Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM Brokers $43 Million Conservation Land Sale to State

Dean Saunders, ALC, CCIM, founder, managing director and senior advisor of SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate, brokered the sale of a conservation property to the State of Florida this week for $43 million. The property, called The Bluffs of St. Teresa, is a 17,080-acre tract in North Florida situated on the Gulf of Mexico. Saunders listed the property on behalf of Ochlockonee Timberlands, LLC. He worked closely with The Nature Conservancy to negotiate the sale to the state, and the environmental organization donated $2.25 million toward the conservation purchase. Additionally, the United States Department of Defense contributed $2.19 million. Saunders also recently brokered several conservation easements totaling $8,344,431.

Accessible to the Big Bend area of Florida’s eastern panhandle and sharing a contiguous border with Bald Point State Park, the conservation of The Bluffs of St. Teresa is a vital component of environmental protection in the region. The property creates a contiguous, protected corridor between Bald Point State Park and Tate’s Hell State Forest, including the Apalachicola National Forest, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge and the Ochlockonee River State Park. Beyond its essential location, The Bluffs of St. Teresa is one of the most extensive remaining tracts of undeveloped land on the Gulf Coast and features more than 17 miles of waterfront, interior lakes, dunes and bluffs.

“This was a rare opportunity to preserve an absolute gem of a property for posterity for the citizens of Florida,” Saunders said. “It was an honor and privilege to work on a project of such significance alongside others who made conserving The Bluffs of St. Teresa a priority for the state.”

Saunders worked with numerous entities to negotiate the sale, which is the state’s largest conservation purchase in over a decade. Those involved in the project include:

• Lindsay Stevens, JD, AICP, Land Protection Program Manager for The Nature Conservancy
• Callie DeHaven, Director of The Florida Department of Environmental (DEP) Service’s Division of State Land
• David Clark, former Assistant Secretary of the Florida DEP and, more recently, the former Deputy Chief of Staff to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

“The protection of the Bluffs marks a conservation milestone,” the Florida DEP stated. “With benefits to climate resilience, preservation of rivers and lakes that are critical to water quality, quantity and the health of the region’s aquaculture, and the safeguarding of habitat needed by countless native and migrating species.”

The Florida DEP’s Division of Recreation and Parks and the FDACS Florida Forest Service will manage the land going forward.

Recent Conservation Easement Sales

In addition to the outright sale of The Bluffs of St. Teresa to the State of Florida, Saunders also recently brokered several conservation easement sales.

About 3,465 acres of Hall’s Tiger Bay Ranch, a property in DeSoto County, was conserved for $5,753,157. The property is a mosaic of pine flatwoods and dry and wet prairie. Hall’s Tiger Bay Ranch is adjacent to the 29,000-acre Bright Hour Ranch conservation easement secured by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFMD), and further extends this conservation corridor. The Hall’s Tiger Bay Ranch conservation easement was purchased by the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resource Planning Service (NRCS). A second easement for another 402 acres is planned to close by the end of the year with the same parties to bring the total acreage conserved at Hall’s Tiger Bay Ranch to 3,900.

AVT Ranch is 713 acres in Polk County in the Green Swamp Area of Critical State Concern (ACSC). Saunders negotiated a conservation easement on the property for $1,107,000. The ACSC program was created by the Florida Environmental Land and Water Management Act of 1972 to protect environmental resources of major statewide significance from uncontrolled development. The Green Swamp was one of the first areas Florida designated as an ACSC. Of the Green Swamp’s 560,000 acres, more than 300,000 fall within the ACSC due to the swamp’s water resources’ quality and quantity. The easement was purchased under the state’s Florida Forever conservation program.

S.Y. Hartt Ranch is 748 rural acres. Saunders secured a conservation easement under RFLPP. Partnering with the Avon Park Bombing Range, RFLPP purchased the conservation easement for $1,474,274. This sale is the fifth conservation easement Saunders has brokered for the Hartt family in the last ten years.

About Dean Saunders

Hailing from an eighth-generation Florida agricultural family, Saunders started his career in Florida land and conservation easements in 1985. He served in the US Senate as Agricultural Liaison, Special Assistant, and Director of External Affairs to US Senator Lawton Chiles, then Governor Chiles (D-FL). From 1992 to 1996 he served in the Florida House of Representatives. Combining a passion to support landowner property rights while also conserving natural land in Florida, Dean proposed and became one of three main sponsors of Bert J. Harris Private Property Rights Protection Act. This legislation later evolved into what is now referred to as conservation easements. The concept of state-owned conservation easements was truly revolutionary 25 years ago, but the success of this idea is recognized today as a tremendous positive impact on our state. To learn more, visit SVNsaunders.com/conservation.

In 1996, Dean founded his real estate brokerage. To date, the firm has brokered more than $3 billion in transactions and earned numerous awards including Saunders’ recognition as the 2018 APEX Top National Producer by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) organization for land professionals, the Realtors® Land Institute (RLI). He was recently named for the second year to the Florida Trend’s Florida 500 for his contributions and leadership to the land and commercial real estate industry and positive impact in the state. Learn more about Dean’s experience and industry leadership at SVNsaunders.com/deansaunders.

About SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate

SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate is a full-service land and commercial real estate brokerage with over $3.1 billion in transactions representing buyers, sellers, investors, institutions, and landowners since 1996. We are recognized nationally as an authority on all types of land, including agriculture, ranch, recreation, residential development, and international properties. Our commercial real estate services include marketing, property management, leasing and tenant representation, valuation, business brokerage, and advisory and counseling services for office, retail, industrial, and multifamily properties. Our firm also features an auction company, forestry division, international partnerships, hunting lease management, and extensive expertise in conservation easements. Located at the center of Florida’s I-4 corridor, we provide proven leadership and collaborative expertise backed by the strength of the SVN® global platform. To learn more, visit SVNsaunders.com.