Crescent Lake Plantation
1,177 +/- Acres on the Shores of Crescent Lake, Old Florida at its Finest
- 1,177 +/- Acres on the Shores of Crescent Lake, Putnam County, FL
- Breathtaking 3.5 mile frontage along Crescent Lake
- One of the last large Old Florida lakefront properties
- 3,500 sq ft lodge built in 2020, 5 BR/2BA
- Equipment barn and an enclosed storage barn with ice maker, walk-in freezer and a game cleaning station
- High-quality food plots and native grasses, all tailored to enhance deer and turkey populations
- Well-preserved landscape of cypress ecosystems, live oak hammocks, and pine stands
- Great Social Storm Property
- Pristine and diverse ecosystems
- Exceptional Osceola turkey populations, one of the best in the region
- Exceptional whitetail deer and ducks, some quail
- Located just south of Palatka one hour to Jacksonville
- Just 35 minutes to Flagler Beach
Crescent Lake Plantation stands as one of the last large “Old Florida” lakefront properties. Spanning 1,177 +/- acres of pristine and diverse ecosystems in both Putnam and Flagler County, Florida with breathtaking 3-miles of water frontage along the 16,000-acre Crescent Lake, this property showcases a well-preserved landscape of cypress ecosystems, live oak hammocks, and multiple planted pine stands, creating the perfect balance for wildlife and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
This is no ordinary lake boundary. 13 miles long and 2 miles wide, Crescent Lake connects to the St. John’s River and the Intracoastal Waterway, allowing for extraordinary waterfowl, fishing, and boating opportunities. People travel far and wide to visit this profound recreational area. To attest to that, the Bass Pro Shops team recently expanded their empire to this area of the state, purchasing 4,300 acres just 4 miles west of Crescent Lake, with plans to open their newest branch of their famed outdoor themed resorts.
"The place is beautiful. It's got plenty of lake frontage and it's truly a spectacular place. It's got cypress trees that probably are 100, 150 years old. There's a lot of history on this site and the family that owned it before us owned it back in the Civil War days. We bought it 40 years ago. We've taken really good care of it, and we've really done a lot of work on it. It's a beautiful property." - Tony Sleiman, Landowner, Crescent Lake Plantation
Crescent Lake Plantation has been thoughtfully developed for serious hunters, conservationists, and their families. Having only been inhabited by two landowners in the past 80 years, this property seems as if it could be right out of Patrick Smith’s classic, A Land Remembered – perhaps the perfect story highlighting the importance of being a good land steward over the last of Old Florida’s landscape and culture. Ancient moss-draped live oaks, park-like hardwoods, and iconic undisturbed cypress stands are spread throughout this property, once again authenticating its essence of Old Florida.
"I love bringing people here that have no access to the outdoors in their normal life. They don't own property. They don't have families that own property and I just love being able to share it with them. For a lot of people that I bring down here, it's their first time ever hunting or being out in nature, and that's what I love about it. They just can't believe it. Most of 'em want to know when they can come back…" - Mason Ahern, Landowner, Crescent Lake Plantation
Through involvement with legendary biologist, Dr. Craig Harper, the food plots have been tailored to provide the most beneficial nutrients to the deer and turkey populations. The current owners stress that they have been proactive through selective game management, allowing deer to grow in their natural environments in order to help keep the herds healthy. Crescent Lake Plantation and its stewards are role models in the conservation world. It is more than just a hunting property; it is a legacy that the next landowner is sure to enjoy and carry on.
"Between the two of us, we have access to property in our families in excess of 64,000 acres. This is a very unique piece…There are not many places that have the diversity of land that this place has and it's hard to beat." - Mason Ahern, Landowner, Crescent Lake Plantation
In addition to the trophy deer herd, there are exceptional Osceola turkey flocks local to the plantation. In fact, this is some of the best turkey hunting found in the region! These wildlife populations are complimented by an impressive dove field equipped with power lines as well as three duck holes nestled in the cypress ends. The current stewards testify that wood duck hunting comes naturally to this property and includes not only 3 miles of lake frontage but 3 ponds as well. Crescent Lake itself is also renowned for its largemouth bass, bluegill and speckled perch and with its high banks presenting an opportunity for future dock improvement, it makes for an ideal investment for fishing enthusiasts as well.
"It's always been fun for me to come here because you always see wildlife. We've never over-hunted it in the 40 years that we've owned it. I don't think there's ever been a time that I came here, that I didn't see turkeys or deer. A few minutes ago, we were sitting up at the house and saw two different flocks of turkeys of about 50 each." – Tony Sleiman, Landowner, Crescent Lake Plantation
The plantation's newly constructed 3,500 square-foot lodge is beautifully nestled in a picturesque oak hammock, offering views reminiscent of the pioneer days. Built in 2020, this inviting lodge boasts a spacious great room with stunning cypress ceilings, custom accents throughout providing an ideal space for family and friend gatherings. With 5 bedrooms and two bathrooms (additional bath already plumed), the lodge is well-equipped to accommodate guests. One of the bedrooms features built-in queen bunk beds, offering four queen-sized beds for added convenience. The layout is thoughtfully designed for expansion, with the plan for a master suite addition and a room pre-plumbed for additional bathrooms, giving the future owner flexibility to customize the space to their liking. This house was constructed with high-quality insulation providing low utilities costs, a top-of-the-line air humidifier integrated into the AC system, Optiview security cameras, generator and Starlink internet for a consistently fast and reliable connection. The lodge blends modern comfort with timeless charm, making it an excellent feature of the plantation.
“I love coming down here and just being able to unwind and relax. I sit on the porch in a rocking chair, the cool breeze blows off the lake. It's always got a nice breeze. It's great. It's peaceful.” – Mason Ahern Landowner, Crescent Lake Plantation
On the property, preserved remnants of an old chimney dated back to the 1800’s stand as a testament to the land’s history, adding character and a unique sense of heritage.
There is both an enclosed and open storage barn on the property. The enclosed storage barn includes an ice maker, walk-in cooler and a cleaning station. Crescent Lake also provides an expansive road system that offers convenient access to all areas of the property.
Additionally, the property benefits from cell tower lease rights and planted pines of various ages, providing a unique income stream alongside its recreational use.
Bordering a state refuge and nearby to both Rayonier land and an expansive ranch owned by the founders of Jack Link’s Jerky, this property is perfectly situated for those seeking privacy and likeminded neighbors all while remaining within minutes of Palatka and coastal towns like St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. Crescent Lake Plantation combines the best of traditional hunting land, conservation stewardship, and endless recreational potential, making it the ultimate Social Storm™ property.
"There are not many properties within about an hour of the greater Jacksonville area that have diversity like this, let alone property that has been managed for 40 years." – Tony Sleiman, Landowner, Crescent Lake Plantation
“The best part of this career is getting good ideas and inspiration on what I see other places do right and then go home and do it myself. Seeing this place is like a Vitamin B12 shot. There are so many great things about this property I want to emulate at Lick Skillet.” - Jon Kohler
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Crescent Lake Plantation
- Minutes to Palatka
- Short drive to coastal towns like St. Augustine and Daytona Beach
- One hour to Jacksonville
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Bruce Ratliff is a retired elected official (Property Appraiser Taylor County). Bruce brings years of experience in ad valorem tax knowledge. His property tax background gives JKA Associates & clients a unique insight into the complicated tax process. Bruce held several positions in the Florida Association of Property Appraisers, including member of the Board of Directors, President, Vice-President and Secretary, and served on the Agricultural & Legislative Committees for the Association. The real estate business has been part of Bruce’s life since childhood. His mother, Shirley Ratliff owned Professional Realty of Perry, Florida and his father, Buster owned Ratliff Land Surveying which Bruce was General Manager of before his political career.
From murky farm ponds to pristine glacier-cut lakes and everything in between, Knox Daniels’ expertise stems from a lifelong fascination of water and the creatures that live in and around it. He recognizes and helps clients appreciate the value water features bring to a property. “My goal is to help buyers realize and sellers maximize the value different water bodies bring to a property, not only in a recreational sense, but also for social storm reasons.” After extensively traveling the country for collegiate BASS fishing tournaments, Knox graduated and worked for the Southeast’s finest fisheries and wildlife biologist, Greg Grimes. With Grimes’ company, AES, Knox managed many of the southeast’s finest private lake estate/impoundment properties, and learned the intricacies of upscale property management. Learning from Greg and other biologists, Knox honed in on the specific conditions and habitat needed for optimal gamefish growth in private lakes. He has also worked as a property manager on several thousand acres and for a commercial developer, facilitating the dirt work and builds of several apartment complexes, but his true passion has always been in the outdoors. “I’ve always had an insatiable fascination with ponds/lakes and am grateful to be able to help to place clients on the properties of their dreams and make their personal fisheries/wildlife goals reality with JKA.” – Knox Daniels
As a landowner of his own family farm, Lick Skillet, along with family land that has been passed down and enjoyed together at Keaton Beach for 40 years, Jon knows what it means to be a steward of the last best places. As a third-generation land broker with more than 30 years of experience in advising landowners in this niche, Jon is known for his innate ability to harvest a land’s unique intrinsic value. Touting several notable sales under his belt, Jon personally closed Rock Creek/Molpus – 124,000 acres of premium timberland at $142,000,000 – which was known as the largest timberland land sale in the Southeast for eight years running. He is a co-founding member of LandLeader and achieved the real estate industry’s highest honor, “2022 National Broker of the Year – Recreational Land Sales,” by the Realtors® Land Institute.
Prior to joining Jon Kohler & Associates, Walter Hatchett served for 30 years as a land manager to several of the south’s most esteemed properties, including Rock Creek. As a former property manager himself, and a consistently ranked “Top Sales Producer” nationwide and achieved “APEX Top 20 Land Broker” multiple times, Walter has a keen eye for the best in habitat management.
With Madison County roots, Lori grew up on her family farm at Pettis Springs along the historic Aucilla River. A love of the land was instilled in Lori very early on by her father who was a local farmer. Lori understands the importance of good land stewardship and has witnessed first-hand how her own father, a former 2-term member of the Florida House of Representatives whose district encompassed many rural counties of the Red Hills Plantation Region, with a little bit of sweat equity, so lovingly worked their own family land. These are core values she carries with her today, and nothing gives her more personal satisfaction than to represent some of the south’s best land stewards.
Hailing from a long line of outdoorsmen, Tim learned a great deal from his father and grandfather. He saw first-hand what it means to be a good land steward. He believes land is so much more than a place to hunt, fish, and grow timber or crops. “It’s an identity, a resting place, a safe haven and a way of life, said Tim.” Tim’s family ties to Alabama run deep. During his grandfather’s first term, Governor James was responsible for signing into law Alabama’s first state duck stamp which helped to ensure funding for the procurement, development, and preservation of wetlands for migratory waterfowl habitat. He also established Alabama’s lifetime hunting license, so it is no surprise that Tim is an avid outdoorsman with a keen eye as to how best to improve habitat for the greater good of its wildlife.
Jason has been assisting landowners for the last 28 years in Georgia and South Carolina obtain achievements the owners did not realize were possible. His degree in Biology from Georgia Southern stemmed from the desire to know how things in nature work. His plantation roots began at just 16 years old outside of Albany, GA and the last 20 years were spent in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. His entire career has been spent developing a global approach to plantation management. That plan included sales. Sales is in Jason’s blood- his mom had a 45-year career as a real estate broker. After college, he chose to pursue his passion of making properties great. In 2011, Jason sold his first plantation. Since then, he has assisted buyers and sellers with over $20 million in sales while most of that time working as a full-time General Manager of a large Lowcountry plantation. Today, he is committed to using his unique skill set and experience to guide landowners through the many challenges of plantation ownership.