Green Empire: The St. Joe Company and the Remaking of Florida's Panhandle

by Karthryn Ziewitz, June Wiaz

Since the Great Depression, the St. Joe Company (formerly the St. Joe Paper Company) has been Florida's largest landowner, a forestry and transportation conglomerate whose influence has been commensurate with its holdings. The company owns nearly one million acres, mainly in northwestern Florida, where undeveloped coastal and riverside landscapes boast some of the state's most scenic and ecologically diverse areas. For 60 years, the company focused on growing trees, turning them into paper, and managing its ancillary businesses. In the late 1990s, the company shifted it sold its paper mill, changed its name, and launched a concerted drive to turn its natural-resource assets into greater profits. Today the St. Joe Company is a critical and fiscally powerful force in the real-estate development of northwest Florida, with access to the most influential people in government. Based on hundreds of sources--including company executives, board members, and investors, as well as outside observers--this factual and balanced history describes the St. Joe Company from the days of its founders to the workings and dealings of its present-day heirs. For anyone concerned with land use and growth management, particularly those with an interest in Florida's fragile wildlife and natural resources, Green Empire will illuminate the issues surrounding the relationship between one of the most ambitious players in Florida's real-estate market and the state's last frontier.

Genres: Business, History, American History

382 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Darryl Updegrove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read, especially if you live anywhere in Florida.

[Andrew Singletary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would really love to see an update or sequel to this book. In the twenty plus years since it was published, St. Joe has continued developing its lands at an even more rapid pace.

[PMB · Rating 4 out of 5]

any understanding of the history, geography, and future of the panhandle begins with an understanding of st. joe paper and it’s founder ed ball. i work for the state's environmental protection agency and see first hand both the negative and positive impacts of st. joe on florida. the book presents both without sugar coating the environmental devastation or brushing off the company's contributions to the state. the only criticism I have has more to do with my own interests rather than the book itself. as a history buff and an environmentalist, the portions dealing with the company brass and their board room maneuverings, st. joe's various corporate take overs, and the economics behind their overall expansion into real estate just didn’t appeal to me as it might an economist, or perhaps someone with a background in business. stil, i thoroughly enjoyed the book. i was born and raised in north florida so it really hits home. it’s always fun to read about places you’ve been to and in some cases within a few days of the visit.

[Dionne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reading Green Empire for some background information for my thesis. It's really good for anyone interested in either a)the history of the St. Joe Company, b)planning and development policy in the state of Florida, c)the transition from agriculture and manufacturing to tourism in northwest Florida, d) environmental and natural resource issues in northwest Florida, and e) the politics behind all of the above.