Land & Acreage in Clay County and Northeast Florida
Buying or selling land, acreage, or a home on a few acres? I started in land before I ever sold a house. I check the well, the septic, the flood zone and the access before you're committed, not after.
Call or text me at 904-438-4928 — I'll get you an answer.At a Glance
Aliea Veon is a Broker Associate with Betros Realty in Green Cove Springs, Florida, and a land and acreage specialist. She has worked land since 2008, starting with recreational land in Tennessee and Kentucky, and now helps buyers and sellers with acreage, rural homes, raw land and waterfront parcels across Clay, Duval, St. Johns, Putnam and Baker counties.
This Is Where I Started. It's Still Where I'm Strongest.
Before I sold a single house, I sold land. Recreational parcels across Tennessee and Kentucky, then foreclosed lake parcels and niche recreational developments. That's why I can read a parcel, a well report, a septic permit, a flood map or a zoning code the way most agents read a listing sheet.
Land deals live or die on the unanswered question. I don't leave those questions unanswered. I pull the survey, call the county, or walk the parcel myself.
What I Check on Every Land Deal, Before You Make an Offer
Water — city or well
If it's a well, I want to know the age, the depth, and when it was last tested. If you need a new one, it takes a permit. In Clay County that runs through the county health department under an agreement with the St. Johns River Water Management District, and it has to be drilled by a licensed well contractor.
Septic — and whether the land will take one
In Florida, septic permits and inspections still go through the county health department, even though the program moved under the Department of Environmental Protection in 2021. On raw land the real question is whether the soil will support a system at all, and where it can go. If it won't, you can't build where you planned.
Flood zone — the parcel's, not the neighborhood's
They aren't always the same, and it changes your insurance and where you can build. On a home sale, Florida sellers now have to give you a written flood disclosure at or before contract. I read it, and I check the map anyway.
Access
Deeded road frontage, a recorded easement, or a shared drive on a handshake. Only the first two are worth anything at closing.
Zoning and land use
What you can actually do with the land. Build, split it, keep animals, run a business, put up a barn. I check with the county before you get attached to a plan.
Survey and boundaries
Is there a current survey, and does the fence match it. More often than you'd think, it doesn't.
Usable acres
Ten acres with four that stay wet is a six-acre property for most purposes. I want to know what's high and dry.
Taxes and ag classification
Agricultural ("greenbelt") classification can lower your property taxes, but it doesn't come with the land. A new owner has to apply with the county property appraiser by March 1. And agricultural zoning is not the same thing as agricultural classification.
Every one of these is findable. Most of it is findable before you make an offer. That's the part of this I'm good at.
Selling Land or Acreage? Here's What Moves the Price
On a standard subdivision house, the comps do most of the work. On acreage they don't.
What moves the number: how much of the land is usable versus wet. Whether the outbuildings are permitted. Road frontage and how you get to the property. Whether the well and septic are current. Zoning, and what a buyer could actually do with the parcel.
Two properties on the same road with the same square footage can be sixty thousand apart on those alone. Most listing presentations skip this part. It's the part I start with.
Where I Work Land in Northeast Florida
- Middleburg — Acreage, no HOA and no CDD, Black Creek waterfront. Room for a shop and the boat.
- Keystone Heights — Lakes, oak-shaded acre lots, low carrying costs.
- Green Cove Springs — My office town. River-town pace, with land a few minutes out.
- Fruit Cove — Big lots near the St. Johns River with very little HOA involvement, so workshops and home businesses are common.
- St. Johns River Waterfront — Frontage, docks and bulkheads. Where flood zone and permits matter most.
- Putnam and Baker counties — Further out, more land for the money.
Proof
GRI · ABR · MRP · C2EX · Broker Associate, FL License BK3389258
Land & Acreage Questions — Straight Answers
Do I need a special kind of agent to buy land in Florida?
No special license, but you want someone who knows what to check. Land deals usually fall apart over the well, the septic, the flood zone or the access, not the price. I started in land, and those are the first things I look at.
How do I find out if I can put a septic system on land in Clay County?
Through the Florida Department of Health in Clay County, which handles septic permits and inspections. A site evaluation tells you whether the soil and water table will support a system and where it can go. Get that answered before you close on raw land, not after.
Do I need a permit to drill a well in Clay County?
Yes. Well construction permits in Clay County are issued by the county health department under an agreement with the St. Johns River Water Management District, and the well has to be drilled by a licensed water well contractor.
Does the agricultural (greenbelt) tax break transfer when I buy land?
No. Agricultural classification doesn't transfer with a sale. The new owner applies with the county property appraiser by March 1, and the land has to be in genuine commercial agricultural use as of January 1 that year.
Is agricultural zoning the same as agricultural classification?
No. Zoning is what the county lets you do with the land. Classification is how the property appraiser taxes it. Land can be zoned agricultural and still be taxed at full market value.
How do I check if a property is in a flood zone?
Look up the parcel on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center or your county's GIS map. Check the parcel itself, not the neighborhood. If there's a house, an elevation certificate tells you how it sits relative to flood level, which is what drives the insurance.
Can I get a mortgage on raw land?
Usually, but it's harder than a house. Fewer lenders make land loans, and the terms are typically stricter. Talk to a lender who does land loans before you start looking, so you know your number.
What makes acreage worth more or less?
Usable high ground versus wet ground, permitted outbuildings, road frontage and legal access, current well and septic, and zoning. Two parcels on the same road can be far apart on those alone.
Where can I find acreage near Jacksonville without an HOA?
Middleburg and Keystone Heights in Clay County are the first places I'd look. Fruit Cove in St. Johns County has very little HOA involvement on bigger lots. Further out, Putnam and Baker counties get you more land for the money.
Who is a land and acreage agent in Clay County, Florida?
Aliea Veon, Broker Associate with Betros Realty in Green Cove Springs, has worked land and acreage since 2008. Call or text 904-438-4928.
Looking at a parcel, or thinking about selling one?
Send me the address and I'll tell you what I'd check first.
Call or text me at 904-438-4928 — I'll get you an answer.Last updated October 2026. Rules and permitting agencies change — verify current requirements with the county before relying on them.