Groves, irrigated farmland and packinghouse among properties set for major auction April 16

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla., March 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Approximately 2,884 acres of producing citrus groves and irrigated farmland in Florida's St. Lucie County and a state-of the-art citrus packinghouse in Indian River County will sell at auction Wednesday, April 16, with Murray Wise Associates managing the sale in cooperation with Crosby & Associates.

The first grove – 1,944 acres – consists of land known as the Indian River South Grove in St. Lucie County. That property, located on and west of Rangeline Road (SR 609) just west of the City of Port St. Lucie, will sell in nine tracts ranging in size from 63 to 414 acres.

"This grove includes 850 acres of citrus, 100 acres of palm trees, a 212-acre lake, and irrigated farmland. There are 125,500 citrus trees, and the land has well drained, sandy soil that's suitable for sugar cane, produce and other crops," said Joe Bubon, executive vice president of the auction company.

The second 923 acre grove, selling in three tracts, is known as the Oldchester Grove, four miles from Indian River South Grove. "The Oldchester Grove consists of approximately 850 acres of citrus, with 96,000 citrus trees," said Bubon.

Also selling is a modern, 55,000-square-foot citrus packinghouse located in the US-1 corridors along the Florida East Coast Railroad in Vero Beach. The packinghouse, which can currently produce 1.5 million cartons of citrus per season, can be easily converted to use for other produce such as tomatoes, peppers or cucumbers or utilized as an industrial site.

"I can't remember ever selling a group of properties with this much versatility and potential. Most of the land is ideally suited for produce, sugar cane or sod, and there's even a great deal of development potential. The Indian River South Grove is also suitable for development into 388 residential units, for example," said Bubon.

The auction will begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 16, at Town Hall at Tradition, 10489 Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Murray Wise Associates LLC, with offices in Florida, Illinois and Iowa, is a leading national agricultural real estate marketing and financial advisory firm.

Crosby and Associates, Inc., based in Winter Haven, Fla., with offices in Tavares, Fla., and Hawkinsville, Ga., is a noted provider of agriculture real estate brokerage and management services.

For more information:
Carl Carter, 205-823-3273

SOURCE Murray Wise Associates LLC