River Run Springs
Gilchrist County, Florida⁞379± ACRES
One of the largest privately held unencumbered tracts on the Santa Fe, complete with 3rd and 4th Magnitude Springs and an Island
- 379 +/- Acre Recreational Riverfront Property with Private Spring in Gilchrist County, FL
- 1.5 +/- miles of Frontage on the Santa Fe River
- Florida Springs - Gil928972 and Gil928971 Spring Heads on Property
- 78 +/- acres of Pastured Woodlands
- 213 +/- acres of Mature Hardwoods for Deer & Turkey
- 100 +/-acres of Improved Fields
- 2,700 sq. ft. Main Lodge, 2BR/3BA + Loft
- Two Story Stable with Loft Guest Quarters & 3 Horse Stalls on Bottom Level
- Cottage, 780 sq. ft., 2BR/1BA, with a Large Deck Overlooking the Pasture
- 3,600 sq. ft. Hay Barn & Workshop
- 924 sq. ft. House with 2 Bedrooms and 2 Baths
- New Cypress Barn with Upstairs Loft (heated/cooled)
- Large Dock Built for Entertaining Guests - Both on Land & in the River
- 4/10ths of a Mile on Both Sides of Cow Creek
- Borders Ichetucknee Conservation Area
- Main Lodge, Stable, & Riverside Dock sits on 26-acre Secluded Island accessed by a Bridge
- Portions of the Property are Fenced for Cattle or other Livestock
- Great Recreation on the River - Canoeing, Kayaking, Tubing, Fishing
Ideal Family or Entertaining Property with Improvements
The 379.39 +/- acre River Run Springs is one of the most unique properties in North Central Florida. The Santa Fe River is one of North Florida's most scenic rivers and the spring is one of the largest remaining in private hands. It is located in Gilchrist County, Florida, just 15 minutes from High Springs, the eco-tourism capital of the region, and less than an hour to Gainesville.
Boasting enormous water resources including 1.5 miles of river frontage, a private spring, a 6-acre island, two fishponds, numerous cypress ponds, and two spring creeks that flow into the property. In addition, there are now water rights for up to three irrigation wells. Between the Suwannee and its largest tributary, the Santa Fe, this is the heart of the “Freshwater Spring Capital of the World.” Two private springheads are on the property - Florida Springs Gil928972 and Gil928971 (both Magnitude 4 springheads).
The river provides wonderful recreational opportunities with friends and family, whether kayaking, swimming, fishing, or tubing. The water resources on this property and the immediate area are seemingly endless. The world-famous Ichetucknee River is nearby and the Ichetucknee Conservation Area itself borders the entire northern boundary of this property.
The fauna and flora of this park-like property is amazing.
The habitat with the freshwater and hardwood bottoms is a haven for all types of wildlife including deer, turkey, and ducks.
"High-quality properties with this much flowing water whether it be springs or river frontage are extremely rare, and when they become available, they don't last long." - Jon Kohler
Historically, the property has been used as a trophy recreational property/cattle ranch.
There are numerous "signature spots" on this one property. Not only does it have a private spring, but it has one of only a few of the private islands on the Santa Fe. To access the island one drives through an ancient hardwood forest on a well-built road.
"When one gets to the large bridge over the clear spring run and looks over at the island there is no doubt you are at one of the most unique places in Florida." - Jon Kohler
From a timber aesthetic, the mature hardwoods, hammocks, and live oaks are exceptional. In the past, much of it was grazed by cattle giving much of the land a park-like feel.
"Properties like this give us a glimpse of the natural beauty once seen all along the river and provide a reminder of what a lot of us regard as the best part of Florida. It’s quite a blessing to be able to own a property like this and have it all to one’s family and self." - Jon Kohler
There are approximately 100 acres of cleared fields that were scheduled to be planted with Perennial Peanut Hay for income, aesthetics, and wildlife. The property was recently permitted for three new irrigation wells (10, 8 and 4 inch wells).
The improvements on the island include a very rustic "cracker style" two-story cypress lodge, a matching cypress barn with living quarters, and a deck/dock. The 2,700 +/- sq. ft. main lodge is two bedrooms and three baths and is built out of cypress with pecky cypress lined on the interior of the lodge. The vaulted ceilings make way for an additional loft bedroom that overlooks the living room and a large limerock fireplace. There is a large screened-in porch that steps out onto the second-floor deck that provides great views of the river. In addition to the main lodge, there is a two-story stable with loft guest quarters and a three-horse stable on the bottom level. The guest quarters in the stable have two bedrooms, one bath, a living room, a kitchen, and a screened porch and deck. The improvements could use some updating and have seen only a little use for quite some time.
An additional cottage, 780 sq. ft. with deck, overlooks views of the pasture. A 3,600 sq. ft. hay barn and workshop sits centered in the fenced pasture and provides an excellent amount of covered storage for equipment and supplies. On the north side of the property is a 924 sq. ft. house on stilts with two bedrooms and two baths. There is also a very nice newer cypress barn with an upstairs loft (heated/cooled) built by Cracker Log Homes.
The improvements have deferred maintenance and have only seen little use. As such, we have heavily discounted the improvement value. With relatively nominal effort the improvements could be reinvigorated and returned to their former standing as one of the Flagship riverfront properties. There is currently no conservation easement on the property.
“We know this property well. The first time we sold this property it was done with one call from our “Rolodex.” We had it on the market a second time for a short period and brought a full-price offer before the seller had second thoughts. Opportunities for a property like this are few and far between.” - Jon Kohler
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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.