“The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.” Leviticus 25:23

Old Florida ranch land · Indian River County

Wild Florida, kept the way it was.

Three hundred acres of old cypress forest, oak hammock, pine flatwoods and open pasture west of the coast. A working ranch, a place for family and friends, and land we intend to look after for a long time.

Why we keep it

Stewardship

Why we keep it.

Given to us to keep

When we came to this land in 2021, I thought we were buying a ranch. It didn't take long to understand that we had been handed something to look after.

Out here you see creation the way it was made: old cypress, pine flatwoods, oak hammocks and saw palmetto, with nothing added and nothing improved on. It doesn't need us to make it better. It only needs us not to make it worse.

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.”

Genesis 1:31

“The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”

Psalm 24:1

Strangers and sojourners

Our name is on the deed, but the land was never really ours. We're only passing through, and our part is to hand it on the way we received it.

Most of the land around us has been cleared over the years. This piece hasn't, and as long as it is in our care, it won't be.

“The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.”

Leviticus 25:23

“Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell.”

Numbers 35:34

The pines and the cypress

The pines and cypress were standing long before we arrived, and, God willing, they will be standing long after we're gone. Walk among them and it's hard to believe it all happened by chance.

“I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this.”

Isaiah 41:19–20

“Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice.”

Psalm 96:12

Every beast of the forest

The deer, turkey, quail and gopher tortoises were here first. We share the land with them and with our cattle, and caring for all of them well is part of the same calling.

“For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.”

Psalm 50:10–11

“A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast.”

Proverbs 12:10

A quiet place

More than anything, this is where I feel closest to God. Away from everything else, out among the pines, it's quiet enough to listen.

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul.”

Psalm 23:2–3

“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”

Mark 1:35

So we keep it. Not because it's ours, but because it isn't. If you visit, we hope you feel some of that too, and that you leave it just as you found it.

The Land

Forest that has never been cleared.

Most of the land out here has gone to pasture. Ours is still largely forested — live oaks, cabbage palms, pine and saw palmetto, with wildlife moving through it the way it always has.

300

acres

2021

family land since

SR 60

west toward Yeehaw Junction

Wildlife

Who else lives here.

Our cattle share the land with whitetail deer, wild turkey, bobwhite quail and wild hogs, all moving through the hammocks and palmetto. Come early or stay till dusk and you'll likely see some of them.

A whitetail buck looking back over his shoulder — Whitetail buck

A wild turkey gobbler in full strut on a sandy ranch road beside a side-by-side — Osceola turkey in strut

A bobwhite quail on a bed of oak leaves — Bobwhite quail

A doe standing in tall grass beside saw palmetto — Doe in the palmettos

A group of wild hogs rooting under cabbage palms — Wild hogs on the trail camera

A buck and a doe together in an open grassy clearing — Buck and doe

Gobbler up close

A doe half hidden among palmetto fronds — Doe in the brush

Brahman-cross cattle gathered around a visitor in the flatwoods — Cattle

Activities

What guests do out here.

Hunting

Deer, hog, turkey and dove, in season. Hunts are by invitation only.

Fishing

A stocked pond with bass and catfish. All fishing is catch and release.

Riding the trails

Buggy rides along the ranch roads and trails through the woods and pasture.

Hiking

Walk through the pine flats, oak hammocks and cypress heads.

Wildlife & sightseeing

Deer, turkey, wading birds and gopher tortoises live here. Early morning and dusk are best.

Visiting

Before you come out.

The ranch is private land and visits are by invitation. A few things every guest should know.

Every guest signs the waiver ahead of time — adults for themselves, and a parent or guardian for each child.
Sign the Waiver
This is rough, unimproved land. Expect uneven ground, thick brush, cattle and wild animals, including snakes and alligators near water.
Leave gates the way you find them.

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