Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Evans Properties, Inc.?
2. How many acres does Evans Properties own?
3. How many of those acres are devoted to citrus?
4. Does Evans Properties maintain wildlife conservation?
5. Where are the Evans Properties offices located?
6. Why is Evans Properties creating a water utility?
7. Why would an agricultural landowner want to get into the water business?
8. Where will Evans Utilities Company, Inc. be located and why were these areas chosen?
9. How does Evans get approval to build a water utility?
10. What is the Florida Public Service Commission?
11. Will there be less water available for use in my city or county if Evans creates its own water utility?
12. What impact would the creation of Evans Utilities Company, Inc. have on the citizens in the counties where the utility would be constructed?
13. Will other government utilities be able to purchase water from Evans Utilities Company, Inc.?
14. If I live in a county where Evans is creating their water utility, will my water bill go up?
1. What is Evans Properties, Inc.?
Evans Properties, founded in 1951 in Dade City, Florida is a family-owned agricultural and land-management company with properties in eight counties across Florida. Most of the company’s land holdings are devoted to citrus and cattle. Evans is one of the largest citrus growers in the state, operating 16,000 acres of citrus groves. Beginning in the 1990’s Evans expanded its business operations to include real estate entitlement and development activities while also exploring new agricultural ventures such as vegetables and farm-to-fuel crops.
2. How many acres does Evans Properties own?
Our more than 43,000 acres of land spans eight counties including: Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee, Charlotte, Pasco, Hernando, and Hillsborough.
3. How many of those acres are devoted to citrus?
16,000 acres of land are devoted to citrus groves, encompassing all three major growing regions – Indian River, Sunridge and Gulf Districts.
4. Does Evans Properties maintain wildlife conservation?
Yes, a portion of our lands are used for cattle grazing and serve as a haven for diverse species of Florida wildlife, including: deer, woodpeckers, eagles, Florida black bears, alligators, hawks, foxes, cranes, bobcats, ducks, herons, and many, many others. Maintaining wildlife and ecological conservation is a careful and continuous effort, including controlled burns, invasive species control, and wildlife food plots.
5. Where are the Evans Properties offices located?
We operate grove offices in Charlotte, Pasco, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties, in addition to the main headquarters office in Vero Beach. Operations at the grove offices involve growing and harvesting citrus, as well as wildlife and other conservation aspects, and more recently, alternative crop testing. The main office handles all the accounting and financial operations of the company.
6. Why is Evans Properties creating a water utility?
Years of experience in agriculture has taught Evans to always be on the look out for the next “crop”. As a landowner with properties throughout Florida, Evans views its creation of a water utility as another tool in our efforts to be good stewards of the land while helping to ensure the long-term economic health and well-being of our company
Evans is committed to maintaining its agricultural activities, and the creation of a utility will provide greater flexibility to manage our land and respond more rapidly to changing circumstances. The value of water as a finite and precious natural resource will only continue to increase, and its accessibility and availability will affect continuing agricultural operations and may also be used to supply the needs of future compatible residential and commercial activities.
7. Why would an agricultural landowner want to get into the water business?
Because water quantity and water quality are, and always have been, an essential part of agricultural operations. As our society moves towards a greater appreciation of the significance of water as a precious and finite natural resource, Evans believes there will be value in services related to water as that shift occurs.
With the creation of a water utility, Evans will be able to offer a variety of water related services from water storage and retention to aquifer-recharge activities and storm water treatment to the sale of water for consumption.
8. Where will Evans Utilities Company, Inc. be located and why were these areas chosen?
Evans’ utilities will be located on properties owned by the company in Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee, Pasco and Hernando counties. Simply, they were chosen because the company has significant land holdings in these counties, which would provide the space and proximity to potential markets needed to offer water services mentioned above (see previous question).
9. How does Evans get approval to build a water utility?
Florida Statutes give the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) exclusive jurisdiction over multi-county utilities. Because the utilities would be multi-county, Evans applies to the PSC. The PSC then decides whether to approve them, with input from each of the counties involved.
10. What is the Florida Public Service Commission?
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC), created by the Florida Legislature more than 100 years ago, is tasked with ensuring that Florida's consumers receive their electric, natural gas, telephone, water, and wastewater services in a safe, affordable, and reliable manner. The PSC exercises regulatory authority over utilities in the areas of rate base/economic regulation; competitive market oversight; and monitoring of safety, reliability, and service.
11. Will there be less water available for use in my city or county if Evans creates its own water utility?
No. All of the permitted water quantities for Evans Utilities Company, Inc. (EUC), have been previously permitted for other Evans Properties uses. EUC does not represent any net loss of water for other users. In fact, it may provide bulk water to county or municipal water services through contractual agreements with those utilities, thereby increasing their water supply in a cost-effective manner.
In fact, particularly in the Treasure Coast, if Evans does water retention services it will actually increase water availability, since less water would be lost to tidal water flow.
12. What impact would the creation of Evans Utilities Company, Inc. have on the citizens in the counties where the utility would be constructed?
Evans Utilities Company could potentially provide water quantity and water quality services to local utilities. This would prevent the need for those county or city utilities to spend additional money on constructing that infrastructure themselves.
13. Will other government utilities be able to purchase water from Evans Utilities Company, Inc.?
Yes. Evans is only asking to be able to provide water for our own property, however, government utilities could ask for bulk water agreements with us. Some of the requirements would be: Evans Utilities Company does not use more than their allotted amount of water, Evans meets the public benefit to standards for the alternative water use being considered, and Evans meets the permitting requirements for the consumptive use permit (these permitting requirements are overseen by the appropriate water management district with jurisdiction).
We could potentially provide bulk water in a more cost effective manner than if the governmental utility received the permits necessary to provide for that water on their own and constructed the necessary infrastructure themselves.
14. If I live in a county where Evans is creating their water utility, will my water bill go up?
No, the creation of a water utility by Evans will not affect water rates elsewhere in the County. The Evans utility system will be self-contained providing utility services within the Florida Public Service Commission approved territory, which consists of property owned by Evans (in other words, as explained above, Evans is only asking to provide water for our own property). However, there is a possibility that Evans could provide bulk water services to other utilities in the County, if those other utilities decided that the provision of such service would be more cost effective for them.