A Tennessee agricultural concern that has twice made unsuccessful runs at U.S. Sugar is taking a third swing at it, offering an unsolicited buyout offer for the Clewiston company and farm fields the state covets for planned Everglades restoration.

The emergence of a new, unexpected bidder adds yet another complication to the state's proposed purchase of 181,000 acres from Florida's biggest sugar grower, in what would be the largest and most complex conservation land buy in state history.

But it won't necessarily derail it.

The Lawrence Group, a company with a string of farms, packing houses and distribution centers across the nation, said in a statement it was committed to working with water managers on the environmental land deal at a ''fraction of the $1.34 billion price tag'' the state is considering paying U.S. Sugar.

The Lawrence Group argues that while the overall value of its bid -- $300 per share, or about $600 million -- is smaller than the state offer, it has advantages for U.S. Sugar shareholders, taxpayers and farmworkers fearful of losing jobs.

'This deal is a `win-win' for everyone,'' Gaylon Lawrence Jr., who runs the company with his father, Gaylon Lawrence Sr., said in a press release. The company did not indicate how much of U.S. Sugar's acreage it would be willing to put on the table.

While water managers have not yet developed a plan for reservoirs and pollution treatment marshes envisioned to supplant the fields, they have said they won't need all the land and intend to sell the rest to recoup costs. Environmentalist have argued that as much 130,000 acres is needed for restoration -- twice some district estimates.

Randy Smith, a spokesman for the district, said water managers met with The Lawrence Group once last month to discuss general Everglades restoration goals and that negotiations were continuing only with U.S. Sugar.

Robert Coker, a U.S. Sugar vice president, said the company had not received any formal offer but that directors and some stockholders had received a letter ''expressing its interest'' in acquiring all the U.S. Sugar stock.

''Our directors and some of our stockholders have received a letter from The Lawrence Group expressing its interest in acquiring all the stock of U.S. Sugar Corporation,'' he said.

Coker said the privately held company would request details from Lawrence and review them. U.S. Sugar's board rejected two previous offers from Lawrence of $293 a share in 2005 and 2007, drawing a still-pending lawsuit from workers and retirees who argued that company executives never told them about the offers.

Lawrence spokesman Todd Templin said the new offer was prompted by U.S. Sugar's initial decision to sell all its assets to the state for $1.75 billion. That deal has since been scaled back to land only.

Lawrence argues its deal is better for employee-shareholders because they could pocket $300 now. Under the state offer, U.S. Sugar has told them they would get as much as $365 a share, Lawrence says, but not until 2016 because U.S. Sugar will lease back most of its land and continue farming for seven years or more.

''This is not a hostile bid,'' Lawrence said in the statement. ``U.S. Sugar should appreciate an option that provides the highest possible return to their shareholders. Let the shareholders decide.''

Join the discussion

Note: If this is your first time using our NEW commenting system, you will have to LOG OUT and then LOG BACK IN.

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.CommentBody@

@Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@