches of Florida and Deseret Cattle & Citrus—Farm Land Reserve is a private company and the investment branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its properties are owned by the Church as a whole, managed through various organizations and subsidiaries
- Four Rivers Land & Timber Company
200,000 acres in Florida, 580,000 altogether: In 2024, the privately held timberland management giant focused on land deals related to development and conservation throughout Florida. Chief among these is the Four Rivers Master Plan in Taylor County, a large-scale mixed-use development with business, residential, and agricultural land uses. It encompasses more than 128,000 acres. Four Rivers has proposed land acquisition projects through the Florida Forever Program. They also proposed a land swap that would result in the state giving forest land to Cabot Citrus Farms in exchange for 861 acres of timberland in Cedar Key.
Most Recent Florida Land Deal: Their last Florida land purchase was the $710 million deal with Foley Timber in 2025 when they acquired a 560,000-acre timberland tract between Tallahassee and Gainesville and spreading across five counties.
Owner: This private company is owned by Thomas Peterffy, who became the largest privately held property owner in Florida via the massive land deal with Foley Timber in 2015. The tract was described as the “largest contiguous parcel of undeveloped private land east of the Mississippi River” by David Gelles of The New York Times when it was listed
- Rayonier
401,000 acres in Florida, 2.7 million altogether: The products of this publicly held industrial tree plantation company include tree pulp, lumber, and cellulose performance fibers. Rayonier sold 1,109 acres in Bradford County to North Florida Land Trust (NFLT). NFLT paid $7.3 million for property located west of the Florida National Guard and Air National Guard’s Camp Blanding Training Center in Clay County. NFLT will restrict the land from development and protect important wildlife and plant habitats, as well as provide a buffer for Camp Blanding. Rayonier previously managed the land to produce timber.
Most Recent Florida Land Deal: In 2023 Rayonier sold a 230-acre parcel in Bradford County for $1.8 million to North Florida Land Trust for the county’s new location of the North Florida Technical College’s commercial vehicle driving school.
Owner: T. Rowe Price, Vanguard, and BlackRock are the largest shareholders of Rayonier, who along with three other companies, hold 51% of its shares.
- THE MOSIAC COMPANY
368,000 acres in Florida: While Mosaic’s total land holdings are not readily available, this publicly held company owns the Mosaic Esterhazy K3 potash mine in Saskatoon, which is the world’s largest potash operation. The company is the leading integrated producer of concentrated phosphate and potash—two of the three most important nutrients in agriculture. The St. Petersburg-based company owns 368 thousand acres in Florida, of which 200,000 acres are used for phosphate mining. Their Florida holdings include acreage in DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee and Polk Counties.
Most Recent Florida Land Deal: Mosiac’sMosaic’s last two publicized Florida land deals happened in 2023 when they closed on a parcel in Debary for a mixed-use development plan, and also sold Streamsong Resort, one of the world’s leading golf destinations, according to their press releases.
Owner: MosiacMosaic was formed through a merger between IMC Global and Cargill’s crop nutrition division. Today its largest shareholders are The Vanguard Group and BlackRock.
- LYKES BROS.: 337,000 acres.
337,000 acres in Florida, 617,000 altogether: The land management company, Lykes Bros., owns and manages over 610,000 acres in Florida used for cattle, farming, forestry, hunting, and land and water resource management. Lykes Bros. recently made the Land Report 100 list of the largest U.S. Landowners, coming in at number 16.
Most Recent Florida Land Deal: In May of 2024, Lykes Bros. purchased a 5.38-acre retail property in St. Johns County for $18.2 million. The property includes a Winn-Dixie grocery store and other shopping center buildings.
Owner: Lykes was founded by Dr. Howell Lykes and his sons in 1910. Today the family-owned company is Tampa-based and is a power player of the agribusiness industry in Florida and West Texas. Descendants of Dr. Lykes have retained ownership and Charles P. Lykes Jr. served at CEO until 1983. The company appointed a new CEO, Johnnie P. James Jr., in 2019.
Florida’s Largest Land Grabs of 22024
- 26,409 acres for $122.4 million: Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection purchased six ranches in Southwest Florida from CDC Land Investments, Inc., Collier Land Holdings, Ltd., and Cow Bone Slough, LLLP. The tract, known as the Caloosahatchee-Big Cypress Corridorin Hendry and Collier Counties will become part of a land conservation program that focuses on preventing habitat fragmentation and ensuring safe passage for imperiled species, including the Florida panther.
- 12,243 acres for $32.65 million: Another State of Florida purchase, this one funded through the Florida Forever program, was the purchase from Bear Timber LLC in Bay County. The tract is the program’s largest buy, and it’s located about 6 miles north of the Tyndall Air Force Base in the Panhandle. This acquisition will create a new state forest and expand a corridor of publicly owned lands, protecting a crucial linkage in the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
- 11,713 acres for $22 million: This protective state purchase was made by the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, which is state-funded under the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The easement will also protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor along the Waccasassa River. The program focuses on acquiring conservation easements on rural properties, preventing them from being developed for residential or commercial use.
- 8,500 acres for $22 million: Star Lake Cattle and Timber purchased a portion of the Knight Taylor Ranch located in Taylor County. Advertised as an idyllic retreat utilized for cattle grazing, timber production, and hunting for deer, turkey, and feral hogs, according to sauders_land Instagram post and Total Commercial, the sale took place August, 2024.
- 5,875 acres for $51.1 million: The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program also aquired the development rights to Bull Hammock Ranch, a 5,874-acre property, as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. The purchase was a joint effort with the federal government, with Florida investing $51 million to match the federal government’s contribution. The funding ensures permanent conservation across nineteen properties within and adjacent to the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
- 5,509 acres for $44.5 million: An Orlando-based entity tied to Prudential Agricultural Investments purchased Gopher Ridge in eastern Collier County. The income producing citrus grove is located just north of the community of Immokalee. The sale took place December, 2024 according to Land and Farm.
If a Florida property purchase or sale is on your itinerary, be sure to add Florida Bar Board-Certified closing attorneys David E. Klein, Esq. and Guy Rabideau at Rabideauklein.com to your contact list. Whether you’re operating from inside Florida or out-of-state, they stand ready to assist. Even with thousands of miles between you and your next home, you can rest assured your best interests will be looked after. Be sure to contact Rabideau Klein to discuss the legal implications of your next Florida property transaction.