203± Acres on Florida's Santa Fe River Sells at 240% of Suggested List Price
A 40-year land trust sold 203± acres on the Santa Fe River at online auction: 55 bidding groups, six tracts, and a price 240% of suggested list.
Oct 16, 2026
Rowell Auctions sold 203± acres along the Santa Fe River in Columbia County, Florida, for a land trust that had owned it for about 40 years. The online auction drew 55 bidding groups from four states and Puerto Rico. The winning price was 240% of the list price local brokers had suggested.
At a Glance
- Property: 203± acres along the Santa Fe River
- Location: Columbia County, Florida
- Auction: Seven-day timed online auction
- Seller: A private land trust with several individual owners
- Offered: Six tracts, any combination of tracts, or the whole property
- Bidding: 55 bidding groups from four states and Puerto Rico
- Result: 240% of the suggested list price, under contract the day of the auction with a non-refundable 15% earnest money deposit
The seller's goal
The property had been held by a private land trust for about 40 years. Rather than pass individual shares on to the next generation of owners, the trust's principals decided to sell. They wanted a timely, professional sale that would bring full market value.
The property
The land runs along the Santa Fe River. It had real development potential, but it was also an outstanding recreational tract, worth keeping in its current use for its natural beauty. That meant two very different kinds of buyers could want it.
How we sold it
To reach both groups, Rowell Auctions built a marketing campaign that combined online and email advertising, social media, direct mail, newspaper ads, on-site signs, and outreach to local real estate brokers.
We offered the property in six tracts using our Ultimate Choice online bidding platform. Buyers could bid on a single tract, any combination of tracts, or the entire property. That let someone who wanted one river tract compete directly with someone who wanted all 203 acres.
The six tracts as offered at auction.
Auction day
Bidding was so active at the end that the seven-day auction ran nearly two hours past its scheduled closing time. When it ended, the property went under contract immediately, with a non-refundable 15% earnest money deposit. The final price was 240% of the list price the local brokerage community had suggested before the auction.
Thinking about selling land?
Rowell Auctions has sold farmland, timberland and recreational land for over 90 years, and we're licensed in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Call us at (229) 985-8388 or request a free consultation. Learn more about our land and farm auctions.