Steve Hyatt Of Berger Commercial Realty Facilitates Sale Of Spyke’s Groves And Tropical Nursery

Berger Commercial Realty/Corfac International Senior Vice President Stephen Hyatt represented Sellers Davie Tropical Fruit Company, LLC (Parcel 1) and Peter D. Spyke, as Trustee of the Marion O. Spyke Revocable Trust (Parcel 2), in the sale of Spyke’s Groves And Tropical Nursery located at 7250 Griffin Road in Davie.

National Homebuilder D R Horton, Inc. paid $8,052,750 for a large undeveloped parcel at the former nursery and farmer’s market retail store location totaling 18.6 acres, equating to nearly $433,000 per acre.

The transaction closed June 27.

D R  Horton plans to build 51 townhouses and 35 single family homes surrounding a 4-acre lake on the property. Additional amenities include a community pool and playground.

According to the company’s website, H.L. Spyke and a friend from the Navy founded the family business in 1946 under the name Garner & Spyke Fruit Co. in downtown Fort Lauderdale. When Mr. Spyke’s partner left that year, his son Harry H. joined the business, which then became H.L. Spyke & Son Fruit Co. In 1950, the grove in Davie was purchased in an effort to maintain a consistent supply of fresh fruit for the downtown business. People began stopping at the fruit plantation instead of driving into town as Ft. Lauderdale boomed. The grove’s popularity among visitors and residents led to the sale of the downtown location and the concentration of all efforts at the Davie location. When a nearby zoo closed, Spyke and his family took in the homeless animals, which increased the local draw. For a very long time, black bears Toby the Bear and JoJo the Bear entertained tourists from all over the world. After his father passed away in 1959, Harry H. took over the company. He changed its name to “Spyke’s Grove” and guided the company toward new growth. “You just can’t get [it] up north,” people said as they came by to fill their cars up with fresh Spyke’s Citrus. This developed into the gift-delivery of oranges and grapefruit.

“There are very few large development sites available for home development in Broward County,” explained Hyatt. “DR Horton’s project will provide much needed new housing stock geared primarily for young families.”