"Uh Oh..."
When a fence this pretty goes up in the middle of nowhere and surrounds nothing but trees...you know that land is about to receive a fluffy subdivision name and go on the market.
A few months ago, a fencing crew showed up early one morning and began putting in fencing around a large tract of planted pines nearby. (Those are oaks in the photo, but the other mile or so of fence contains rows of pine trees.)
The land is along my morning drive, 18 miles of forest on a 2-lane road that has not changed in the 20 years I have commuted this route. You can not imagine how rare that is in development prone Florida.
As the fence posts went in, with nothing connecting them, I prayed for barbed wire or field fence.
"Lord, don't let it be a "pretty" fence."
It was.
The fence crew was there each morning as I drove to work and the beautiful ranch style fence crept along the road, past the pines, and around the oak grove on the corner.
Then the "Land For Sale" signs went up and a pretty green sign with a fluffy name arrived near an entrance into the property.
An airconditioned tent with folding chairs was installed for one weekend and the lots were sold. Mostly to people from out of state or Miami...which is almost the same thing.
The good news is that probably most of these are buy and hold investors. With few jobs and 40 miles to the nearest "real" city, few people will rush out to build.
The other good news is land use restrictions allow one dwelling per 20 acres, so even in the future it won't be like the 1/4 acre tiny lot subdivisions you find in much of Florida.
The bad news for the buyers is they were not here during the 2004 hurricane season when the paved road and most of that property were underwater for weeks.
I had thought about spray painting that fact on the asphalt road near the sales tent the night before the sales event, but my Monkey Wrench days are past history...I am too responsible these days.
Still, it would have been fun.
5 comments:
If you reconsider, I'll pay for the paint... ;)
That puts real meaning on the old adage "I've got some swamp land in Florida I'll see you."
I've noticed a bunch (5) new houses going up around here too. I think most of them are vacation homes for San Francisco Bay area types, though.
i'm tempted to go up there msyelf and do the spray painting. *sigh*
Sometimes I wish I had the money to buy land, and more land... and just leave it there.
It's frusturating, isn't it.
"Monkey Wrench" days!
HAYDUKE LIVES!
Swampy,
Tempting...
Hick,
They're still selling it.
Laura,
Frustrating is the nicest thing you can say about it.
Pablo,
I have a checkered past.
DPR,
I love those waterline signs. There is one like that at a nearby park that shows the river level during a flood a few years back. You have to crane your neck back to look up and read it. Brings the message home.
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