Who We Are
For more than 50 years, the Evans family has helped to shape Florida’s citrus industry. Since 1951, when Emmett Evans founded Evans Properties Inc. in Dade City, Florida, our family-owned business has continued a tradition of industry leadership, responsible stewardship and sustainable uses for our land.
From 1954 until 1982 Evans operated a citrus concentrate plant in Dade City, Florida, and was an innovator in the bulk concentrate market and early leader in the development of the Frozen Concentrate Orange Juice (FCOJ) futures market. Emmett Evans owned a seat on the NY Cotton Exchange for over 20 years, which is where FCOJ futures were originally traded.
In addition to our Vero Beach corporate headquarters in Indian River County, we have grove offices in Charlotte, Pasco, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties. Today we have approximately 115 full-time employees and as many as 500 seasonal workers during harvesting season.
Beyond Citrus
Real Estate
During the last 40 years Evans has been involved in permitting, financing, construction and development of some of the largest contiguous grove properties in Florida. This experience led to a natural evolution into real estate entitlement which began in the late 1990s.
Through a management contract with a related sister company, Skyland Development, Inc, Evans has participated in the entitlement and subsequent development of several residential communities in the Tampa Bay area. These include: Valencia Gardens, Collier Place, and Plantation Palms in Pasco County. In addition, Evans participated in the entitlement of Pine Ridge in Hillsborough County and Silver Ridge in Hernando County. Through strategic alliances and joint venture agreements, Evans is also involved in various commercial projects throughout the State of Florida.
Crop Research
Evans Properties, Inc. is engaged in field trials and economic evaluations of alternative tree crops that can be used in several applications, including mulch, farm to fuel, carbon sequestering, and reducing phosphorous in local waterways.
Some of the crops we are currently working with are Eucalyptus, castor beans, and trees such as Bald Cypress, Pongam, and slash pine. To read more about them, click here.
Water Services
Water is a precious and finite resource and state and federal governments are in the early stages of formulating rules that mandate water conservation and water quality. Evans is anticipating that forthcoming rules will provide landowners with a method through which we can be compensated for offering water-related services.
In addition to already existing water utility services such as the provision of potable water, irrigation and wastewater, there may be emerging markets for agricultural landowners to use our acreage for “water farming”, which refers to water attenuation, retention and storage as well aquifer-recharge and water polishing and cleansing. Utility certification provides us with the appropriate vehicle to sustainably manage our own water resources and needs, while providing for future water needs in the areas where the utilities will be located.