BusinessTN

In 2008, debt-distressed U.S. Sugar agreed to sell its 181,000 acres of farmland to the state of Florida for $1.34 billion. The deal, which has since been amended to roughly half that size, is part of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's effort to restore the Florida Everglades.

It has been praised by environmental groups such as the Everglades Foundation, but it has also drawn its fair share of criticism from lawmakers and other sugar growers, who cite the high cost to taxpayers and an unfair advantage for privately owned U.S. Sugar. (The company would be able to lease the land from the government for seven years for what critics say is below market value.)

"It's an ongoing saga, and every day there's a new twist or turn," says Barbara Miedema, vice president of public affairs and communications for Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida, which is made up of 47 sugar cane farmers in Palm Beach County.

With politicians, environmentalists, millions of dollars and thousands of acres involved, it's safe to say the conclusion of this particular saga is anyone's guess. But for members of Tennessee's business community, the most interesting development occurred months ago, when Nashville-based businessman Gaylon Lawrence Jr. and his father, Gaylon Lawrence Sr., (together known as The Lawrence Group) put their own bid on the table. In doing so, the father-and-son duo with a preference for staying under the radar and out of the headlines landed squarely in the Sunshine State's media spotlight as players in a highly publicized and politicized story.

Their roughly $600 million bid for U.S. Sugar in November wasn't their first try--the Lawrences also made bids to buy U.S. Sugar in 2005 and 2007. But for Middle Tennesseans who know Lawrence Jr. only as owner and vice chairman of Tennessee Bank & Trust, the very presence of The Lawrence Group at the table was worth noting.
Though Gaylon and his father own four other community banks in Missouri and Arkansas, The Lawrence Group is not just in the banking business. For starters, its holdings also include US Air Conditioning Distributors, a heating and air conditioning distributor with almost $600 million in sales and operations in California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona and Florida.

But for the Lawrences, the pursuit of U.S. Sugar comes down to their love of agriculture. Lawrence Sr. got his start on his father's small farm in Missouri and expanded the farming business from there. Today, The Lawrence Group owns about 165,000 acres in Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi and Florida--making it one of the largest family farming enterprises in the
United States.

About nine years ago, Lawrence Sr. ventured into the world of Florida citrus, purchasing a small grove because, Lawrence Jr. says, "he was looking for something to do in the winter in Florida [where he now spends most of his time]." Today, The Lawrence Group's holdings include Premier Citrus, one of the state's most dominant citrus-producing businesses.

For a farmer, the soil's the thing. "Some of the best soils in the world are out there in Lake Okeechobee," Lawrence Jr. says. "It grows wonderful sugar cane but can grow lots and lots of things. You can't be as involved or in love with farm land as much as we are and not appreciate that."

If the Lawrences get their wish, they'll own a large chunk of that soil, along with the country's largest producer of cane sugar, (which, by the way, is also a major producer of oranges). Lawrence Jr. says it will probably be summer before there's some resolution. And though the media attention is a bit more than they bargained for, they're still hoping the outcome is sweet.