Honey Lake Plantation - Representing Landowners of High Quality Recreational and Investment Properties - Jon Kohler.com

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Honey Lake Plantation is a 3,620 acre recreational hunting plantation featuring its namesake a spectacular 73 acre spring-fed private lake. This is one of the most beautiful places in North Florida. Quite frankly, it should be a state or national park.

Vast stands of southern yellow pines, pristine hardwood bottoms and rolling fields surround the lake itself. With almost two miles of frontage on the Little Aucilla River, there is an enormous diversity of habitat not found on most plantations. Originally established by Pansy Ireland Poe, this property has a long and prosperous recreational history. Everything about this plantation is first class from extensive landscaping to the Honey Lake cottage. It is noted on the prestigious Georgia-Florida Field Trial map and nearby other famous quail hunting plantations such as Dixie, Pinckney Hill, Pinion Point and Avalon. It is located just 10 minutes east of Monticello, about 45 minutes to either Thomasville or Tallahassee and less than ten minutes to I-10. The higher and better use of this plantation is significant.

Honey Lake itself is one of the most beautiful, natural spring-fed lakes in North Florida and South Georgia. Unlike most lakes in this area, it is a clear deep water lake directly connected to the Floridian Aquifer. The lake is one of most outstanding gems in the region. The Little Aucilla River is one of the most pristine waterways in Florida and the primary tributary to the Aucilla River. There are numerous natural duck ponds, cypress ponds, a well-fed dove watering pond and two well-fed large fish ponds to compliment the water resources.

This is one of the most diverse plantations in the belt with vast stands of southern yellow pine, rolling hay fields, a small pecan orchard, prairies, lakes, cypress ponds all connected by an extensive road system. There is a significant wealth of timber with less than two hundred acres of premerchantable pine on the entire plantation. Management anticipates harvesting over $4M in the next five years.

The improvements are all first class. The attention to detail sets this plantation apart, from landscaping at almost every gate to the cypress boardwalk. The “day house,” located on a bluff over the lake is famous. The lake views are spectacular. When Clifton Sheppard was commissioned to paint the famous mural at Pebble Hill, Miss Pansy Poe also had him paint the Honey Lake Seminole mural shortly thereafter. The mural is museum quality. To say that the new barn is one of the top five barns in the plantation belt would probably be an understatement. The barn would qualify for a feature article in Architectural Digest. It is a compliment to the quality that can be seen throughout the plantation.

The owner has recently completed one of the most capital intensive ground cover improvement programs in the Red Hills. At a cost of approximately $2M over the last two years, thousands of acres of quail habitat were restored and vast amounts of acreage enhanced up for wildlife. However, unlike most other large scale habitat improvement initiatives in the region, timber assets were not diminished to capitalize the restoration efforts. The unique result is that the wealth of timber, quality and stocking is phenomenal while at the same time it is at the forefront of modern wildlife management.

The current owner has propagated wild game on this property for the last twenty years; however, he is very private and hunts relatively little. However, you would never know this looking around the property at feeders, traps and food plots. His principal recreational enjoyment is challenging his staff of world class wildlife and timber experts on maximizing aesthetics, wildlife and timber on this very special place. With regards to wildlife, the result is great age class and numbers of deer and turkeys and large wild coveys. In the 2007 season, one of the largest bucks taken in North Florida was harvested there. Currently, there are four wild quail courses covering 1,200 acres. A brief report on quail population, observations and management suggestions is also available.

At 3,620 acres it is one of the largest plantations in the belt; however, this plantation may be purchased in its entirety or as 1,900+/- acres with the lake and all improvements. The higher and better use value of this plantation is significantly higher than most plantations. The potential for placing conservation easement on the property either purchase or donation is very high. This is a rare opportunity to own what in all accounts should be a state park.

Entire 3,620 acres $16 million or Lake and 1900+/- acres $10.5 million