CTO Realty Growth, Inc. - Annual Report: 2019 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

 

☒           ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019

 

☐           TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from                      to                     

 

Commission File Number 001-11350

 

CONSOLIDATED-TOMOKA LAND CO.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

 

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including area code

(386) 274-2202

 

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT

 

 

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(g) OF THE ACT:

NONE

(Title of Class)

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒ 

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒ 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐ 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐ 

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    YES  ☐    NO  ☒ 

 

At June 30, 2019, the aggregate market value of voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $282,627,143 based upon the last reported sale price on the NYSE American on June 28, 2019, the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter. The determination of affiliate status is solely for the purpose of this report and shall not be construed as an admission for the purposes of determining affiliate status.

 

The number of shares of the registrant’s Common Stock outstanding on February 28, 2020 was 4,794,923.

 

Registrant incorporates by reference into Part III (Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14) of this Annual Report on Form 10-K portions of Consolidated- Tomoka Land Co.’s definitive Proxy Statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) pursuant to Regulation 14A. The definitive Proxy Statement will be filed with the Commission not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

PART I

When we refer to “we,” “us,” “our,” or “the Company,” we mean Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co. and its consolidated subsidiaries. References to “Notes to Financial Statements” refer to the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements of Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co. included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the documents that are incorporated by reference, that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Also, when the Company uses any of the words “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” or similar expressions, the Company is making forward-looking statements. Management believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon present expectations and reasonable assumptions. However, the Company’s actual results could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Further, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise such forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating results over time, unless required by law.  The risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those presented in our forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

 

 

 

The Company describes the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially in “Risk Factors” (Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K), “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk” (Part II, Item 7A), and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations” (Part II, Item 7).

ITEM 1.              BUSINESS

Recent Developments Impacting our Business

During the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company, a Florida corporation, completed the following transactions that were transformational to the Company and its operating results for the year ended December 31, 2019 and meaningful to its ongoing operations in the periods subsequent to December 31, 2019:

On October 16, 2019,  the Company completed the sale of a controlling interest in its wholly-owned subsidiary, Crisp39 SPV LLC to affiliates of Magnetar Capital LLC (the “Magnetar Land Sale”); (i) Flacto, LLC (“Flacto”); (ii)  Magnetar Longhorn Fund LP (“Longhorn”); and (iii) Magnetar Structured Credit Fund, LP (“Magnetar SCF” and collectively with Flacto and Longhorn, the “Magnetar Investors”)  pursuant to an Interest Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”), for $97 million. Crisp39 SPV LLC holds the approximately 5,300 acres of undeveloped land in Daytona Beach, Florida (the “Land JV”). Following the closing of the Purchase Agreement, the Magnetar Investors collectively own a notional 66.50% equity interest in the Land JV, and the Company owns a notional 33.50% equity interest in the Land  JV (collectively, the Company and the Magnetar Investors are herein referred to as the “JV Partners”).  The transaction resulted in a gain of approximately $78.6 million, or approximately $12.21 per share, after tax, on the sale of the 66.50% equity interest in the Land JV, and a non-cash gain of approximately $48.9 million on the Company’s retained interest in the Land JV, or approximately $7.59 per share, after tax.

The Company serves as the manager (the “Manager”) of the Land JV and is responsible for day-to-day operations at the direction of the JV Partners. All major decisions and certain other actions must be approved by the unanimous consent of the JV Partners (the “Unanimous Actions”). Unanimous Actions include the approval of pricing for all land parcels in the Land JV; approval of contracts for the sale of land that contain material revisions to the standard purchase contract of the Land JV; entry into any lease agreement affiliated with the Land JV;  entering into listing or brokerage agreements; approval and amendment of the Land JV’s operating budget; obtaining financing for the Land JV; admission of additional members; and dispositions of the Land JV’s real property for amounts less than market value. Pursuant to the Limited Liability Company of the Land JV will pay the Manager a management fee in the initial amount of $20,000 per month, which amount will be evaluated on a quarterly basis and reduced based on the value of real property that remains in the Land JV.

As a result of the Magnetar Land Sale, the Company has effectively divested all of its land holdings and as such the impact of the occurrence of land sales, which had been a primary element of the Company’s business for virtually its entire history, has been essentially eliminated. Consequently, the operations associated with our land holdings were treated as discontinued operations and accordingly the revenues and expenses that had been presented within the Company’s real estate operations segment in prior periods were reclassified in the statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 and all prior periods presented. In addition, the need for utilizing the 1031 like-kind exchange structure to deploy proceeds from land sales into replacement assets, primarily income properties, has also been reduced substantially.

On November 26, 2019, as part of the initial public offering (the “IPO”) of Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. (“PINE”) on the New York Stock Exchange, the Company and certain of its affiliates entered into purchase and sale agreements with PINE and Alpine Income Property OP, LP (the “PINE OP”), pursuant to which the Company and such affiliates sold, and PINE or the PINE OP purchased, 15 properties for aggregate cash consideration of $125.9 million (collectively, the “Purchase and Sale Transaction”). In addition, the Company and certain of its affiliates entered into contribution agreements with the PINE OP, pursuant to which the Company and such affiliates contributed to the PINE OP five properties (the “Contributed Properties”) for an aggregate of 1,223,854 OP units of the PINE OP (the “OP Units”), which have an initial value of approximately $23.3 million (the “Contribution Transaction”), and collectively with the Purchase and Sale Transaction, (the “PINE Income Property Sale Transactions”). The PINE Income Property Sale Transactions resulted in a gain of approximately $1.0 million, or approximately $0.16 per share, after tax.

Concurrently with the PINE Income Property Sale Transactions, the Company purchased 394,737 shares of PINE common stock for a total purchase price of $7.5 million (the “Private Placement”). Also, on November 26, 2019, the Company purchased 421,053 shares of PINE common stock in the IPO for a total purchase price of $8.0 million

(the “IPO Purchase” and together with the Private Placement, the “Equity Transactions”). Including the Company’s investment in PINE as a result of receiving 1,223,854 OP Units, the Company owns, in the aggregate, approximately 2.04 million shares of PINE common stock, or approximately 22.3% of PINE’s total shares outstanding.

In addition to the PINE Income Property Sale Transactions, the PINE IPO was significant for the Company and our business because concurrent with the PINE IPO, the Company entered into a management agreement with PINE (the “Management Agreement”) pursuant to which the Company is responsible for managing, operating, and administering the day-to-day operations, business and affairs of PINE, subject to the direction and supervision of PINE’s board of directors (the “PINE Board”) and in accordance with the investment guidelines approved and monitored by the PINE Board. Pursuant to the Management Agreement, PINE agreed to pay the Company a base management fee equal to 0.375% per quarter (or 1.5% annually) of PINE’s “total equity” (as defined in the Management Agreement) calculated and payable in cash, quarterly in arrears. Based on the equity raised in PINE’s IPO and the Private Placement, the initial base management fee would approximate $2.6 million. In addition, we have the ability to earn an incentive fee based on PINE’s shareholders achieving an annual return that exceeds an 8% annual hurdle, subject to a high-water mark price. The amount of the incentive fee would equal 15% of the amount by which the PINE shareholders annual return exceeds 8% in any given year.  The initial term of the Management Agreement is five (5) years and the Management Agreement cannot be terminated by either party during the initial term except for certain definitive events which pertain primarily to our default or lack of performance. We also entered into an exclusivity and right of first offer agreement (the “Exclusivity and ROFO Agreement”) with PINE at the date of its IPO. Pursuant to the Exclusivity and ROFO Agreement, the Company agreed not to invest in single-tenant net lease income properties, with limited exceptions. Further, the Company agreed to provide PINE with a right of first offer should the Company decided to sell any of its remaining portfolio of single-tenant net leased income properties in the future.

On October 17, 2019, the Company sold its interest in the golf operations for $3.45 million (the “Golf Sale”), resulting in no gain on the transaction. The Company provided the buyer with financing in the form of an approximately $2.1 million first mortgage loan with a term of one year. As a result of the sale of the golf operations, the Company is no longer engaged in the ownership and operation of LPGA or any other golf club business.

Our Business

We are a diversified real estate operating company that was founded in 1910. As of December 31, 2019, we own and manage, sometimes utilizing third-party property management companies, thirty-four commercial real estate properties in eleven states in the United States, with approximately 1.8 million square feet of gross leasable space. These thirty-four properties in our portfolio comprise our income property operations segment.

In addition to our income property portfolio, as of December 31, 2019, or business included the following:

Management Services:

Commercial Loan Investments:

Real Estate Operations:

Our business also includes, as outlined above, our investment in PINE of approximately $38.8 million resulting from the Equity Transactions, or approximately 22.3% of the PINE’s outstanding equity, including the OP Units which are exchangeable into common stock of PINE on a one-for-one basis, at PINE’s election. Our investment in PINE should generate investment income through the dividends distributed by PINE. In addition to the dividends we receive from PINE, our investment in PINE may benefit from any appreciation in PINE’s stock price, although no assurances can be provided that such appreciation will occur, the amount by which our investment will increase in value, or the timing thereof. Any dividends received from PINE are included in Investment Income on the accompanying statement of operations.

Prior to 2019, the Company operated in four primary business segments: income properties, commercial loan investments, real estate operations, and golf operations. During the fourth quarter of 2018, the Company commenced efforts to monetize the golf operations and accordingly, as of December 31, 2018, the golf assets and liabilities related to the golf operations were classified as held for sale in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and the results of golf operations were classified as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated statements of income for all years presented. The golf operations segment, although discontinued in 2018, held assets as of December 31, 2018. Accordingly, the identifiable assets and liabilities have been disclosed separately as discontinued golf operations for the years presented.

As a result of the significant transactions during the fourth quarter of 2019, including the Land JV transaction, the PINE Income Property Sale Transactions, and the Golf Sale, the Company’s segment structure has been modified to more closely align with the continuing operations of the Company. The Company now operates in four primary business segments: income properties, management services, commercial loan investments, and real estate operations. The new management services segment consists of the revenue generated from managing PINE and the Land JV. The management services segment had no assets as of December 31, 2019, 2018, or 2017. The real estate operations segment previously included land sales from the Daytona Beach land portfolio as well as revenue and expenses related to the sale of mitigation credits and subsurface operations. Upon the completion of the Land JV transaction in the fourth quarter of 2019, the real estate operations related to land sales have been classified as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated statements of income for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017 and the continuing real estate operations segment remaining consists of subsurface operations and mitigation credit sales. The identifiable assets and liabilities related to the discontinued real estate operations have been separately disclosed as discontinued real estate operations for the years presented.

The following is a summary of financial information regarding the Company’s business segments (amounts in thousands) for the years ended December 31: 

BUSINESS PLAN

Our business plan going forward is primarily focused on investing in income-producing real estate, primarily multi-tenant commercial retail properties occupied by retail or office tenants. We may also self-develop multi-tenant income properties, as we have done in the past. We may also invest in commercial loans or similar financings secured by commercial real estate. Our investment in multi-tenant income properties, and possibly single-tenant net lease assets that fall outside our Exclusivity and ROFO agreement with PINE, may utilize proceeds from the sale of an income property currently in our portfolio and because our tax basis in property likely carries a tax basis from the low-basis land parcel we sold to by the existing property, we may seek to have the sale of the existing income property qualify for income tax deferral through the like-kind exchange provisions under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. The low tax basis in our income property portfolio is the result of us having acquired the original land primarily in the early part of our 100 plus year history. Utilizing the like-kind exchange structure allows us to continue to defer the related income taxes on the original gains from the land sales and possibly the gains achieved on the sale of the original replacement property or properties. Generally, in order to utilize the like-kind exchange structure, we are prohibited from engaging in activities that are typically indicative of the developer of an income property or a dealer in income property sales. Our approach in investing in income-producing real estate is to use leverage, when appropriate or necessary, to fund our acquisitions and to help achieve our business objectives. Our use of leverage in acquiring income-producing real estate is intended to provide positive returns relative to our borrowing costs. We believe this enhances our Company’s income-generating real estate asset base while keeping us cash flow positive.

Our investment strategy seeks to acquire income properties, primarily multi-tenants,  which will continue to broaden the credit base of our lease tenants, diversify our income property portfolio geographically, with an emphasis on major markets and growth markets in the U.S., and diversify the type of income-producing property. We may selectively choose to complete the development of an income property investment.

Proceeds from completed sales of income properties supply us with investible capital. Our access to sources of debt financing, particularly our borrowing capacity under our Credit Facility, also provide a source of capital for our investment strategy. Our strategy is to utilize leverage, when appropriate and necessary, and potentially proceeds from sales of income properties, the disposition or payoffs of our commercial loan investments, and certain transactions involving our Subsurface Interests, to acquire income properties. We may also acquire or originate commercial loan investments, invest in securities of real estate companies, or make other shorter-term investments. Our targeted investment classes may include the following:

Our investments in income-producing properties are typically subject to long-term leases. For multi-tenant properties, each tenant typically pays its proportionate share of the aforementioned operating expenses of the property, although for such properties we typically incur additional costs for property management services. Single-tenant leases are typically in the form of triple or double net leases and ground leases. Triple-net leases generally require the tenant to pay property operating expenses such as real estate taxes, insurance, assessments and other governmental fees, utilities, repairs and maintenance, and capital expenditures.

INCOME PROPERTIES

We have pursued a strategy of investing in income-producing properties, when possible, by utilizing the proceeds from real estate transactions, including the disposition of income properties and transactions involving our Subsurface Interests.

Our strategy for investing in income-producing properties is focused on factors including, but not limited to, long-term real estate fundamentals and target markets, including major markets or those markets experiencing significant economic growth. We employ a methodology for evaluating targeted investments in income-producing properties which includes an evaluation of: (i) the attributes of the real estate (e.g. location, market demographics, comparable properties in the market, etc.); (ii) an evaluation of the existing tenant(s) (e.g. credit-worthiness, property level sales, tenant rent levels compared to the market, etc.); (iii) other market-specific conditions (e.g. tenant industry, job and population growth in the market, local economy, etc.); and (iv) considerations relating to the Company’s business and strategy (e.g. strategic fit of the asset type, property management needs, alignment with the Company’s 1031 like-kind exchange structure, etc.).

We believe investment in each of these income-producing asset classes provides attractive opportunities for stable current cash flows and increased returns in the long run and the potential for capital appreciation.

During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company acquired ten single-tenant income properties and one multi-tenant income property, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $164.7 million as described below:

(1)The ground lease with The Carpenter Hotel includes two tenant repurchase options. Pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 842, Leases, the $16.25 million investment has been recorded in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019 as a commercial loan investment. See Note 4, “Commercial Loan Investments”.

 

In addition to the 20 single-tenant net lease properties sold to PINE in November 2019, the Company completed the sale of four other income properties during the year ended December 31, 2019. In February 2019, the Company sold its approximately 59,000 square foot multi-tenant retail property located in Sarasota, Florida that was anchored by a Whole Foods Market grocery store, for approximately $24.6 million. In May 2019, the Company sold its approximately 112,000 square foot retail strip center, anchored by a 24-Hour Fitness, for approximately $18.3 million. In June 2019, the Company sold its approximately 76,000 square foot multi-tenant office property in Santa Clara, California for approximately $37.0 million. And finally, in August of 2019, the Company sold its property that was subject to a ground lease with WaWa for approximately $2.8 million. In aggregate, the four dispositions generated approximately $82.6 million in proceeds with gains recognized of approximately $20.8 million, or approximately $3.06 per share, after tax. 

Our current portfolio of twenty-nine (29) single-tenant income properties generates approximately $20.4 million of revenues from straight-line base lease payments on an annualized basis and had a weighted average remaining lease term of 9.1 years as of December 31, 2019. Our current portfolio of five (5) multi-tenant properties generates approximately $8.9 million of revenue from straight-line base lease payments on an annualized basis and had a weighted average remaining lease term of 6.5 years as of December 31, 2019.

As part of our overall strategy for investing in income-producing properties, we have self-developed properties, including five multi-tenant office properties, all of which are located in Daytona Beach, Florida. We sold one these properties in 2016 and the four other properties on March 26, 2018. 

We self-developed two single-tenant net lease restaurant properties on a 6-acre beachfront parcel in Daytona Beach, Florida. The development was completed in January of 2018 and rent commenced from both tenants pursuant to their separate leases. On a limited basis, we have acquired and may continue to selectively acquire other real estate, either vacant land or land with existing structures, that we would demolish and develop into additional income properties, possibly in the downtown and beachside areas of Daytona Beach, Florida. Through December 31, 2019, we invested approximately $5.2 million to acquire approximately 6.0 acres in downtown Daytona Beach that is located in an opportunity zone. Specifically, our investments in the Daytona Beach area would target opportunistic acquisitions of select catalyst sites, which are typically distressed, with an objective of having short investment horizons. Should we pursue such acquisitions, we may seek to partner with developers to develop these sites rather than self-develop the properties.

Our focus on acquiring income-producing investments includes a continual review of our existing income property portfolio to identify opportunities to recycle our capital through the sale of income properties based on, among other possible factors, the current or expected performance of the property and favorable market conditions. In the recent past, the Company was pursuing an effort to the monetize certain of our multi-tenant income properties with the Company intending to reinvest the potential proceeds from these dispositions into single-tenant net lease income properties. As a result of that strategy, we sold three multi-tenant income properties during the year ended December 31, 2019. In part, as a result of entering into the Exclusivity and ROFO Agreement, our income property investment strategy will be focused primarily on multi-tenant retail and office properties. We may pursue this strategy, in part, by monetizing certain of our single-tenant properties, and should we do so, we would seek to utilize the 1031 like-kind exchange structure to preserve the tax-deferred gain on the original transaction(s) that pertains to the replacement asset.

As of December 31, 2019, the Company owned twenty-nine single-tenant and five multi-tenant income properties in eleven states. Following is a summary of these properties:

The weighted average economical and physical occupancy rates of our income properties for each of the last three years on a portfolio basis are as follows:

The information on lease expirations of our total income property portfolio for each of the ten years starting with 2020 is as follows:

 

The majority of leases have additional option periods beyond the original term of the lease, which typically are exercisable at the tenant’s option.

We had one tenant that accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated income property revenue during the year ended December 31, 2019. Wells Fargo, who occupied two single-tenant office properties located in Hillsboro, Oregon and Raleigh, North Carolina, accounted for approximately 12.5% of our consolidated revenues during the year ended December 31, 2019. The office property leased to Wells Fargo located in Hillsboro, Oregon was sold as a part of the PINE Income Property Sale Transactions on November 26, 2019. The office property leased to Wells Fargo located in Raleigh, North Carolina also represented 26% of the total square footage of our income property portfolio as of December 31, 2019. A default by this tenant would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s income properties segment and its overall results of operations. We have one other tenant, Fidelity Investments, who represented over 5% of our consolidated revenues during the year ended December 31, 2019, and a large percentage of the square footage of our income property portfolio, but not in excess of 10%.

 

MANAGEMENT SERVICES

Our business plans also include generating revenue from managing PINE and the Land JV. Pursuant to the Management Agreement, we will generate a base management fee equal to 1.5% of PINE’s total equity. The structure of the base fee provides us with an opportunity for our base fee to grow should PINE’s independent board members determine to raise additional equity capital in the future. We also have an opportunity to achieve additional cash flows as Manager of PINE pursuant to the terms of the incentive fee.

The Company also generates management fees as the Land JV Manager.  Pursuant to the terms of the operating agreement for the Land JV, the initial amount of the management fee is $20,000 per month. The management fee is evaluated quarterly and as land sales occur in the Land JV, the basis for our management fee will be reduced as the management fee is based on the value of real property that remains in the Land JV.

COMMERCIAL LOAN INVESTMENTS

Our investments in commercial loans or similar structured finance investments, such as mezzanine loans or other subordinated debt, have been and are expected to continue to be secured by commercial or residential real estate or the borrower’s pledge of its ownership interest in the entity that owns the real estate. The first mortgage loans we invest in or originate are generally for commercial real estate located in the United States and its territories and are current or performing with either a fixed or floating rate. Some of these loans may be syndicated in either a pari-passu or senior/subordinated structure. Commercial first mortgage loans generally provide for a higher recovery rate due to their senior position in the underlying collateral. Commercial mezzanine loans are typically secured by a pledge of the borrower’s equity ownership in the underlying commercial real estate. Unlike a mortgage, a mezzanine loan is not secured by a lien on the property. An investor’s rights in a mezzanine loan are usually governed by an intercreditor agreement that provides holders with the rights to cure defaults and exercise control on certain decisions of any senior debt secured by the same commercial property.

2019 Commercial Loan Investment Portfolio. During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company invested approximately $18.3 million on three commercial loans, two were mortgage notes of $8 million and $8.25 million secured by a parcel of land in Orlando, Florida and a full-service hotel in Austin, Texas, respectively. In addition, in connection with the sale of the Company’s golf operations, the Company provided an approximately $2.1 million loan to the buyer, with a maturity of one year and an interest rate of 7.5%. As of December 31, 2019, the Company’s commercial loan investment portfolio included the three loans with a total remaining principal balance of approximately $18.2 million, a weighted average interest rate of approximately 11.3% and a remaining duration to maturity of approximately 0.5 years.

2018 Commercial Loan Investment Portfolio. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company had two loan investments totaling approximately $11.9 million, that were repaid in full at maturity. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had no commercial loan investments.

2017 Commercial Loan Investment Portfolio. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company invested in a $3 million loan on a parcel of land in Daytona Beach that was being developed into a multi-family condominium property. As of December 31, 2017, the Company’s commercial loan investment portfolio included two loans with a total remaining principal balance of approximately $11.9 million, a weighted average interest rate of 9.5% and a remaining duration to maturity of approximately 0.5 years. During the year a $10 million mezzanine loan investment secured by a hotel located at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport in Texas and a $5 million mezzanine loan investment secured by a hotel located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, were paid off in full.

LAND and INVESTMENT IN THE LAND JV

Land JV. As noted above, the direct impact of the Magnetar Land Sale is that the Company divested itself of its land holdings, but for the 6-acre Daytona Beach development land described below, and as such the occurrence of land sales, which had been a primary element of the Company’s business for virtually its entire 109-year history, has been essentially discontinued. Consequently, the operations associated with our land holdings were treated as discontinued operations and accordingly the revenues and expenses that had been presented within the Company’s real estate operations segment in prior periods were reclassified in the statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 and all prior periods presented. 

However, the Company is continuing to pursue land sales on the approximately 5,300 acres that formerly comprised its land holdings in its role as Manager (of the Land JV) on behalf of the JV Partners. The Company’s retained interest in the Land JV represents a notional 33.5% stake in the venture, the value of which may be realized in the form of distributions based on the timing and the amount of proceeds achieved when the land is ultimately sold by the Land JV. As of March 6, 2020, the Land JV has completed approximately $22 million in land sales since its inception in mid-October 2019 and currently has a pipeline of 10 purchase and sale agreements for potential land sale transactions representing approximately $97 million of potential proceeds to the Land JV. The 4,200 acres under contract represents approximately 84% of the total remaining land in the Land JV. 

Daytona Beach Development. We may selectively acquire other real estate in Daytona Beach, Florida. We may target either vacant land or land with existing structures that we would raze and develop into additional income properties. During 2018, the Company acquired a 5-acre parcel of land with existing structures in downtown Daytona Beach, for a purchase price of approximately $2.0 million. As of December 31, 2019, the Company has also acquired other contiguous

parcels totaling approximately 1-acre for approximately $2.1 million. Combined, these parcels represent the substantial portion of an entire city block in downtown Daytona Beach adjacent to International Speedway Boulevard, a major thoroughfare in Daytona Beach. The combined 6 acres is located in an opportunity zone and a community redevelopment area. In addition, this property is proximate to the future headquarters of Brown & Brown Inc., the sixth largest insurance broker in the U.S. and a publicly listed company that is expected to be occupied by at least 600 of their employees. We have engaged a national real estate brokerage firm to assist us in identifying a developer or investor to acquire a portion or all of the property or to contribute into a potential joint venture to redevelop the property. We are pursuing entitlements for the potential redevelopment of these parcels, along with certain other adjacent land parcels, some of which we have under contract for purchase. As of December 31, 2019, we have incurred approximately $1.1 million in raze and entitlement costs related to these parcels. Our intent for investments in the Daytona Beach area is to target opportunistic acquisitions of select catalyst sites, which are typically distressed, with the objective of short-to-medium investment horizons. We may enter into joint ventures or other partnerships to develop land we have acquired or may acquire in the future in lieu of self-developing.

Revenue from Tomoka Town Center. During 2015 and 2016, the Company completed three land sales with a gross sales price totaling approximately $21.4 million, with Tanger Outlets (“Tanger”), Sam’s Club (“Sams”), and North American Development Group (“NADG”), representing the sale of approximately 235 acres of land that is now the location of a Tanger Outlet mall, a Sam’s Club retail property and a retail power center called the Tomoka Town Center. As part of the three land sale agreements and subsequent land sales with NADG, the Company performed certain infrastructure work, which began in the fourth quarter of 2015 and was completed in the fourth quarter of 2016, for which the Company would be reimbursed for the cost of the infrastructure work. The Company received NADG’s portion of the reimbursement as NADG closed on each parcel of land included in the respective land sales contracts with the Company. Tanger and Sam’s agreed to pay their reimbursement of the infrastructure costs over a ten-year period.  The reimbursements applicable to and due from Tanger and Sam’s totaled approximately $2.8 million. As of December 31, 2019, the Company has received approximately $1.1 million of the Tanger and Sam’s reimbursements. These reimbursements are included in the results of the land operations which are now reflected in discontinued operations and will be through the final payment of Tanger’s and Sam’s reimbursement obligation.

Since the transition in our land operations occurred late in 2019, the impact of land sales for the periods prior to October 2019 are no longer germane to our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. As such the following  summarized information is provided regarding land sales activity prior to October 2019.

2019 Land Sales. During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company completed five (5) land sales transactions, including: (i) the Magnetar Land Sale for approximately 5,300 acres of land, for total proceeds of approximately $97 million; (ii) two transactions with Unicorp Development representing approximately 23.6 acres and generating aggregate proceeds of approximately $7.1 million; (iii) the sale of approximately 38 acres for total proceeds of $710,000, and (iv) a land sale to NADG for approximately 13 acres generating proceeds of approximately  $3 million. In total the Company, in 2019, sold approximately 5,400 acres generating proceeds of approximately $108 million. Including the approximately $48.9 million recognized on the retained interest in the Land JV, gains of approximately $133 million, or approximately $20.60 per share after tax, were recognized.  

2018 Land Sales. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company completed land transactions representing approximately 2,697 acres including: (i) the sale of a 70% interest in the Mitigation Bank (hereinafter defined) that holds approximately 2,492 acres for proceeds of $15.3 million and (ii) twelve land sales totaling approximately 205 acres for aggregate proceeds of approximately $43.7 million. The twelve land sales generated gains of approximately $32.6 million, or approximately $4.44 per share, after tax.

2017 Land Sales. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company completed land transactions representing approximately 1,700 acres including: (i) the sale of nearly 1,600 acres to Minto Communities generating proceeds of approximately $27.2 million; (ii) two transactions with NADG of approximately 46 acres for total proceeds of approximately $10.6 million, and (iii) five other transactions representing approximately 73.5 acres that generated approximately $9.2 million of proceeds. The land sales in 2017 generated aggregate proceeds of approximately $45.5 million and gains of approximately $31.8 million, or approximately $3.51 per share, after tax.

Land Impairments. As more fully described in Note 11, "Impairment of Long-Lived Assets," during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company did not recognize any impairments on its undeveloped land holdings. 

Mitigation Bank. The mitigation bank transaction consists of the sale of a 70% interest in the entity that holds approximately 2,492 acres of land that has been permitted for the creation of a wetland mitigation bank (the “Mitigation Bank JV”). The purchaser of the 70% interest in the Mitigation Bank JV is comprised of certain funds and accounts managed by an investment advisor subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). The Company retained an approximately 30% non-controlling interest in the Mitigation Bank JV. A third-party was retained by the Mitigation Bank JV as the day-to-day manager of the Mitigation Bank property, responsible for the maintenance, generation, tracking, and other aspects of wetland mitigation credits.

The Mitigation Bank JV intends to engage in the creation and sale of both federal and state wetland mitigation credits. These credits will be created pursuant to the applicable permits that have been or will be issued to the Mitigation Bank JV from the federal and state regulatory agencies that exercise jurisdiction over the awarding of such credits, but no assurances can be given as to the ultimate issuance, marketability or value of the credits. The Mitigation Bank JV received the permit from the state regulatory agency on June 8, 2018 (the “State Permit”). The state regulatory agency may award up to 355 state credits under the State Permit. On August 6, 2018, the state regulatory agency awarded the initial 88.84 credits under the State Permit. Receipt of the remaining federal permit is anticipated to occur prior to the end of 2020.

The gain on the sale of the 70% interest in the Mitigation Bank JV totaled approximately $18.4 million and is comprised of the gain on the sale of 70% interest for proceeds of $15.3 million as well as the gain on the retained 30% interest pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 610-20, Other Income – Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets. The gain is included in the Gain on Disposition of Assets in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2018, the approximately $6.8 million Investments in Joint Ventures included on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets is comprised of the fair market value of the 30% retained interest in the Mitigation Bank JV.

The operating agreement of the Mitigation Bank JV (the “Operating Agreement”) executed in conjunction with the mitigation bank transaction stipulates that the Company shall arrange for sales of the Mitigation Bank JV’s mitigation credits to unrelated third parties totaling no less than $6 million of revenue to the Mitigation Bank JV, net of commissions, by the end of 2020, utilizing a maximum of 60 mitigation credits (the “Minimum Sales Requirement”). The Operating Agreement stipulates that if the Minimum Sales Requirement is not achieved, then BlackRock has the right, but is not required, to cause the Company to purchase the number of mitigation credits necessary to reach the Minimum Sales Requirement (the “Minimum Sales Guarantee”). The Company estimates the fair value of the Minimum Sales Guarantee to be approximately $100,000 which was recorded as a reduction in the gain on the transaction and is included in Accrued and Other Liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018.

Additionally, the Operating Agreement provides BlackRock the right to cause the Company to purchase a maximum of 8.536 mitigation credits per quarter (the “Commitment Amount”) from the Mitigation Bank JV at a price equal to 60% of the then fair market value for mitigation credits (the “Put Right”). The Put Right is applicable even if the Mitigation Bank JV has not yet been awarded a sufficient number of mitigation credits by the applicable federal and state regulatory agencies. Further, in any quarter that BlackRock does not exercise its Put Right, the unexercised Commitment Amount for the applicable quarter may be rolled over to future calendar quarters. However, the Operating Agreement also stipulates that any amount of third-party sales of mitigation credits will reduce the Put Rights outstanding on a one-for-one basis, if the sales price of the third-party sales equals or exceeds the prices stipulated by the Put Right. Further, any sales of mitigation credits to third parties at the requisite minimum prices in a quarter that exceeds the quarterly amount of the Put Right will reduce the Put Rights in future calendar quarters on a one-for-one basis. The maximum potential of future payments for the Company pursuant to the Put Right is approximately $27 million. The Company estimates the fair value of the Put Right to be approximately $200,000, which was recorded as a reduction in the gain on the transaction and is included in Accrued and Other Liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018. In December 2019, BlackRock exercised its Put Right and put 25 mitigation credits to the Company, which the Company purchased for approximately $1.9 million, or approximately $75,000 per credit. The credits acquired were included as an increase to Impact Fees and Mitigation Credits on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2019.

Other Real Estate Assets. The Company owns mitigation credits with a cost basis of approximately $2.3 million as of December 31, 2019. The increase in mitigation credits includes the 25 credits acquired from the Mitigation Bank during December 2019 as described in Note 6, Land and Investments in the Land JV. There were no mitigation credit sales during year ended December 31, 2019. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company transferred mitigation credits with a basis of approximately $124,000 to the land acquired by Buc-ee’s. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company sold mitigation credits for approximately $1.0 million, for a gain of approximately $882,000, or $0.12 per share, after tax. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company sold mitigation credits for approximately $1.6 million,

for a gain of approximately $1.3 million, or $0.15 per share, after tax. Additionally, the Company recorded the transfer of mitigation credits with a cost basis of approximately $298,000 as a charge to direct cost of revenues of real estate operations during the year ended December 31, 2017, as more fully described in Note 21, “Commitments and Contingencies.” During the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company received cash payments of approximately $338,000 and $519,000, respectively, for impact fees with a cost basis that was generally of equal value, with no such impact fee sales during the year ended December 31, 2019, as the balance of impact fees is only approximately $2,000. Additionally, during the year ended December 31, 2018, impact fees with a cost basis of approximately $72,000 were transferred to the beachfront restaurant leased to LandShark Bar & Grill.

Subsurface Interests. As of December 31, 2019, the Company owns full or fractional subsurface oil, gas, and mineral interests underlying approximately 455,000 “surface” acres of land owned by others in 20 counties in Florida (the “Subsurface Interests”). The revenues generated by the portfolio of subsurface interests includes the sale of subsurface acres, the leasing of subsurface acres for mineral exploration activities, and payments made to the Company, typically by the owner of the surface acres, to compensate us for releasing our right to enter the surface acres to access our subsurface acres.

Prior to September 2019, the Company leased certain of the Subsurface Interests to a mineral exploration organization for exploration. An eight-year oil exploration lease was executed in 2011 that covered a portion of our Subsurface Interests. On September 20, 2017, the Company amended the oil exploration lease to, among other things, extend the expiration of the original term for five additional years to the new expiration date of September 22, 2024. As a result, the lease was effectively comprised of thirteen one-year terms as the lessee had the option to terminate the lease at the end of each lease year. The lessee had previously exercised renewal options through the eighth year of the lease which ended on September 22, 2019. The Lessee elected not to renew the oil exploration lease beyond September 22, 2019. During the eight years the lease was active the annual lease payments were recognized as revenue ratably over the respective twelve-month lease period. During the lease term a number of the renewals included the payment of a drilling penalty by the Lessee. The non-refundable drilling penalty payments were recognized as revenue when earned, i.e. when the amount agreed upon was paid. Lease income generated by the annual lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the guaranteed lease term. For the years December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, lease income of approximately $598,000, approximately $807,000, and approximately $807,000 was recognized, respectively.

Lease payments on the respective acreages and drilling penalties received through lease year eight are as follows:

There were no sales of subsurface acres during the years ended December 31, 2019 or 2018. During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company sold approximately 38,750 acres of subsurface interests in Osceola County, Florida for approximately $2.1 million (the "Osceola Subsurface Sale"). The gain from the Osceola Subsurface Sale totaled approximately $2.08 million, or $0.23 per share, after tax. 

During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company completed a transaction releasing our surface entry rights on approximately 600 acres in exchange for approximately $185,000 in cash and fee title to approximately 40 additional acres in Hendry County, valued at approximately $320,000. Including the non-cash value received, the gain from the transaction totaled approximately $435,000, or $0.06 per share, after tax. Additional cash payments for the release of surface entry rights

during 2018 totaled approximately $73,000. The revenue from the release of surface entry rights during the year ended December 31, 2017 totaled approximately $2.1 million.

During the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, the Company also received oil royalties from operating oil wells on 800 acres under a separate lease with a separate operator resulting in revenues received from oil royalties of approximately $42,000, $72,000, and $86,000, respectively.

The Company is not prohibited from selling any or all of its Subsurface Interests. The Company may release surface entry rights or other rights upon request of a surface owner for a negotiated release fee typically based on a percentage of the surface value. Should the Company complete a transaction to sell all or a portion of its Subsurface Interests or complete a release transaction, the Company may utilize the like-kind exchange structure in acquiring one or more replacement investments including income-producing properties. During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company completed a transaction releasing our surface entry rights on approximately 600 acres in exchange for approximately $185,000 in cash and fee title to approximately 40 additional acres in Hendry County, valued at approximately $320,000. Including the non-cash value received, the gain from the transaction totaled approximately $435,000, or $0.06 per share, after tax. Additional cash payments for the release of surface entry rights during 2018 totaled approximately $73,000. Cash payments for the release of surface entry rights totaled approximately $104,000 during the year ended December 31, 2019, while there were no releases of surface entry rights during the year ended December 31, 2017.

GOLF OPERATIONS

The Golf Sale closed in October 2019. Prior to October 2019, the Company owned the LPGA International Golf Club (the “Club”), a semi-private golf club consisting of two 18-hole championship golf courses, a three-hole practice facility, a clubhouse facility with food and beverage operations, and a fitness facility. The Club was managed by a third party.

Prior to January 2017, the Company leased from the City of Daytona Beach, Florida (the “City”) a large portion of the land underlying the Club (the “Golf Course Lease”). On January 24, 2017, the Company acquired the approximately 690 acres of land and improvements covered by the Golf Course Lease, for approximately $1.5 million (the “Golf Course Land Purchase”). In conjunction with the Golf Course Land Purchase, the Golf Course Lease was terminated. Therefore, during the first quarter of 2017, the Company eliminated the remaining accrued liability of approximately $2.2 million, resulting in the recognition of approximately $0.40 per share in non-cash earnings, or $0.24 per share after tax, which comprises the Golf Course Lease termination in the consolidated statements of operations. The $2.2 million consisted of approximately $1.7 million which reflects the acceleration of the remaining amount of accrued rent that was no longer owed to the City as a result of the Lease Amendment, which prior to the Golf Course Land Purchase was being recognized into income over the remaining lease term which was originally to expire in 2022. The remaining approximately $500,000 reflects the amount of rent accrued pursuant to the Golf Course Lease, as amended, which will no longer be owed to the City due to the lease termination on January 24, 2017.

As a part of the Golf Course Land Purchase, the Company donated to the City three land parcels totaling approximately 14.3 acres located on the west side of Interstate 95. The Company had a cost basis of effectively $0 in the donated land and paid approximately $100,000 to satisfy the community development district bonds associated with the acreage. As part of the Golf Course Land Purchase the Company was obligated to pay the City additional consideration in the form of an annual surcharge of $1 per golf round played at the Club each year (the “Per-Round Surcharge”) with an annual minimum Per-Round Surcharge of $70,000 and a maximum aggregate amount of the Per-Round Surcharges paid equal to $700,000. The maximum amount of $700,000 represents contingent consideration and was recorded as an increase in Golf Buildings, Improvements, and Equipment and Accrued and Other Liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. In connection with the Golf Sale the Company paid off the remaining obligation which totaled $560,000. The Company also, as part of the Golf Course Land Purchase, was required to renovate the greens on one of the courses at the Club and such renovations were completed in the third quarter of 2017.

The Golf Course Land Purchase also required that if the Company sold the Club within six years of the closing of the Golf Course Land Purchase, the Company would be obligated to pay the City an amount equal to 10% of the difference between the sales price, less closing costs and any other costs required to be incurred in connection with the sale, and $4.0 million. Based on the sales price of the Golf Sale, the Company’s obligation under this provision terminated.

During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company wrote down the value of the golf assets comprising the Club, which resulted in a corresponding impairment charge of approximately $1.1 million, or $0.15 per share, after tax. The

write-down of the golf operation assets to approximately $3.1 million and the related $1.1 million impairment charge were the result of the Company’s assessment of certain triggering events, including activities related to a review of strategic alternatives for the golf operations, occurring during the third quarter of 2018, which required an assessment of the carrying value of the golf assets comprising the Club. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the Company commenced efforts to pursue the monetization of the golf operations and assets comprising the Club. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2018 and during 2019, prior to the date of the Golf Sale, the golf assets comprising the Club were classified as held for sale in our consolidated balance sheets and the results of golf operations were similarly reclassified as discontinued operations in our consolidated statements of income for the period presented.

COMPETITION

The real estate business generally is highly competitive. Our business plan is focused on investing in commercial real estate that produces income primarily through the leasing of assets to tenants. To identify investment opportunities in income-producing real estate assets and to achieve our investment objectives, we compete with numerous companies and organizations, both public as well as private, of varying sizes, ranging from organizations with local operations to organizations with national scale and reach, and in some cases, we compete with individual real estate investors. In all the markets in which we compete to acquire income properties, price is the principal method of competition, with transaction structure and certainty of execution also being significant considerations for potential sellers. Should we need to re-lease our single-tenant income properties or space(s) in our multi-tenant properties, we would compete with many other property owners in the local market based on, among other elements, price, location of our property, potential tenant improvements, and lease term.

Our real estate operations are comprised primarily of (i) the Subsurface Interests; (ii) mitigation credits; and (iii) a six-acre parcel of land in downtown Daytona Beach, Florida. The parties that typically may be interested in acquiring our mitigation credits are both residential and commercial developers. These interested parties typically base their decision to acquire mitigation credits on price.

Our business plan may also focus on investing in commercial real estate through the acquisition or origination of mortgage financings secured by commercial real estate. Competition for investing in commercial mortgage loans and similar financial instruments can include financial institutions such as banks, life insurance companies, institutional investors such as pension funds and other lenders including mortgage REITs, REITs, and high wealth investors. The organizations that we compete with are of varying sizes, ranging from organizations with local operations to organizations with national scale and reach. Competition from these interested parties is based on, amongst other things, pricing or rate, financing structure, and other elements of the typical terms and conditions of a real estate financing.

EMPLOYEES

At December 31, 2019, the Company had fifteen full-time employees and considers its employee relations to be satisfactory.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

The Company’s executive offices are located at 1140 N. Williamson Blvd., Suite 140 Daytona Beach, Florida, and its telephone number is (386) 274-2202.

The Company’s website is www.ctlc.com. The Company intends to comply with the requirements of Item 5.05 of Form 8-K regarding amendments to and waivers under the code of business conduct and ethics applicable to its Chief Executive Officer, Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer by providing such information on its website within four days after effecting any amendment to, or granting any waiver under, that code, and we will maintain such information on our website for at least twelve months. The information contained on the Company’s website does not constitute part of this Form 10-K.

On the Company’s website you can also obtain, free of charge, a copy of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable, after the Company files such material electronically with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission” or “SEC”). The public may read and obtain a copy of any materials the Company files electronically with the Commission at www.sec.gov.

Additional information on the Company’s website includes the guiding policies adopted by the Company, which include the Company’s Corporate Governance Principles, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics Policy and Insider Trading Policy.

ITEM 1A.              RISK FACTORS

Our business is subject to a number of significant risks. The risks described below may not be the only risks which potentially could impact our business. These additional risks include those which are unknown now or that are currently considered immaterial. If any of the circumstances, events, or developments described below actually occur to a significant degree, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and/or cash flows could be materially adversely affected, and the trading price of our common stock could decline. You should carefully consider the following risks and all the other information set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto.

Risks related to our business

Income Property Operations

We are subject to risks related to the ownership of commercial real estate that could affect the performance and value of our properties.

Factors beyond our control can affect the performance and value of our properties. Our core business is the ownership of commercial properties that generate lease revenue from either a single tenant in a stand-alone property or multiple tenants occupying a single structure or multiple structures. Accordingly, our performance is subject to risks incident to the ownership of commercial real estate, including:

The occurrence of any of the risks described above may cause the performance and value of our properties to decline, which could materially and adversely affect us.

Adverse changes in U.S., global and local regions or markets that impact our tenants’ businesses may materially and adversely affect us generally and the ability of our tenants to make rental payments to us pursuant to our leases.

Our results of operations, as well as the results of operations of our tenants, are sensitive to changes in U.S., global and local regions or markets that impact our tenants’ businesses. Adverse changes or developments in U.S., global or regional economic conditions may impact our tenants’ financial condition, which may adversely impact their ability to make rental payments to us pursuant to the leases they have with us and may also impact their current or future leasing practices. Adverse economic conditions such as high unemployment levels, rising interest rates, increased tax rates and increasing fuel and energy costs may have an impact on the results of operations and financial conditions of our tenants, which would likely adversely impact us. During periods of economic slowdown and declining demand for real estate, we may experience a general decline in rents or increased rates of default under our leases. A lack of demand for rental space could adversely affect our ability to maintain our current tenants and gain new tenants, which may affect our growth, profitability and ability to pay dividends.

Our business is dependent upon our tenants successfully operating their businesses, and their failure to do so could materially and adversely affect us.

Each of our properties is occupied by a single tenant or multiple tenants. Therefore, the success of our investments in these properties is materially dependent upon the performance of our tenants. The financial performance of any one of our tenants is dependent on the tenant’s individual business, its industry and, in many instances, the performance of a larger business network that the tenant may be affiliated with or operate under. The financial performance of any one of our tenants could be adversely affected by poor management, unfavorable economic conditions in general, changes in consumer trends and preferences that decrease demand for a tenant’s products or services or other factors over which neither they nor we have control. Our portfolio includes properties leased to tenants that operate in multiple locations, which means we own multiple properties operated by the same tenant. To the extent we own multiple properties operated by one tenant, the general failure of that single tenant or a loss or significant decline in its business could materially and adversely affect us.

 

At any given time, any tenant may experience a decline in its business that may weaken its operating results or the overall financial condition of individual properties or its business as a whole. Any such decline may result in our tenant failing to make rental payments when due, declining to extend a lease upon its expiration, delaying occupancy of our property or the commencement of the lease or becoming insolvent or declaring bankruptcy. We depend on our tenants to operate their businesses at the properties we own in a manner which generates revenues sufficient to allow them to meet their obligations to us, including their obligations to pay rent, maintain certain insurance coverage, pay real estate taxes, make repairs and otherwise maintain our properties. The ability of our tenants to fulfill their obligations under our leases may depend, in part, upon the overall profitability of their operations. Cash flow generated by certain tenant businesses may not be sufficient for a tenant to meet its obligations to us pursuant to the applicable lease. We could be materially and adversely affected if a tenant representing a significant portion of our operating results or a number of our tenants were unable to meet their obligations to us.

Retail properties, particularly those with multiple tenants, depend on the presence of and successful operation of an anchor tenant or tenants  and the failure of such tenant’s business or the loss of the anchor tenant(s) could adversely affect the overall success of our property and thereby could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Retail properties, like other properties, are subject to the risk that tenants may be unable to make their lease payments or may decline to extend a lease upon its expiration. A multi-tenant property is particularly sensitive to the risk that a tenant that occupies a large area of a commercial retail property (commonly referred to as an anchor tenant) is unable to make their lease payments, does not extend their lease upon its expiration, or otherwise vacates their rented space. A lease termination by an anchor tenant or tenants could impact leases of other tenants. Other tenants may be entitled to modify the terms of their existing leases in the event of a lease termination by an anchor tenant, or the closure of the business of

an anchor tenant that leaves its space vacant even if the anchor tenant continues to pay rent. Any such modifications or conditions could be unfavorable to us as the property owner and could decrease rents or expense recoveries. Additionally, should an anchor tenant vacate their leased space customer traffic to the property may be decreased, which could lead to decreased sales at other stores thus adversely impacting the tenant’s operations and impacting their ability to pay rent. In the event of default by a tenant or anchor store, we may experience delays and costs in enforcing our rights as landlord to recover amounts due to us under the terms of our agreements with those parties.

We are subject to risks that affect the general retail environment in the United States, such as weakness in the economy, the level of consumer spending, the adverse financial condition of large consumer retail companies and competition from discount and internet retailers, any of which could adversely affect market rents for retail space and the willingness or ability of retail tenant to lease space in our multi-tenant properties.

 

A significant portion of the properties in our income property portfolio are commercial properties that were developed to be occupied by retail tenants and thus we are subject to the risks that affect the retail sector generally, as well as the market for retail space. The business environment for retail operators and the market for retail space have previously been, and could again be, adversely affected by weakness in the national, regional and local economies, the level of consumer spending and consumer confidence, the adverse financial condition of some large retail companies, the consolidation of operators that occurs from time to time in the retail sector, any excess amount of retail space in a number of markets and increasing competition from discount retail operators, outlet malls, internet or e-commerce retail businesses and other online businesses. Increases in consumer spending through e-commerce channels may significantly affect our retail tenants’ ability to generate sales in their stores and could affect the way future tenants lease space. In addition, some of our retail tenants face competition from the expanding market for digital content and hardware. New and enhanced technologies, including new digital technologies and new web services technologies, may increase competition for certain of our retail tenants. While we devote considerable effort and resources to analyze and respond to tenant trends, preferences and consumer spending patterns, we cannot predict with certainty what future tenants will require to operate their business, what demands will be made for the build out of future retail spaces and how much revenue will be generated at traditional “brick and mortar” locations. If we are unable to anticipate and respond promptly to trends in the market, our occupancy levels and rental amounts may decline.

 

Any of the foregoing factors could adversely affect the financial condition of our retail tenants and the willingness of retail operators to lease space at our income properties. In turn, these conditions could negatively affect market rents for retail space and could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flow and our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to pay distributions to the Company’s stockholders.

Competition that traditional retail tenants face from e-commerce retail sales, or the integration of brick and mortar stores with e-commerce retail operators, could adversely affect our business.

Our retail tenants face increasing competition from e-commerce businesses. E-commerce sales continue to account for an increasing percentage of retail sales in the U.S. and this trend is likely to continue. These trends may have an impact on decisions that retail businesses make regarding their utilization of “brick and mortar” stores. Changes in shopping trends as a result of the growth in e-commerce may also impact the profitability of retail operators that do not adapt to changes in market conditions. The continued growth of e-commerce sales could decrease the need for traditional retail outlets and reduce the demand for retail space and property requirements. These conditions could adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows if we are unable to meet the needs of our tenants or if our tenants encounter financial difficulties as a result of changing market conditions.

A key element of our future success will depend upon, among other things, our ability to successfully execute our strategy to invest in income-producing assets which if unsuccessful could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

There is no assurance that we will be able to continue to execute our strategy of investing in income-producing assets, including income properties and commercial loans or similar financings secured by real estate. There is no assurance that the number of properties in our income property portfolio or the number of loans in our loan investment portfolio will expand at all or, if they expand, at any specified rate or to any specified size. The growth in our portfolios of income-producing assets provide earnings and cash flow through the added rents or interest payments. If we continue to invest in diverse geographic markets other than the markets in which we currently own income properties or loan investments, we will be subject to risks associated with investing in new markets as those markets may be relatively unfamiliar to us. In addition, investments in new markets may introduce increased costs to us relating to factors including the regulatory

environment and the local and state tax structure. Additionally, there is no assurance we will be able to continue to make investments in commercial loans or similar financings secured by real estate. Consequently, if we are unable to successfully execute our strategy of investing in income-producing assets or some or all of our investments, including in new markets, introduce increased operating costs our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows may be adversely affected.

We operate in a highly competitive market for the acquisition of income properties and more established entities or other investors may be able to compete more effectively for acquisition opportunities than we can.

A number of entities and other investors compete with us to purchase income properties. We compete with REITs, public and private real estate focused companies, high wealth individual investors, and others. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have considerably greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. Several of our public company competitors have greater access to capital, typically by raising equity or debt financing, have significant amounts of capital available and investment objectives that overlap with ours, which often creates competition for acquisition opportunities. Some competitors may have a lower cost of capital and access to funding sources that are not available to us. In addition, some of our competitors may have higher risk tolerances or different assessments of investment risk, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of income property acquisitions and establish more relationships than us. We cannot be assured that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and therefore our cash flows. Also, because of this competition, we may not be able to take advantage of attractive acquisition opportunities from time to time, and we can offer no assurance that we will be able to identify and purchase assets that are consistent with our objectives.

The loss of revenues from our income property portfolio or certain tenants would adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows.

We had one tenant that accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated income property revenue during the year ended December 31, 2019. Wells Fargo, who occupied two single-tenant office properties located in Hillsboro, Oregon and Raleigh, North Carolina, accounted for approximately 12.5% of our consolidated revenues during the year ended December 31, 2019. The office property leased to Wells Fargo located in Raleigh, North Carolina also represented 26% of the total square footage of our income property portfolio as of December 31, 2019. We have one other tenant, Fidelity Investments, who represented over 5% of our consolidated revenues during the year ended December 31, 2019, and a large percentage of the square footage of our income property portfolio, but not in excess of 10%. The default, financial distress, or bankruptcy of one or all of these tenants could cause substantial vacancies in two of the largest properties in our income property portfolio and reduce our revenues from our income property operations significantly, thereby adversely impacting our results of operations and cash flows. Vacancies reduce our revenue until the affected properties can be re-leased and could decrease the value of each such vacant property. Upon the expiration of the leases that are currently in place, we may not be able to re-lease a vacant property at a comparable lease rate or without incurring additional expenditures in connection with such re-leasing. If, following the loss of an income property tenant, we are unable to re-lease the income property at comparable rental rates and in a timely manner, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected.

A significant portion of the revenue we generate from our income property portfolio is concentrated in specific industry classifications and/or geographic locations and any prolonged dislocation in those industries or downturn in those geographic areas  would adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows.

 

Any financial hardship and/or economic downturns in the financial industry, including a downturn similar to the financial crisis in 2007 through 2009, or in the four states noted could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.

Certain provisions of the Company’s leases may be unenforceable.

The Company’s rights and obligations with respect to its leases are governed by written agreements with its tenants. A court could determine that one or more provisions of such an agreement are unenforceable, such as a particular remedy, a termination provision, or a provision governing the Company’s remedies for default of the tenant. If we were unable to

enforce provisions of a lease agreement or agreements, our results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows could be adversely impacted.

We may not be able to dispose of properties we target for sale to recycle our capital.

While the Company’s strategy may include selectively selling non-core or other income-producing properties to recycle our capital, we may be unable to sell properties targeted for disposition due to adverse market or other conditions or not achieve the pricing or timing that is consistent with our expectations. This may adversely affect, among other things, the Company’s ability to deploy capital into the acquisition of other income-producing properties, the execution of our overall operating strategy and consequently our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

We may seek to conduct development activities, including the development of new income properties or the redevelopment or renovation of existing income properties, which may cause us to experience unexpected costs and have other risks that may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. 

We have recently and may in the future develop new income properties. In addition, we have in recent years and may in the future redevelop, significantly renovate or otherwise invest additional capital in certain of our existing income properties to improve the assets and enhance the opportunity for increased returns on our overall investment. These various development activities, particularly the development of new income properties, is subject to a number of risks, including risks associated with construction work and risks of cost overruns due to construction delays or other factors that may increase the expected costs of a project. Furthermore, the commencement of development projects is subject to other risks including the receipt of zoning or entitlements and other required governmental permits and authorizations. In addition, we may incur development costs in connection with projects that are ultimately not pursued to completion. Any of the development activities noted may be financed under our existing revolving credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) or through other forms of financing. If such financing is not available on acceptable terms, our development activities may not be pursued or may be curtailed. In addition, such development activities would likely reduce the available borrowing capacity on our Credit Facility which we use for the acquisition of income properties and other operating needs. The risks associated with development activities, including but not necessarily limited to those noted, could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations, and liquidity.

Management of and Investment in PINE

Our revenues include receipt of management fees and potentially incentive fees derived from our provision of management services to PINE and the loss or failure, or decline in the business or assets, of PINE could substantially reduce our revenues.

The fees we earn from providing management services to PINE could become a substantial source of our revenues. The revenues we generate from managing PINE depend in large part on the ability of PINE to raise capital to invest in real estate assets and on the positive performance of their investments and shareholder returns. The performance of PINE is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Therefore, our operating results and our ability to maintain and grow our revenues depends upon the ability of PINE and their significant tenants to maintain and grow their respective businesses. Our operating results and our ability to maintain and grow our revenues also depend upon the ability of PINE to maintain and grow their market capitalizations and to achieve positive shareholder returns in excess of applicable total shareholder return indexes. Reduced business activities, market capitalizations or shareholder returns, sales of assets or the failure of PINE or the termination of our management agreement with PINE could materially reduce our revenues and our profitability thereby adversely impacting our cash flows and results of operations.

Our management agreement with PINE is subject to termination  for events of default or non-performance, and any such termination could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our management with PINE may be terminated by PINE in certain circumstances. Depending upon the circumstances of a termination, we may or may not be entitled to receive a termination fee. If our management agreement with PINE is terminated, we may be unable to replace the lost revenue. Even if we receive a termination fee upon the termination of the management agreement with PINE, we may be unable to invest the after tax proceeds from the termination fee we receive in opportunities that earn returns equal to or greater than the revenues lost as a result of the terminated management agreement. The termination of our management agreement with PINE could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We do not have significant experience managing a REIT.

In connection with PINE’s initial public offering we entered into a management agreement with PINE pursuant to which we manage the day-to-day operations of its business. We do not have significant experience managing a REIT, and our only experience managing a REIT stems from the experience of certain of our executives who previously worked for a REIT. We will be paid a management fee to manage PINE’s business and we may be paid an incentive fee which will depend on numerous factors, including our ability to make investments on behalf of PINE that generate attractive, risk-adjusted returns, and thereby result in PINE’s shareholders achieving a necessary level of return. A key element of PINE’s success will likely include its ability to raise additional equity capital to fund its goals for growth. Our successful performance as the manager of PINE will therefore depend, in part, our ability to assist PINE in raising equity capital in amounts sufficient to support PINE’s goals and on acceptable terms. Our successful performance as the manager of PINE will also depend on our ability to access financing for PINE, and on acceptable terms. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in this business, that PINE will achieve its objectives, will invest successfully in income properties and will generally operate successfully, or that we will earn fees from PINE sufficient to recover the costs we have incurred or to provide a suitable return on our investment in PINE.

Declines in the market values of our investment in PINE may adversely affect periodic reported results.

We hold a significant equity interest, approximately 22.3% as of December 31, 2019, in PINE, including the units we hold in PINE’s operating partnership. PINE is publicly traded and as such their common stock is subject to the risks associated with public equities, include, but are not limited to market risk broadly, risks associated with the REIT industry, and risks associated with the real estate industry more specifically.  The public equity markets can be volatile, and the value of PINE’s share  may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. A significant decrease in the trading price of PINE’s shares  could result in losses that have a material adverse effect on the value of our investment in PINE  which could adversely impact our financial condition.

There are various potential conflicts of interest in our relationship with PINE, including our executive officers and/or directors who are also officers and/or directors of PINE, which could result in decisions that are not in the best interest of our stockholders.

We are subject to conflicts of interest that may exist or could arise in the future with PINE, including our executive officers and/or directors who are also directors or officers of PINE. Conflicts may include, without limitation: conflicts arising from the enforcement of agreements between us and PINE; conflicts in the amount of time that our officers and employees will spend on our affairs versus PINE's affairs; and conflicts in future transactions that we may pursue with PINE. Transactions between us and PINE would be subject to certain approvals of our directors; however, there can be no assurance that such approval will be successful in achieving terms and conditions as favorable to us as would be available from a third party. Our president and chief executive officer who is also one of directors also serves on PINE's board of directors.

Our directors and executive officers have duties to our company under applicable Florida law, and our executive officers and our directors who are also directors or officers of PINE also have duties to PINE under applicable Maryland law. Those duties may come in conflict from time to time. We have duties as the manager of PINE which may come in conflict with our duties to our stockholders from time to time. In addition, conflicts of interest may exist or could arise in the future with our duties to PINE as its manager in connection with future investment opportunities.

Management of the Land JV

A prolonged downturn in economic conditions could adversely impact our business, particularly with regard to our ability to maintain revenues from our income-producing assets and our ability to monetize parcels of land in the Land JV.

The prior economic down cycle, precipitated by crises in the credit markets, included the collapse of the housing market and a recession in the local and national economy with significant levels of unemployment, shrinking gross domestic product, and drastically reduced consumer spending. During this period, potential investors in real estate, particularly residential real estate, often deferred or avoided real estate purchases due to, among other factors, a lack of liquidity, the substantial costs involved, and overall uncertainty with the economy. The real estate industry is particularly vulnerable to shifts in local, regional, and national economic conditions which are outside of our control, such as short and long-term interest rates, housing demand, population growth, and job growth and related unemployment levels. The ability of the Land JV to sell land parcels is especially sensitive to economic conditions in Florida, particularly in Daytona Beach,

where all of the land in the Land JV’s portfolio is located. A prolonged period of economic weakness or another downturn in the U.S. economy could have a material adverse effect on the success of the Land JV’s business and thereby our business, financial condition, results of operations, and/or cash flows could also be adversely affected.

Most of the Land JV’s land holdings are located in Daytona Beach, Florida and the competition in the local and regional market, the possible impact of government regulation, permitting or development limitations, and the criteria used by parties interested in acquiring land could adversely impact the Land JV and thereby our ability to attain value from our retained interest in the Land JV and thus our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The parties typically interested in the land holdings of the Land JV base their decision to acquire land on, among other things, price, location, ability to rezone and entitle the land, land use or optionality of land use, and ability to obtain permitting. In some instances, the aforementioned acquisition criteria or other factors may cause an interested party to consider other land instead of ours. In addition, parties interested in acquiring the land holdings of the Land JV would likely consider the impact of governmental regulations or ordinances on their ability to entitle and develop the land for their intended use and may seek incentives or similar economic considerations from one or more governmental authorities that they may not be able to obtain. These conditions may make it difficult for the Land JV to complete land transactions on acceptable terms or at all, which could adversely impact the success of the Land JV’s business and thereby our business, financial condition, results of operations, and/or cash flows could also be adversely affected.

Land use and environmental regulations could restrict, make costlier, or otherwise adversely impact our business.

We are and the Land JV is subject to a wide variety of federal, state, and local laws and regulations relating to land use, development and permitting, and environmental compliance obligations. Any failure to comply with these laws or regulations could result in capital or operating expenditures or the imposition of significant financial penalties or restrictions on the operations of the Land JV, of which we are the manager and in which we have a retained financial interest, that could adversely affect present and future operations of the Land JV and its ability to sell land, and thereby, our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Municipalities may restrict or place moratoriums on the availability of utilities, such as water and sewer. Additionally, development moratoriums may be imposed due to, among other possibilities, inadequate traffic capacity provided by existing roadways. In some areas, municipalities may enact growth control initiatives, which will restrict the number of building permits available in a given year. If municipalities in which the Land JV owns land takes these or similar actions, acquirers of the Land JV’s land assets may experience delays, increasing costs, or limitations in the ability to operate in those municipalities, which may have an adverse impact on the success of the Land JV’s business and thereby our business, financial condition, results of operations, and/or cash flows could also be adversely affected.

 

Commercial Loan Investments

A part of our investment strategy is focused on investing in commercial loan investments which may involve credit risk.

As part of our business strategy, we have invested in commercial loans secured by commercial real estate and may in the future invest in other commercial loans or similar financings secured by real estate. Investments in commercial loans or similar financings of real estate involve credit risk with regard to the borrower, the borrower’s operations and the real estate that secures the financing. The credit risks include, but are not limited to, the ability of the borrower to execute their business plan and strategy, the ability of the borrower to sustain and/or improve the operating results generated by the collateral property, the ability of the borrower to continue as a going concern, and the risk associated with the market or industry in which the collateral property is utilized. Our evaluation of the investment opportunity in a mortgage loan or similar financing includes these elements of credit risk as well as other underwriting criteria and factors. Further, we may rely on third party resources to assist us in our investment evaluation process and otherwise in conducting customary due diligence. Our underwriting of the investment or our estimates of credit risk may not prove to be accurate, as actual results may vary from our estimates. In the event we underestimate the performance of the borrower and/or the underlying real estate which secures our commercial loan or financing, we may experience losses or unanticipated costs regarding our investment and our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows may be adversely impacted.

 

 

Because of competition, we may not be able to acquire commercial loans or similar financings at all or at favorable yields.

If in the future we seek to invest in commercial loans or similar financings secured by underlying real estate, we may not be able to acquire such loan investments at favorable spreads over our borrowing costs. We will compete with many other investment groups including REITs, public and private investment funds, life insurance companies, commercial and investment banks and, commercial finance companies, including some of the third parties with which we expect to have relationships. In most instances the competition has greater financial capacity, are larger organizations and has a greater operating presence in the market. As a result, we may not be able to acquire commercial loans or similar financings in the future at all or at favorable spreads over our borrowing costs, which could adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows and would likely result in the need for any growth in our portfolio of income-producing assets to be achieved through the acquisition of income properties.

Debt and preferred equity investments could cause us to incur expenses, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

We may own in the future investments in first mortgages, mezzanine loans, junior participations and preferred equity interests. Such investments may or may not be recourse obligations of the borrower and are not insured or guaranteed by governmental agencies or otherwise. In the event of a default under these obligations, we may have to take possession of the collateral securing these interests including through foreclosure proceedings. Borrowers may contest enforcement of foreclosure or our other remedies and may seek bankruptcy protection to potentially block our actions to enforce their obligations to us. Relatively high loan-to-value ratios and declines in the value of the underlying collateral property may prevent us from realizing an amount equal to our investment upon foreclosure or realization even if we make substantial improvements or repairs to the underlying real estate to maximize such property’s investment potential. Although we have maintained and regularly evaluated financial reserves to properly accrue for potential future losses, our reserves would reflect management’s judgment of the probability and severity of losses and the value of the underlying collateral. We cannot be certain that our judgment will prove to be correct and that our reserves, if any, will be adequate over time to protect against future losses due to unanticipated adverse changes in the economy or events adversely affecting specific properties, assets, tenants, borrowers, industries in which our tenants and borrowers operate or markets in which our tenants and borrowers, or their properties are located. If we are unable to enforce our contractual rights, including but not limited to, taking possession of the collateral property in a foreclosure circumstance, or our reserves for credit losses prove inadequate, we could suffer losses which would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

The mezzanine loan assets that we may acquire will involve greater risks of loss than senior loans secured by income-producing properties.

We may acquire mezzanine loans, which generally take the form of subordinated loans secured by the underlying property or loans secured by a pledge of the ownership interests of either the entity owning the property or a pledge of the ownership interests of the entity that owns the interest in the entity owning the property. These types of assets involve a higher degree of risk than senior mortgage lending secured by income-producing real property, because the loan may become unsecured as a result of foreclosure by the senior lender. In the event of a bankruptcy of the entity providing the pledge of its ownership interests as security, we may not have full recourse to the assets of such entity, or the assets of the entity may not be sufficient to satisfy our mezzanine loan. If a borrower defaults on our mezzanine loan or the debt that is senior to our loan, or in the event of a borrower bankruptcy, our mezzanine loan will only be satisfied after the senior debt has been satisfied. As a result, we may not recover some or all of our initial investment. In addition, mezzanine loans may have higher loan-to-value ratios than conventional mortgage loans, resulting in less equity in the property and increasing the risk of loss of principal. Significant losses related to our mezzanine loans would result in operating losses for us and could adversely impact our financial condition and cash flows.

We may invest in fixed-rate loan investments, and an increase in interest rates may adversely affect the value of these investments, which could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Increases in interest rates may negatively affect the market value of our investments, particularly any fixed-rate commercial loans or other financings we have invested in. Generally, any fixed-rate commercial loans or other financings will be more negatively affected by rising interest rates than adjustable-rate assets. We are required to reduce the book value of our investments by the amount of any decrease in their fair value. Reductions in the fair value of our investments could decrease the amounts we may borrow to purchase additional commercial loan or similar financing investments, which could impact our ability to increase our operating results and cash flows. Furthermore, if our borrowing costs are

rising while our interest income is fixed for the fixed-rate investments, the spread between our borrowing costs and the fixed-rate we earn on the commercial loans or similar financing investments will contract or could become negative which would adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

The commercial loans or similar financings we may acquire that are secured by commercial real estate typically depend on the ability of the property owner to generate income from operating the property. Failure to do so may result in delinquency and/or foreclosure.

Commercial loans are secured by commercial property and are subject to risks of delinquency and foreclosure and therefore risk of loss. The ability of a borrower to repay a loan secured by an income-producing property typically is dependent primarily upon the successful operation of such property rather than upon the existence of independent income or assets of the borrower. If the net operating income of the property is reduced, the borrower’s ability to repay the loan may be impaired. In the event of any default under a commercial loan held directly by us, we will bear a risk of loss of principal to the extent of any deficiency between the value of the collateral and the principal and accrued interest of the commercial loan, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, operating results and cash flows. In the event of the bankruptcy of a commercial loan borrower, the mortgage loan to such borrower will be deemed to be secured only to the extent of the value of the underlying collateral at the time of bankruptcy (as determined by the bankruptcy court), and the lien securing the loan will be subject to the avoidance powers of the bankruptcy trustee or debtor-in-possession to the extent the lien is unenforceable under state law. Foreclosure of a loan can be an expensive and lengthy process, which could have a substantial negative effect on our anticipated return on the foreclosed commercial loan. If the borrower is unable to repay a mortgage loan or similar financing our inability to foreclose on the asset in a timely manner, and/or our inability to obtain value from reselling or otherwise disposing of the asset for an amount equal to our investment basis, would adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

The activities or actions of a third-party servicer engaged to service our investment in a commercial loan or similar debt financing could adversely impact the value of our investment or our results of operations and cash flows.

Any future investments in first mortgages, mezzanine loans or other debt financings secured by real estate may require a third-party servicer to service the loan on our behalf and/or on behalf of third parties who have invested in some portion of the debt financing. An intended or unintended breach by the servicer with regard to their servicing of the debt financing or in their contractual obligations and fiduciary duties to us or the other holders of the debt financing could adversely impact the value of our investment or our results of operations and cash flows.

We may suffer losses when a borrower defaults on a loan and the value of the underlying collateral is less than the amount due.

If a borrower defaults on a non-recourse loan, we will only have recourse to the real estate-related assets collateralizing the loan. If the underlying collateral value is less than the loan amount, we will suffer a loss. Conversely, commercial loans we invest in may be unsecured or be secured only by equity interests in the borrowing entities. These loans are subject to the risk that other lenders in the capital stack may be directly secured by the real estate assets of the borrower or may otherwise have a superior right to repayment. Upon a default, those collateralized lenders would have priority over us with respect to the proceeds of a sale of the underlying real estate. In such cases, we may lack control over the underlying asset collateralizing our loan or the underlying assets of the borrower before a default and, as a result, the value of the collateral may be reduced by acts or omissions by owners or managers of the assets. In addition, the value of the underlying real estate may be adversely affected by some or all of the risks referenced above that pertain to the income-producing properties that we own.

Commercial loans we may invest in may be backed by individual or corporate guarantees from borrowers or their affiliates which guarantees are not secured. If the guarantees are not fully or partially secured, we typically rely on financial covenants from borrowers and guarantors which are designed to require the borrower or guarantor to maintain certain levels of creditworthiness. Should we not have recourse to specific collateral pledged to satisfy such guarantees or recourse loans, we will have recourse as an unsecured creditor only to the general assets of the borrower or guarantor, some or all of which may be pledged as collateral for other lenders. There can be no assurance that a borrower or guarantor will comply with its financial covenants, or that sufficient assets will be available to pay amounts owed to us under our loans and guarantees. Because of these factors, we may suffer additional losses which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

Upon a borrower bankruptcy, we may not have full recourse to the assets of the borrower to satisfy our loan. Additionally, in some instances, our loans may be subordinate to other debt of certain borrowers. If a borrower defaults on our loan or on debt senior to our loan, or a borrower files for bankruptcy, our loan will be satisfied only after the senior

debt receives payment. Where debt senior to our loan exists, the presence of inter-creditor arrangements may limit our ability to amend our loan documents, assign our loans, accept prepayments, exercise our remedies (through “standstill” periods), and control decisions made in bankruptcy proceedings. Bankruptcy and borrower litigation can significantly increase collection costs and the time needed for us to acquire title to the underlying collateral (if applicable), during which time the collateral and/or a borrower’s financial condition may decline in value, causing us to suffer additional losses.

If the value of collateral underlying a loan declines, or interest rates increase during the term of a loan, a borrower may not be able to obtain the necessary funds to repay our loan at maturity through refinancing because the underlying property revenue cannot satisfy the debt service coverage requirements necessary to obtain new financing. If a borrower is unable to repay our loan at maturity, we could suffer additional loss which may adversely impact our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

As a result of any of the above factors or events, the losses we may suffer could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

 

Other Investments

Investments in securities of companies operating in the real estate industry, including debt and equity instruments such as corporate bonds, preferred or common stock, or convertible instruments could cause us to incur losses or other expenses which could adversely affect our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.

We currently own and may own in the future, investments in corporate securities of companies operating in the real estate industry including debt and equity instruments such as corporate bonds, preferred or common stock, or convertible instruments. Certain of these investments may be traded on an exchange or other active market whereby the price of the underlying instrument is quoted daily and those quoted prices and thus the market value of the instrument varies during a given trading day. Certain of these investments may be traded on an exchange or market that is not deemed an active market but where the price of the investment fluctuates daily or otherwise. Adverse fluctuations in the value of these investments, whether market-generated or not, are reflected as unrealized losses on our balance sheet. We may choose to or be required to liquidate these investments in whole or in part and at prices that result in realized losses on our investment. Should we incur realized losses on liquidating these investments, our financial position, results of operations and cash flows would be adversely impacted.

General

We are subject to a number of risks inherent with the real estate industry and in the ownership of real estate assets or investment in financings secured by real estate, which may adversely affect our returns from our investments, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Factors beyond our control can affect the performance and value of our real estate assets including our income properties, investments in commercial loans or similar financings secured by real estate or other investments, our Subsurface Interests, and our investment in the Land JV. Real estate assets are subject to various risks, including but not limited to the following:

If any of these or similar events occurs, it may reduce our return from an affected real estate asset or investment which could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The Company’s real estate investments are generally illiquid.

Real estate investments, including investments in income properties, joint ventures and subsurface interest, are relatively illiquid; therefore, it may be difficult for us to sell such assets if the need or desire arises, and otherwise the Company’s ability to make rapid adjustments in the size and content of our income property portfolio or other real estate assets in response to economic or other conditions is limited. Illiquid assets typically experience greater price volatility, as a ready market does not exist, and can be more difficult to value. In addition, validating third party pricing for illiquid assets may be more subjective than more liquid assets. As a result, if we are required to quickly liquidate all or a portion of certain of our real estate assets or income-producing assets, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have previously recorded our assets. Further, certain expenditures necessary to operate our income property operations generally do not decrease and may in fact increase in response to weakening economic conditions or other market disruptions, which expenditures may include maintenance costs, insurance costs and, in some instances, interest expense. This relationship of revenue and expenditures may result, under certain market conditions, in declining operating results and reduced cash flows and thereby could have an adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition. 

We may experience a decline in the fair value of our real estate assets or investments which could result in impairments and would impact our financial condition and results of operations.

A decline in the fair market value of our long-lived assets may require us to recognize an “other-than-temporary” impairment against such assets (as defined by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) authoritative accounting guidance) if certain conditions or circumstances related to an asset were to change and we were to determine that, with respect to any such asset, there was an unrealized loss to the fair value of the asset. The fair value of our long-lived assets depends on market conditions, including estimates of future demand for these assets, and the revenues that can be generated from such applicable assets including land or an income property. If such a determination were to be made, we would recognize the estimated unrealized losses through earnings and write down the depreciated or amortized cost of such assets to a new cost basis, based on the fair value of such assets on the date they are considered to be other-than-temporarily impaired. Such impairment charges reflect non-cash losses at the time of recognition; subsequent disposition or sale of such assets could further affect our future losses or gains, as they are based on the difference between the sales price received and the adjusted depreciated or amortized cost of such assets at the time of sale.

Downturns in the U.S. economy and real estate markets have at times caused the fair value of certain of our properties to decrease. If the real estate market were to experience another decline, we may be required to take write-downs against our earnings for other than temporary impairments in the value of our real estate assets including our income properties, commercial loan investments and similar financings or other capitalized costs. Any such non-cash charges could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

From time to time we make investments in companies over which we do not have control. Some of these companies may operate in industries that differ from our current operations, with different risks than investing in real estate.

From time to time we make debt or equity investments in other companies that we may not control or over which we may not have sole control. Although these businesses generally have a significant real estate component, some of them may operate in businesses that are different from our primary business segments. Consequently, investments in these businesses, among other risks, subject us to the operating and financial risks of industries other than real estate and to the risk that we do not have sole control over the operations of these businesses.

From time to time we may make additional investments in or acquire other entities that may subject us to similar risks. Investments in entities over which we do not have sole control, including joint ventures, present additional risks such

as having differing objectives than our partners or the entities in which we invest, or becoming involved in disputes, or competing with those persons. In addition, we rely on the internal controls and financial reporting controls of these entities and their failure to maintain effectiveness or comply with applicable standards may adversely affect us.

If we are not successful in utilizing the like-kind exchange structure in deploying the proceeds from dispositions of income properties, or our like-kind exchange transactions are disqualified, we could incur significant taxes and our results of operations and cash flows could be adversely impacted.

Our strategy of investing in income-producing properties includes the utilization, when possible, of proceeds obtained from the disposition of income properties or from prior land transactions which qualify for deferral of the applicable income tax through the like-kind exchange provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (“Section 1031”). Land sales transactions that we completed in which we applied the provisions of Section 1031 may be disqualified for such treatment if we are deemed to have conducted activities on the land or in connection with the transaction that are inconsistent with the activities of a long-term investor such as the activities of a developer or a dealer. In addition, if we fail to complete a qualifying acquisition utilizing the aforementioned proceeds or complete the intended qualifying acquisition outside the specified period of time allowed for completing such transaction the application of the Section 1031 provisions would be disqualified.  If a transaction we deemed qualifying for like-kind exchange treatment is subsequently disqualified by the Internal Revenue Service, we may be subject to increased income taxes and penalties, which would adversely impact our results of operations and our cash flows.

If the provisions of Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code regarding the like-kind exchange structure were altered substantially or eliminated, our financial position, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely impacted.

A fundamental element of our strategy is investing in income-producing properties, in some instances utilizing, the proceeds obtained from the disposition of our income properties and previously in our land holdings, which qualify for deferral of the applicable income tax through the Section 1031 like-kind exchange provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. If the provisions of Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code, including the deferral of taxes on gains related to the sale of real property such as our income properties, were to be altered substantially or eliminated, we may be subject to increased income taxes, which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our cash flows.

Quarterly results may fluctuate and may not be indicative of future quarterly performance.

Our quarterly operating results could fluctuate; therefore, reliance should not be placed on past quarterly results as indicative of our performance in future quarters. Factors that could cause quarterly operating results to fluctuate include, among others, variations in the performance of our income-producing assets, market values of our investment in PINE, costs associated with debt, general economic conditions, the state of the real estate and financial markets and the degree to which we encounter competition in our markets.

Risks related to our financing

General

The Company may be unable to obtain debt or equity capital on favorable terms, if at all, or additional borrowings may impact our liquidity or ability to monetize any assets securing such borrowings.

In order to further our business objectives, we may seek to obtain additional debt financing or raise equity capital and may be unable to do so on favorable terms, if at all. We may obtain unsecured debt financing in addition to our Credit Facility which could decrease our borrowing capacity under the Credit Facility. Other sources of available capital may be more expensive or available under terms that are more restrictive than the Company’s existing debt capital. Any of these occurrences could adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

An increase in our borrowing costs would adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

While we have no short-term maturities in our long-term debt, should we seek to incur additional debt to help finance our acquisitions, increased interest rates would reduce the difference, or spread, that we may earn between the yield on the investments we make and the cost of the leverage we employ to finance such investments. It is possible that the spread on investments could be reduced to a point at which the profitability from investments would be significantly reduced or eliminated entirely. This would adversely affect our returns on our assets, and therefore adversely impact our financial condition, our results of operations, and cash flows, and could require us to liquidate certain or all of these assets.

Servicing our debt requires a significant amount of cash, and we may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to service or pay our debt.

Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on, to pay any cash due upon conversion of, or to refinance our indebtedness, including the Company’s $75.0 million aggregate principal amount of Convertible Notes (the “Notes”), depends on our future operating and financial performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. Our business may not continue to generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to service our debt and make necessary capital expenditures. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling assets, restructuring debt or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance our indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on our debt obligations.

Our level of indebtedness could have significant adverse consequences and our cash flow may be insufficient to meet our debt service obligations.

Our consolidated indebtedness as of December 31, 2019 was approximately $288.7 million, representing a leverage ratio of approximately 27%, net of cash and restricted cash related to like-kind exchange transactions. This consolidated indebtedness was comprised of (i) $75.0 million principal amount Notes, (ii) $53.9 in mortgage loans on various properties, and (iii) $ 159.8 million outstanding under our Credit Facility. Our level of indebtedness could have significant adverse consequences on our business and operations, including the following:

Our ability to generate sufficient cash flow determines whether we will be able to (i) meet our existing or potential future debt service obligations; (ii) refinance our existing or potential future indebtedness; and (iii) fund our operations, working capital, acquisitions, capital expenditures, and other important business uses. Our future cash flow is subject to many factors beyond our control and we cannot assure you that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations, or that future sources of cash will be available to us on favorable terms, to meet all of our debt service obligations and fund our other important business uses or liquidity needs. As a result, we may be forced to take other actions to meet those obligations, such as selling properties, raising equity, or delaying capital expenditures, any of which may not be feasible or could have a material adverse effect on us.

We continue to have the ability to incur debt; if we incur substantial additional debt, the higher levels of debt may affect our ability to pay the interest and principal of our debt.

Despite our current consolidated debt levels, we and our subsidiaries may incur substantial additional debt in the future (subject to the restrictions contained in our debt instruments), some of which may be secured debt. The indenture governing our Notes does not restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness, whether secured or unsecured, or require us to maintain financial ratios or specified levels of net worth or liquidity. If we incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future, these higher levels of indebtedness may affect our ability to pay the principal of, and interest on, our outstanding debt and our creditworthiness generally.

Declines in the value of the assets in which we invest will adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and make it costlier to finance these assets.

Generally, we use our income property investments as collateral for our financings or as the borrowing base for our Credit Facility. Any decline in their value, a significant decrease in the rent received from the portfolio, or perceived market uncertainty about the value of our income properties, could make it difficult for us to obtain or renew financing on favorable terms or at all, or maintain our compliance with terms of any financing arrangements already in place.

Changes in the method for determining LIBOR or a replacement of LIBOR may affect the value of the financial obligations to be held or issued by us that are linked to LIBOR and could affect our results of operations or financial condition.

In July 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority announced that it intends to stop persuading or compelling banks to submit LIBOR rates after 2021. We are unable to predict the effect of any changes, any establishment of alternative reference rates or any other reforms to LIBOR or any replacement of LIBOR that may be enacted in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. Such changes, reforms or replacements relating to LIBOR could have an adverse impact on the market for or value of any LIBOR-linked securities, loans, derivatives and other financial obligations or extensions of credit held by or due to us or on our overall financial condition or results of operations.

We may utilize derivative instruments to hedge risk, which may adversely affect our borrowing cost and expose us to other risks.

The derivative instruments we may use could be in the form of interest rate swaps, interest rate caps and or interest rate collars. Interest rate swaps effectively change variable-rate debt obligations to fixed-rate debt obligations or fixed-rate debt obligations to variable-rate debt obligations. Interest rate caps limit our exposure to rising interest rates. Interest rate collars limit our exposure to rising interest rates while also limited our benefit from declining interest rates.

Our use of derivative instruments also involves the risk that a counterparty to a hedging arrangement could default on its obligation and the risk that we may have to pay certain costs, such as transaction fees or breakage costs, if a hedging arrangement is terminated by us. To limit the risk of counterparty default, we generally seek to enter into hedging arrangements with counterparties that are large, creditworthy financial institutions typically rated at least "A/A2" by S&P and Moody's, respectively.

Developing an effective strategy for dealing with alterations in interest rates is complex and any strategy aimed at managing exposures to changing interest rates would likely not be able to completely insulate us from risks associated with such fluctuations. There can be no assurance that any hedging activities will have the desired beneficial impact on our results of operations or financial condition.

Significant increases in interest rates could have an adverse effect on our operating results.

Our operating results depend in part on the difference between the income achieved from our income-producing assets and management fee income streams and the interest expense incurred in connection with our interest-bearing liabilities. Changes in the general level of interest rates prevailing in the financial markets will affect the spread between our income-producing assets and management fee income streams and our interest-bearing liabilities subject to the impact of interest rate floors and caps, as well as the amounts of floating rate assets and liabilities. Any significant compression of the spreads between income-producing assets and management fee income streams and interest-bearing liabilities could have a material adverse effect on us. While interest rates remain low by historical standards, rates have recently risen and are generally expected to rise in the coming years, although there is no certainty as to the amount by which they may rise. Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary and tax policies, domestic and international economic and political conditions, and other factors beyond our control. In the event of a significant rising interest rate environment, rates could create a mismatch between the income we generate from our income-producing assets and management fee income streams and the interest expense incurred on our floating rate debt that could have a significant adverse effect on our financial condition, our operating results and, our cash flows. An increase in interest rates could also, among other things, reduce the value of certain of our income-producing assets and our ability to realize gains from the sale of such assets.

Our Credit Facility

The Company’s Credit Facility and secured financings include certain financial and/or other covenants that could restrict our operating activities, and the failure to comply with such covenants could result in a default that accelerates the required payment of such debt. 

As of December 31, 2019, the Company had approximately $159.8 million of outstanding indebtedness under the Credit Facility and approximately $53.9 million of secured debt. The Credit Facility contains certain financial and operating covenants, including, among other things, certain coverage ratios and limitations on our ability to incur debt and limits on the repurchase of the Company’s stock and similar restrictions. In addition, the Credit Facility contains certain covenants pertaining to maximum levels of investment in certain types of assets, the number and make-up of the properties in the borrowing base, and similar covenants typical for this type of indebtedness. The Company’s secured indebtedness generally contains covenants regarding debt service coverage ratios. The Company’s ability to meet or maintain

compliance with these and other debt covenants may be dependent on the performance of the Company’s tenants under their leases. The Company’s failure to comply with certain of our debt covenants could result in a default that may, if not cured, accelerate our payment obligations under such debt and limit the Company’s available cash flow for acquisitions, dividends, or operating costs, which would likely have a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. In addition, these defaults could impair the Company’s access to the debt and equity markets.

Our Convertible Notes

Certain investors in the convertible debt issuance may also invest in our common stock utilizing trading strategies which may increase the volatility in or adversely affect the trading price and liquidity of our common stock.

Investors in, and potential purchasers of, the Notes may employ, or seek to employ, a convertible arbitrage strategy with respect to the Notes. Investors that employ a convertible arbitrage strategy with respect to our convertible debt instruments typically implement that strategy by selling short the common stock underlying the Notes and dynamically adjusting their short position while they hold the Notes. Investors may also implement this strategy by entering into swaps on our common stock in lieu of or in addition to short selling our common stock. These strategies, particularly the effect short sales or equity swaps with respect to our common stock, could increase the volatility of our stock price or otherwise adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.

We may not have the liquidity or ability to raise the funds necessary to settle conversions of the Notes or purchase the Notes as required upon a fundamental change, and our future debt may contain limitations on our ability to pay cash upon a purchase or conversion of the Notes.

Following certain potential events qualifying as a fundamental change under the indenture governing the Notes, including a change in control, holders of Notes will have the right to require us to purchase their Notes for cash. A fundamental change may also constitute an event of default or a prepayment event under, and result in the acceleration of the maturity of, our then-existing indebtedness. In addition, upon conversion of the Notes, unless we elect to deliver solely shares of our common stock to settle such conversion (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we will be required to make cash payments in respect of the Notes being converted. There is no assurance that we will have sufficient financial resources, or will be able to arrange financing, to pay the fundamental change purchase price or make cash payments upon conversion. In addition, restrictions in our then existing credit facilities or other indebtedness, if any, may not allow us to purchase the Notes upon a fundamental change or make cash payments upon conversion. Our failure to purchase the Notes upon a fundamental change or make cash payments upon conversion thereof when required would result in an event of default with respect to the Notes which could, in turn, constitute a default under the terms of our other indebtedness, if any. If the repayment of the related indebtedness were to be accelerated after any applicable notice or grace periods, we may not have sufficient funds to repay the indebtedness and purchase the Notes or make cash payments upon conversions thereof.

To the extent we issue shares of our common stock to satisfy all or a portion of the settlement of our Notes, conversions of the Notes will dilute the ownership interest of our existing shareholders, including holders who had previously converted their Notes into common stock.

To the extent we issue shares of our common stock to satisfy all or a portion of our conversion obligation pursuant to the Notes, the conversion of some or all of the Notes into common stock will dilute the ownership interests of our existing shareholders. Any sales in the public market of our common stock issuable upon such conversion could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock. In addition, the existence of the Notes may encourage short selling by market participants because the conversion of the Notes could depress the price of our common stock. 

The fundamental change purchase feature of our Notes may delay or prevent an otherwise beneficial attempt to take over our company. 

The terms of the Notes require us to offer to purchase the Notes for cash in the event of a fundamental change, as defined in the indenture agreement of the Notes. A non-stock takeover of the Company may trigger the requirement that we purchase the Notes. This feature may have the effect of delaying or preventing a takeover of the Company that would otherwise be beneficial to investors.

The accounting method for our Notes, which may be settled in cash, may have a material effect on our reported financial results. 

Under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options, which we refer to as ASC 470-20, an entity must separately account for the liability and equity components of the convertible debt instruments (such as the Notes) that may be settled entirely or partially in cash upon conversion in a manner that reflects the issuer’s economic interest cost. The effect of ASC 470-20 on the accounting for the Notes is that the equity component is required to be included in the additional paid-in capital section of shareholders’ equity on our consolidated balance sheet, and the value of the equity component would be treated as original issue discount for purposes of accounting for the debt component of the Notes. As a result, we will be required to record a greater amount of non-cash interest expense in current periods presented because of the amortization of the discounted carrying value of the Notes to their face amount over the term of the Notes. We will report lower net income (or greater net loss) in our financial results because ASC 470-20 requires interest to include both the current period’s amortization of the debt discount and the instrument’s coupon interest, which could adversely affect our reported or future financial results, and/or the market price of our common stock.

 

Convertible debt instruments (such as the Notes) that may be settled entirely or partly in cash are currently accounted for utilizing the treasury stock method if we have the ability and intent to settle in cash, the effect of which is that the shares issuable upon conversion of the Notes are not included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share except to the extent that the conversion value of the Notes exceeds their principal amount. Under the treasury stock method, for diluted earnings per share purposes, the transaction is accounted for as if the number of shares of common stock that would be necessary to settle such excess, if we elected to settle such excess in shares, are issued. We cannot be sure that we will be able to continue to demonstrate the ability or intent to settle in cash or that the accounting standards in the future will continue to permit the use of the treasury stock method. If we are unable to use the treasury stock method in accounting for the shares issuable upon conversion of the Notes, then our diluted earnings per share would be adversely affected.

 

Risks Associated with Certain Events, Environmental Issues and, Climate Change

Our operations and properties could be adversely affected in the event of natural disasters, pandemics, or other significant disruptions. 

Our corporate headquarters and many of our properties are located in Florida, where major hurricanes have occurred. We have income properties in California where earthquakes have occurred. We have income properties in other states or regions that experience similar or other natural disasters. Depending on where any hurricane makes landfall, our properties in Florida could experience significant damage. Similarly, should an earthquake occur in California, our properties there could incur significant damage. In addition, the occurrence and frequency of hurricanes in Florida could also negatively impact demand for our real estate assets because of consumer perceptions of hurricane risks. In addition to hurricanes, the occurrence of other natural disasters and climate conditions in Florida and other states, such as tornadoes, floods, fires, unusually heavy or prolonged rain, droughts, and heat waves, could have an adverse effect on our ability to develop properties or realize income from our properties. In addition to the various forms of natural disasters that could impact our operations and the performance of our income producing assets, pandemics occurring throughout the world could lead to disruptions in the global economy or significant economies throughout the world which could adversely impact our tenant’s operations, their ability to pay rent and consequently our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be adversely impacted. If a hurricane, earthquake, natural disaster, health pandemic or other similar significant disruption occurs, we may experience disruptions to our operations and damage to our properties, which could have an adverse effect on our business, our financing condition, our results of operations, and our cash flows.

Acts of violence, terrorist attacks or war may affect the markets in which the Company operates and adversely affect the Company’s results of operations and cash flows. 

Terrorist attacks or other acts of violence may negatively affect the Company’s operations. There can be no assurance that there will not be terrorist attacks against businesses within the United States. These attacks may directly impact the Company’s physical assets or business operations or the financial condition of its tenants, lenders or other institutions with which the Company has a relationship. The United States may be engaged in armed conflict, which could have an impact on these parties. The consequences of armed conflict are unpredictable, and the Company may not be able to foresee events that could have an adverse effect on its business. More generally, the occurrence of any of these events or the threat of these events, could cause consumer confidence and spending to decrease or result in increased volatility in the United States and worldwide financial markets and economies. They also could result in or cause an economic recession in the

United States or abroad. Any of these occurrences could have an adverse impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We may encounter environmental problems which require remediation or the incurrence of significant costs to resolve, which could adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Under various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations, we may be required to investigate and clean up certain hazardous or toxic substances released on or in properties we own or operate or that we previously owned or operated, and we may be required to pay other costs relating to hazardous or toxic substances or incur costs or obligations associated with wetland areas on our land holdings. Any such liability may be imposed without regard to whether the Company’s management had knowledge, were notified or were otherwise aware of the origination of the environmental or wetland issues or were responsible for their occurrence. The presence of environmental issues or the failure to remediate properly any such losses at any of our properties may adversely affect our ability to sell or lease those properties, or to borrow using those properties as collateral. The costs or liabilities could exceed the value of the affected real estate. The costs or liabilities associated with resolving environmental issues could be significant.

The uses of any of our income properties prior to our acquisition, and the building materials used in the construction of the property are among the property-specific factors that will affect how the environmental laws are applied to our properties. In general, before we acquire our income properties, independent environmental consultants are engaged to conduct Phase I environmental assessments, which generally do not involve invasive techniques such as soil or groundwater sampling.  Depending on the Phase I results, we may elect to obtain Phase II environmental assessments which do involve this type of sampling. There can be no assurance that environmental liabilities have not developed since these environmental assessments were performed or that future uses or conditions (including changes in applicable environmental laws and regulations) or new information about previously unidentified historical conditions will not result in the imposition of environmental liabilities.

If we are subject to any material costs or liabilities associated with environmental, our financial condition, results of operations and our cash flows could be adversely affected.

We are subject to certain risks associated with investing in real estate, including potential liabilities under environmental laws and risks of loss from weather conditions, man-made or natural disasters, climate change and terrorism.

Under various U.S. federal, state and local environmental laws, ordinances and regulations, a current or previous owner of real estate (including, in certain circumstances, a secured lender that succeeds to ownership or control of a property) may become liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances at, on, under or in its property. Those laws typically impose cleanup responsibility and liability without regard to whether the owner or control party knew of or was responsible for the release or presence of such hazardous or toxic substances. The costs of investigation, remediation or removal of those substances may be substantial. The owner or control party of a site may be subject to common law claims by third parties based on damages and costs resulting from environmental contamination emanating from a site. Certain environmental laws also impose liability in connection with the handling of or exposure to asbestos-containing materials, pursuant to which third parties may seek recovery from owners of real properties for personal injuries associated with asbestos-containing materials. While a secured lender is not likely to be subject to these forms of environmental liability, when we foreclose on real property, we become an owner and are subject to the risks of environmental liability. Additionally, our net lease assets require our tenants to undertake the obligation for environmental compliance and indemnify us from liability with respect thereto. There can be no assurance that our tenants will have sufficient resources to satisfy their obligations to us.

Weather conditions and man-made or natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, droughts, fires and other environmental conditions can damage properties we own. As of December 31, 2018, approximately 16% of the carrying value of our assets was located in the western and northwestern United States, geographic areas at higher risk for earthquakes. Additionally, we own properties located near the coastline and the value of our properties will potentially be subject to the risks associated with long-term effects of climate change. A significant number of our properties are located in major urban areas which, in recent years, have been high risk geographical areas for terrorism and threats of terrorism. Certain forms of terrorism including, but not limited to, nuclear, biological and chemical terrorism, political risks, environmental hazards and/or Acts of God may be deemed to fall completely outside the general coverage limits of our insurance policies or may be uninsurable or cost prohibitive to justify insuring against. Furthermore, if the U.S. Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act is repealed or not extended or renewed upon its expiration, the cost for terrorism insurance coverage may increase and/or the terms, conditions, exclusions, retentions, limits and sub-limits of such insurance may be materially amended, and may effectively decrease the scope and availability of such

insurance to the point where it is effectively unavailable. Future weather conditions, man-made or natural disasters, effects of climate change or acts of terrorism could adversely impact the demand for, and value of, our assets and could also directly impact the value of our assets through damage, destruction or loss, and could thereafter materially impact the availability or cost of insurance to protect against these events. Although we believe our owned real estate and the properties collateralizing our loan assets are adequately covered by insurance, we cannot predict at this time if we or our borrowers will be able to obtain appropriate coverage at a reasonable cost in the future, or if we will be able to continue to pass along all of the costs of insurance to our tenants. Any weather conditions, man-made or natural disasters, terrorist attack or effect of climate change, whether or not insured, could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, liquidity and the market price of our common stock. In addition, there is a risk that one or more of our property insurers may not be able to fulfill their obligations with respect to claims payments due to a deterioration in its financial condition.

The Company’s operations and financial condition may be adversely affected by climate change, including possible changes in weather patterns, weather-related events, government policy, laws, regulations, and economic conditions.

In recent years, the assessment of the potential impact of climate change has begun to impact the activities of government authorities, the pattern of consumer behavior, and other areas that impact the business environment in the United States including, but not limited to, energy-efficiency measures, water use measures, and land-use practices. The promulgation of policies, laws or regulations relating to climate change by governmental authorities in the U.S. and the markets in which the Company owns real estate may require the Company to invest additional capital in our income properties. In addition, the impact of climate change on businesses to whom the Company seeks to lease its income properties, or that may acquire land in the Land JV, is not reasonably determinable at this time. While not generally known at this time, climate change may impact weather patterns or the occurrence of significant weather events which could impact economic activity or the value of real estate in specific markets in which the Company owns its assets. The occurrence of any of these events or conditions may adversely impact the Company’s ability to lease its income properties or the Land JV’s ability to complete land transactions with potential buyers, which would adversely impact the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.  

Risks Associated with our Common Stock

The Company has several shareholders that beneficially own more than 5% of the Company’s outstanding common stock and exercise the related voting rights of those shares. Actions by these shareholders, including trading activity, could have a material adverse impact on the trading price of our stock.

Certain of our shareholders, specifically several institutional investment funds, each beneficially own more than 5% of the outstanding common stock of the Company. The daily trading activity in our stock is substantially lower, on average, than the total amount of shares owned by these shareholders. Any substantial trading activity executed by these large shareholders could have an adverse impact on the trading price of the Company’s stock which may impact our ability to raise capital through equity financing, which may adversely impact our ability to execute our business plan.  

The market value of the Company’s common stock is subject to various factors that may cause significant fluctuations or volatility.

As with other publicly-traded securities, the market price of the Company’s common stock and convertible notes depends on various factors, which may change from time to time and/or may be unrelated to the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows and such factors may cause significant fluctuations or volatility in the market price of the Company’s common stock. These factors include, but are likely not limited to, the following:

Other Operational Risks

Our operations could be negatively impacted by the loss of key management personnel. 

We believe our future success depends, to a significant extent, on the efforts of each member of the Company’s senior management and our ability to attract and retain key personnel. The loss of, or our inability to replace, any member of senior management could adversely affect our operations and our ability to execute our business strategies and thereby our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We maintain key man life insurance on our Chief Executive Officer, but we do not have key man life insurance policies on the other members of our senior management.

Uninsured losses may adversely affect the Company’s ability to pay outstanding indebtedness. 

The Company’s income-producing properties are generally covered by comprehensive liability, fire, and extended insurance coverage, typically paid by the tenant under the triple-net and double-net lease structure. The Company believes that the insurance carried on our properties is adequate and in accordance with industry standards. There are, however, types of losses (such as from hurricanes, earthquakes, floods or other types of natural disasters, or wars, terrorism, or other acts of violence) which may be uninsurable or the cost of insuring against these losses may not be economically justifiable. If an uninsured loss occurs or a loss exceeds policy limits, the Company could lose both its invested capital and anticipated revenues from the property, thereby reducing the Company’s cash flow, impairing the value of the impacted income properties and adversely impacting the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

We are highly dependent on information systems and certain third-party technology service providers, and systems failures not related to cyber-attacks or similar external attacks could significantly disrupt our business, which may, in turn, negatively affect the market price of our common stock and adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows. 

Our business is highly dependent on communications and information systems. Any failure or interruption of our systems or our networks could cause delays or other problems in our operations and communications. We rely heavily on our financial, accounting and other data processing systems. In addition, much of our information technology infrastructure is or may be managed by third parties and as such we also face the risk of operational failure, termination, or capacity constraints by any of these third parties with which we do business or that facilitate our business activities. It is difficult to determine what, if any, negative impact may directly result from any specific interruption or disruption of our networks or systems or any failure to maintain performance, reliability and security of our technological infrastructure, but significant events impacting our systems or networks could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and cash flows and negatively affect the market price of our common stock.

Cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents could adversely affect the Company’s business and disrupt operations.

Cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. These incidents can include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. The result of these incidents could include, but are not limited to, disrupted operations, misstated financial data, liability for stolen assets or information, increased cybersecurity protection costs, litigation, and reputational damage adversely affecting customer or investor confidence. Should any such cyber incidents or similar events occur, the Company’s assets, particularly cash, could be lost and, as a result, the Company’s ability to execute its business and strategy could be impaired, thereby adversely affecting its financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

We are required to make a number of judgments in applying accounting policies, and different estimates and assumptions could result in changes to our financial condition and results of operations.

Material estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant change underlie our determination of the reserve for loan losses, which is based primarily on the estimated fair value of loan collateral, as well as the valuation of real estate assets and deferred tax assets. While we have identified those accounting policies that are considered critical and have procedures in place to facilitate the associated judgments, different assumptions in the application of these policies could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance and results of operations and actual results may differ materially from our estimates.

Changes in accounting rules will affect our financial reporting.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") has issued new accounting standards that will affect our financial reporting.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses: Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments ("ASU 2016-13") which was issued to provide financial statement users with more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments held by a reporting entity. This amendment replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology in current GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. ASU 2016-13 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company adopted the changes to ASC 326, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses on January 1, 2020 and there was no material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases ("ASU 2016-02"), and in July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-11, Leases ("ASU 2018-11"), to address two requirements of ASU 2016-02. ASU 2016-02 and ASU 2018-11 are effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018. ASU 2016-02 requires the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities by lessees for those leases classified as operating or finance leases. For operating and finance leases, a lessee will be required to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability, initially measured at the present value of the lease payments, in its statement of financial position. Lessees under operating leases will be required to recognize a single lease cost, calculated so that the cost of the lease is allocated over the lease term generally on a straight-line basis, and classify all cash payments within operating activities in its statement of cash flows. Lessees under finance leases will be required to recognize interest expense on the lease liability (under the effective interest method) and amortization expense of the right-of-use asset (generally on a straight-line basis), each reflected separately in its statement of operations. At the beginning of the period of adoption, January 1, 2019, through a cumulative-effect adjustment, the Company increased right-of use assets and lease liabilities for operating leases for which the Company is the lessee. The amount of the adjustment totaled approximately $681,000 and was reflected as an increase in Other Assets and Accrued and Other Liabilities for corporate leases totaling approximately $473,000 and an increase in Assets Held for Sale and Liabilities Held for sale for golf operations segment leases totaling approximately $208,000. There were no adjustments related to the leases for which the Company is the lessor.

Management has decided to elect the practical expedient package that allows us: (a) to not reassess whether any expired or existing contracts entered into prior to January 1, 2019 are or contain leases; (b) to not reassess the lease classification for any expired or existing leases entered into prior to January 1, 2019; and (c) to not reassess initial direct costs for any expired or existing leases entered into prior to January 1, 2019. In addition, we will elect to not record on our consolidated balance sheets leases whose term is less than 12 months at lease inception.

ASU 2018-11 amends ASU 2016-02 so that: (a) entities may elect to not recast the comparative periods presented when transitioning to ASC 842 by allowing entities to change their initial application to the beginning of the period of adoption; and (b) provides lessors with a practical expedient to not separate non-lease components from the associated lease component of the contractual payments if certain conditions are met. Management has decided to elect both of these provisions.

Changes in accounting standards could affect the comparability of our reported results with prior periods and our ability to comply with financial covenants under our debt instruments. We may also need to change our accounting systems and processes to enable us to comply with the new standards, which may be costly.

For additional information regarding new accounting standards, refer to Item 7 to our consolidated financial statements under the heading "New Accounting Pronouncements.”

Actions of the U.S. government, including the U.S. Congress, Federal Reserve, U.S. Treasury and other governmental and regulatory bodies, to stabilize or reform the financial markets, or market responses to those actions, may not achieve the intended effect and may adversely affect our business.

The U.S government, including the U.S. Congress, the Federal Reserve, the U.S Treasury and other governmental and regulatory bodies have increased their focus on the regulation of the financial industry in recent years. New or modified regulations and related regulatory guidance may have unforeseen or unintended adverse effects on the financial industry. Laws, regulations or policies, including tax laws and accounting standards and interpretations, currently affecting us may change at any time. Regulatory authorities may also change their interpretation of these statutes and regulations. Therefore, our business may also be adversely affected by future changes in laws, regulations, policies or interpretations or regulatory approaches to compliance and enforcement.

Various legislative bodies have also considered altering the existing framework governing creditors' rights and mortgage products including legislation that would result in or allow loan modifications of various sorts. Such legislation may change the operating environment in substantial and unpredictable ways. We cannot predict whether new legislation will be enacted, and if enacted, the effect that it or any regulations would have on our activities, financial condition, or results of operations.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, all public accommodations and commercial facilities must meet certain federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons, compliance with which may be costly.

Compliance with the ADA requirements could involve modifications to our income properties or the Club or golf assets. Other federal, state and local laws may require modifications to or restrict further renovations of our income properties. Although we believe that our income properties are sufficiently in compliance with current requirements, noncompliance with the ADA or related laws or regulations could result in the imposition of governmental fines or in the award to private litigants of damages against us. Costs such as these, as well as the general costs of compliance with these laws or regulations, may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

The impact of financial reform legislation and legislation promulgated thereunder on us is uncertain.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), enacted in 2010, instituted a wide range of reforms that will have an impact on all financial institutions. Many of the requirements called for in the Dodd-Frank Act will be implemented over time, most of which will be subject to implementing regulations over the course of several years. Many of these regulations have yet to be promulgated or are only recently promulgated. In addition, President Donald J. Trump has promised and issued several executive orders intended to relieve the financial burden created by the Dodd-Frank Act, although these executive orders only set forth several general principles to be followed by the federal agencies and do not mandate the wholesale repeal of the Dodd-Frank Act. Given the uncertainty associated with the manner in which the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act will be implemented by the various regulatory agencies and through regulations, the full impact such requirements will have on our business, results of operations or financial condition is unclear. The changes resulting from the Dodd-Frank Act may require us to invest significant management attention and resources to evaluate and make necessary changes in order to comply with new statutory and regulatory requirements. Failure to comply with any such laws, regulations or principles, or changes thereto, may negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition. While we cannot predict what effect any changes in the laws or regulations or their interpretations would have on us, these changes could be materially adverse to us and our unitholders.

The Company’s failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could have a material adverse effect on its business, operating results, and price of our common stock.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”) as amended or modified from time to time, requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. If the Company fails to maintain the adequacy of its internal control over financial reporting, the Company may not be able to ensure that it can conclude on an ongoing basis that it has effective internal control over financial reporting and therefore would likely not be in compliance with SOX. An effective system of internal controls over financial reporting, particularly those related to revenue recognition, are necessary for the Company to prepare and produce reliable financial reports and to maintain its qualification as a public company and are important in reducing the risk of financial fraud. If the Company cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, its business and operating results could be harmed, qualification as a public company listed on the NYSE American stock exchange could be jeopardized, investors could lose confidence in the Company’s reported financial information, and the market price of the Company’s common stock could drop significantly.

If we are unable to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or our internal control over financial reporting is not effective, the reliability of our financial statements may be questioned, and the market price of our common stock may suffer.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires any company subject to the reporting requirements of the U.S. securities laws to do a comprehensive evaluation of its and its consolidated subsidiaries’ internal control over financial reporting. The rules governing the standards that must be met for management to assess our internal control over financial reporting are complex and require significant documentation, testing and possible remediation to meet the detailed standards under the rules. During the course of its testing, our management may identify material weaknesses or deficiencies which may not be remedied in time to meet the deadline imposed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. If our management cannot favorably assess the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting or our auditors

identify material weaknesses in our internal controls, investors may lose confidence in our reported financial results and the market price of our common stock may decline.

We are subject to substantial regulation and numerous contractual obligations and internal policies, and failure to comply with these provisions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to substantial regulation and numerous contractual obligations and internal policies. We are subject to regulation by the SEC, the NYSE, and other federal, state and local or international governmental bodies and agencies or self-regulatory organizations. Moreover, we are also responsible for managing or assisting with the regulatory aspects of PINE’s compliance with applicable REIT rules. The level of regulation and supervision to which we and PINE are subject varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and is based on the type of business activity involved. The regulations to which we and PINE are subject are extensive, complex and require substantial management time and attention. Our failure or PINE’s failure to comply with any of the regulations, contractual obligations or policies applicable to it may subject us to extensive investigations, as well as substantial penalties and reputational risk, and our business and operations could be materially adversely affected. Our lack of compliance with applicable law could result in, among other things, our inability to enforce contracts, our default under contracts (including our management agreements with PINE) and our ineligibility to contract with and receive revenue from PINE. We have numerous contractual obligations with which we must comply on a continuous basis to operate our business, the default of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. We have established internal policies designed to ensure that we manage our business in accordance with applicable law and regulation and in accordance with our contractual obligations. These internal policies may not be effective in all regards; and, if we fail to comply with our internal policies, we could be subjected to additional risk and liability.

Employee misconduct could harm us by subjecting us to significant legal liability, reputational harm and loss of business.

There is a risk that our employees could engage in misconduct that adversely affects our business. We are subject to a number of obligations and standards arising from our business and our authority over PINE or the ventures we manage. The violation of these obligations and standards by any of our employees may adversely affect PINE or the ventures we manage and us. Our business often requires that we deal with confidential matters of great significance to PINE and the ventures we manage. If our employees improperly use or disclose confidential information, we and PINE or the ventures we manage could suffer serious harm to our and its reputation, financial position and current and future business relationships and face potentially significant litigation. It is not always possible to detect or deter employee misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in all cases. If any of our employees were to engage in or be accused of misconduct, our business and our reputation could be adversely affected. Misconduct by an employee might rise to the level of a default that would permit PINE or the ventures we manage to terminate the management agreements with us for cause and without paying a termination fee, which could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Significant legal proceedings may adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition.

We are subject to the risk of litigation, derivative claims, securities class actions, regulatory and governmental investigations and other litigation including proceedings arising from investor dissatisfaction with our operating performance. If any claims were brought against us and resulted in a finding of substantial legal liability, the finding could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations or cause significant reputational harm to us, which could significantly adversely impact our business. Allegations of improper conduct by private litigants or regulators, regardless of veracity, may harm our reputation, and adversely impact our ability to grow our business or maintain our management of PINE or the ventures in which we have a financial interest.

The Company’s ability to pay dividends in the future is subject to many factors. 

The Company has consistently paid a dividend since 1976. Payment of the Company’s dividend depends upon the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.  The Company’s ability to continue to pay dividends may be adversely impacted if any of the events or conditions associated with the risks described in this section were to occur.

ITEM 1B.            UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS  

None.

ITEM 2.              PROPERTIES

As of December 31, 2019, the Company owns the following properties: (i) twenty-nine buildings occupied by single-tenants located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington; (ii) five multi-tenant properties located in Florida and Texas; (iii) full or fractional subsurface oil, gas, and mineral interests underlying approximately 455,000 “surface acres” in 20 counties in Florida; and (iv) a six-acre parcel of land in downtown Daytona Beach, Florida. Please refer to Item 1. “Business” for a more detailed discussion of our properties.

ITEM 3.              LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

From time to time, the Company may be a party to certain legal proceedings, incidental to the normal course of our business. While the outcome of the legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty, the Company does not expect that these proceedings will have a material effect upon our financial condition or results of operations.

On November 21, 2011, the Company, Indigo Mallard Creek LLC and Indigo Development LLC, as owners of the property leased to Harris Teeter, Inc. (“Harris Teeter”) in Charlotte, North Carolina, were served with pleadings filed in the General Court of Justice, Superior Court Division for Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, for a highway condemnation action involving this property. The proposed road modifications would impact access to the property. The Company does not believe the road modifications provided a basis for Harris Teeter to terminate the lease. Regardless, in January 2013, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (“NCDOT”) proposed to redesign the road modifications to keep the all access intersection open for ingress with no change to the planned limitation on egress to the right-in/right-out only. Additionally, NCDOT and the City of Charlotte proposed to build and maintain a new access road/point into the property. Construction has begun and is not expected to be completed until 2020. Harris Teeter has expressed satisfaction with the redesigned project and indicated that it will not attempt to terminate its lease if this project is built as currently redesigned. Because the redesigned project will not be completed until 2020, the condemnation case has been placed in administrative closure. As a result, the trial and mediation will not likely be scheduled until requested by the parties, most likely in 2021.

ITEM 4.              MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5.              MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS, AND ISSUER REPURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

COMMON STOCK PRICES AND DIVIDENDS

The Company’s common stock trades on the NYSE American stock exchange under the symbol “CTO”. The Company has paid dividends on a continuous basis since 1976, the year in which its initial dividends were paid. The following table summarizes aggregate annual dividends, which were paid quarterly, per share during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018:

The level of future dividends will be subject to an ongoing review of the Company’s operating results and financial position and, among other factors, the overall economy, with an emphasis on our local real estate market and our capital needs.

Indicated below are high and low sales prices of our stock for each full quarter within the last two fiscal years. All quotations represent actual transactions.  

The number of shareholders of record as of February 28, 2020 (without regard to shares held in nominee or street name) was 291. Many of the Company’s shares of common stock are held by brokers and institutions on behalf of stockholders, the Company is unable to estimate the total number of stockholders represented by these record holders.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

There were no unregistered sales of equity securities during the year ended December 31, 2019 which were not previously reported.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The following share repurchases were made during the year ended December 31, 2019:

STOCK PERFORMANCE GRAPH

COMPARISON OF 5-YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*

Among Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co., the NYSE American Composite Index, and Two Peer Groups

The following performance graph shows a comparison of cumulative total shareholder return from a $100 investment in stock of the Company over the five-year period ending December 31, 2019, with the cumulative shareholder return of the following: (i) the NYSE American Composite Index, a real estate industry index provided by Research Data Group; (ii) a peer group of companies that consists of Agree Realty, Cedar Realty Trust, Five Point Holdings, Four Corners Property Trust Inc., Getty Realty Corp., Lexington Realty Trust, One Liberty Properties, Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc., The St. Joe Company, Stratus Properties Inc., Tejon Ranch Company, Trinity Place Holdings, Urstadt Biddle Properties, and Whitestone REIT (collectively the “2019 Peer Group”); and (iii) a peer group of companies that consists of Agree Realty, Cedar Realty Trust, Four Corners Property Trust Inc., Farmland Partners, Getty Realty Corp., HomeFed Corporation, Lexington Realty Trust, One Liberty Properties, Stratus Properties Inc., Tejon Ranch Company, The St. Joe Company, Urstadt Biddle Properties, Wheeler REIT, and Whitestone REIT (collectively the “2018 Peer Group”). The Company adjusted its peer group in 2019, and therefore the performance graph disclosures, because the Company believes the 2019 Peer Group better reflects a mix of public companies that is reasonably comparable to the businesses of the Company, including the investment in and operation of income-producing properties and real estate operations, including land ownership. 

ISSUER REPURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

In early 2017, the Company established a new $10 million stock repurchase program (the “$10 Million Repurchase Program”), in addition to the remaining approved repurchases under a prior plan totaling approximately $2.6 million. The Company completed repurchases totaling approximately $7.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2017. On July 18, 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an increase of approximately $7.1 million to the stock repurchase program, refreshing the total program to an aggregate of $10 million (the “2018 Increase”), as the Company had completed

repurchases prior the 2018 Increase. Including repurchases under the 2018 Increase, the Company repurchased a total of 168,602 shares of its common stock on the open market for a total cost of approximately $9.8 million, or an average price per share of $58.35, during the year ended December 31, 2018. In January 2019, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an increase of $10.0 million to the stock repurchase program, refreshing the total program to an aggregate of $10 million. As of the quarter ended September 30, 2019 the Company had repurchased 211,736 shares for approximately $12.7 million. In April 2019 the Company’s Board approved the repurchase of a block of shares from the Company’s largest shareholder whereby the Company repurchased 320,741 shares for approximately $18.4 million, or $57.50 per share. In November 2019 the Company’s Board approved a new $10 million buyback program. During the fourth quarter of 2019 the Company repurchased 158,625 shares for approximately $10 million, or $63.04 per share. The shares of the Company’s common stock repurchased during each of the aforementioned years through the year ended December 31, 2019 were returned to the Company’s treasury.