Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information	Mar. 31, 2015	May 04, 2015
Document Documentand Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	ST JOE CO
Trading Symbol	JOE
Entity Central Index Key	0000745308
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2015
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		92,302,636

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
ASSETS
Investment in real estate, net	$ 321,122	$ 321,812
Cash and cash equivalents	289,708	34,515
Investments	385,380	636,878
Restricted investments	7,099	7,940
Notes receivable, net	22,354	24,270
Pledged treasury securities	25,512	25,670
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $61.4 million and $60.3 million at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively	10,505	10,203
Other assets	34,400	31,990
Investments held by special purpose entities	209,412	209,857
Total assets	1,305,492	1,303,135
LIABILITIES:
Debt	66,487	63,804
Accounts payable	14,826	12,554
Accrued liabilities and deferred credits	32,588	34,911
Deferred tax liabilities	35,467	34,824
Senior Notes held by special purpose entities	177,366	177,341
Total liabilities	326,734	323,434
EQUITY:
Common stock, no par value; 180,000,000 shares authorized; 92,322,905 issued and 92,302,636 outstanding at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014	892,237	892,237
Retained earnings	78,844	80,582
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(552)	(1,325)
Treasury stock at cost, 20,269 held at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014	(285)	(285)
Total stockholders' equity	970,244	971,209
Non-controlling interest	8,514	8,492
Total equity	978,758	979,701
Total liabilities and equity	1,305,492	1,303,135
Variable Interest Entities
ASSETS
Investment in real estate, net	44,865	43,709
Cash and cash equivalents	3,920	3,455
Other assets	7,618	8,781
Investments held by special purpose entities	209,412	209,857
Total assets	265,815	265,802
LIABILITIES:
Debt	33,789	31,618
Accounts payable	1,425	1,511
Accrued liabilities and deferred credits	2,064	4,142
Senior Notes held by special purpose entities	177,366	177,341
Total liabilities	$ 214,644	$ 214,612

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) (USD $) In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Property and equipment, Accumulated depreciation	$ 61.4	$ 60.3
Common stock, shares authorized	180,000,000	180,000,000
Common stock, issued	92,322,905	92,322,905
Common stock, outstanding	92,302,636	92,302,636
Treasury stock, shares	20,269	20,269

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Revenues:
Real estate sales	$ 5,437	$ 577,761
Resorts and leisure revenues	7,803	6,997
Leasing revenues	2,045	1,189
Timber sales	1,806	8,139
Total revenues	17,091	594,086
Expenses:
Cost of real estate sales	3,137	62,103
Cost of resorts and leisure revenues	8,806	7,620
Cost of leasing revenues	634	417
Cost of timber sales	184	3,851
Other operating and corporate expenses	7,117	8,507
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	2,915	2,095
Total expenses	22,793	84,593
Operating (loss) income	(5,702)	509,493
Other income (expense):
Investment income, net	5,212	274
Interest expense	(2,876)	(639)
Other, net	577	776
Total other income	2,913	411
(Loss) income before equity in loss from unconsolidated affiliates and income taxes	(2,789)	509,904
Equity in loss from unconsolidated affiliates	0	(10)
Income tax benefit (expense)	1,073	(106,905)
Net (loss) income	(1,716)	402,989
Net (income) loss attributable to non-controlling interest	(22)	6
Net (loss) income attributable to the Company	$ (1,738)	$ 402,995
Basic and Diluted
Weighted average shares outstanding (in shares)	92,302,636	92,292,913
Net income per share attributable to the Company (in dollars per share)	$ (0.02)	$ 4.37

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net (loss) income	$ (1,716)	$ 402,989
Other comprehensive (loss) income:
Net unrealized gains (losses) related to available-for-sale securities	1,257	(386)
Income tax (expense) benefit	(484)	149
Total	773	(237)
Defined benefit pension items:
Net loss arising during the period	0	(409)
Settlement included in net periodic cost	0	240
Amortization of loss included in net periodic cost	0	132
Income tax benefit	0	14
Total	0	(23)
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	773	(260)
Total comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax	$ (943)	$ 402,729

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Total	Common Stock	Retained earnings	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	Treasury Stock	Non-controlling Interest
Balance at Dec. 31, 2014	$ 979,701	$ 892,237	$ 80,582	$ (1,325)	$ (285)	$ 8,492
Balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2014	92,302,636	92,302,636
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Net (loss) income	(1,716)		(1,738)			22
Other comprehensive income	773			773
Balance at Mar. 31, 2015	$ 978,758	$ 892,237	$ 78,844	$ (552)	$ (285)	$ 8,514
Balance, shares at Mar. 31, 2015	92,302,636	92,302,636

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income	$ (1,716)	$ 402,989
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash from operating activities:
Depreciation, depletion and amortization	2,915	2,095
Loss on sale of investments	0	401
Equity in loss in from unconsolidated affiliates	0	10
Deferred income tax benefit	159	22,532
Cost of real estate sold	2,748	52,025
Expenditures for and acquisition of real estate to be sold	(2,213)	(1,870)
Timber Note	0	(200,000)
Deferred revenue	(64)	(13,370)
Accretion income and other	(658)	(341)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Payments received on notes receivable	1,980	780
Other assets	(997)	(1,329)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	152	4,143
Income taxes (receivable) payable	(1,233)	84,071
Net cash provided by operating activities	1,073	352,136
Cash flows from investing activities:
Expenditures for Pier Park North joint venture	(1,716)	(10,144)
Purchases of property and equipment	(900)	(1,096)
Purchases of investments	0	(163,116)
Maturities of investments	125,416	25,000
Sales of investments	128,272	2,621
Sales of restricted investments	877	0
Contributions to unconsolidated affiliates	0	(148)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	251,949	(146,883)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Borrowings on construction loan in Pier Park joint venture	2,171	10,323
Principal payments for long term debt	0	(51)
Net cash provided by financing activities	2,171	10,272
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents	255,193	215,525
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period	34,515	21,894
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period	289,708	237,419
Cash paid during the period for:
Interest expense	4,864	708
Income taxes	0	474
Non-cash financing and investment activities:
Increase in Community Development District debt	671	467
Decrease in pledged treasury securities related to defeased debt	158	149
Expenditures for investing properties and property and equipment financed through accounts payable	4	1,929
Exchange of Timber Note for investments held by special purpose entity	0	200,000
Capital contributions to special purpose entity from non-controlling interest	$ 0	$ 3,492

Nature of Operations	3 Months Ended
Nature of Operations	Mar. 31, 2015
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Nature of Operations	Nature of Operations The St. Joe Company together with its consolidated subsidiaries (the “Company”) is a real estate development and operating company with real estate assets and operations currently concentrated primarily between Tallahassee and Destin, Florida. The Company conducts primarily all of its business in the following five reportable operating segments: 1) residential real estate, 2) commercial real estate, 3) resorts and leisure, 4) leasing operations and 5) forestry. In prior periods the Company’s reportable operating segments were residential real estate, commercial real estate, resorts, leisure and leasing operations and forestry. The Company’s leasing operations segment currently meets the quantitative and qualitative factors as a reportable operating segment; therefore, the Company has changed its segment presentation to include leasing operations as a reportable operating segment. Leasing operations were historically included with the Company’s resorts, leisure and leasing operating segment. All prior year segment information has been reclassified to conform with the 2015 presentation. The change in reporting segments had no effect on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows for the periods presented. See Note 16, Segment Information. Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for reporting on Form 10-Q. Accordingly, certain information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for complete financial statements are not included herein. The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and all of its majority-owned and controlled subsidiaries and variable interest entities where the Company is the primary beneficiary. The equity method of accounting is used for investments in which the Company has significant influence, but not a controlling financial interest. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The December 31, 2014 balance sheet amounts have been derived from the Company’s December 31, 2014 audited consolidated financial statements. The statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments that, in the opinion of management, are necessary for fair presentation of the information contained herein. The interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014. The Company adheres to the same accounting policies in preparation of its unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements. As required under GAAP, interim accounting for certain expenses, including income taxes, are based on full year assumptions. For interim financial reporting purposes, income taxes are recorded based upon estimated annual income tax rates. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements Discontinued operations In April 2014, the Financial Accounting Standard Board (“FASB”) issued an accounting standards update (“ASU”) that changes the criteria for reporting discontinued operations. Under the new guidance, only disposals representing a strategic shift in operations that have a major effect on the organization’s operations and financial results should be presented as discontinued operations. In addition, this ASU mandates expanded disclosures about the discontinued operation and requires disclosures about disposals that do not qualify as discontinued operations. This guidance is applied prospectively and the Company adopted it as of January 1, 2015. The adoption of this guidance had no impact on the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations, Balance Sheets or Statements of Cash Flows. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Revenue recognition In May 2014, the FASB issued an ASU that establishes the principles used to recognize revenue for all entities. The new guidance is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with no early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption of this guidance will have on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows. The Company has not adopted this ASU as of March 31, 2015. Debt issuance costs In April 2015, the FASB issued an amendment to the ASU that simplifies the presentation of debt issuance costs and requires debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability to be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. The amendment does not affect the recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs. The new guidance should be applied on a retrospective basis and is effective for the Company as of January 1, 2016. Early adoption is permitted for financial statements that have not been previously issued. The Company does not expect that the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its financial position. The Company has not adopted this ASU as of March 31, 2015. Consolidation In February 2015, the FASB issued an ASU that amends the existing consolidation guidance related to (i) limited partnerships and similar legal entities, (ii) the evaluation of variable interests for fees paid to decision makers or service providers, (iii) the effect of fee arrangements and related parties on the primary beneficiary determination, and (iv) certain investment funds. These changes are expected to limit the number of consolidation models and place more emphasis on risk of loss when determining a controlling financial interest. The new guidance will be effective for the Company as of January 1, 2017. Early adoption is permitted, including early adoption in an interim period. The Company is evaluating the impact the adoption of this guidance will have on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements. The Company has not adopted this ASU as of March 31, 2015.

Investment in Real Estate

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2015

Real Estate [Abstract]

Investment in Real Estate

Real estate by property type and segment includes the following:



	March 31, 2015		December 31, 2014
Development property:
Residential real estate	$	102,987	$	102,408
Commercial real estate	59,408		59,405
Leasing operations	1,831		3,680
Forestry	3,278		3,278
Corporate	2,059		2,019
Total development property	169,563		170,790

Operating property:
Residential real estate	$	8,084	$	8,084
Resorts and leisure	108,630		110,136
Leasing operations	75,436		72,045
Forestry	18,922		18,839
Other	48		50
Total operating property	211,120		209,154
Less: Accumulated depreciation	59,561		58,132
Total operating property, net	151,559		151,022
Investment in real estate, net	$	321,122	$	321,812

Development property consists of land the Company is developing or intends to develop for sale or future operations. Residential real estate includes mixed-use resort, primary and seasonal residential communities and includes costs directly associated with the land, development and construction of these communities, including common development costs such as roads, sewers, and amenities and indirect costs such as development overhead, capitalized interest, marketing and project administration. Commercial real estate includes land for commercial and industrial uses, including land holdings near the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, and includes costs directly associated with the land and development costs, which also include common development costs such as roads and sewers. Leasing development property primarily includes the land and construction under development for the consolidated joint venture at Pier Park North. As the remainder of the operations commence at Pier Park North, substantially all of the Pier Park North property included in development property as of March 31, 2015 will be reclassified as operating property.

Operating property includes property that the Company uses for daily operations and activities. The resorts and leisure operating property includes the WaterColor Inn, golf courses and marinas. Leasing operating property includes property developed by the Company and used for retail and commercial rental purposes, including property in our consolidated joint venture at Pier Park North. Operating property may be sold in the future as part of the Company’s principal real estate business. Forestry operating property includes the Company’s timberlands.

The Company had capitalized indirect development costs, primarily related to the consolidated joint venture at Pier Park North, of less than $0.1 million and $0.3 million, during the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

AgReserves Sale	3 Months Ended
AgReserves Sale	Mar. 31, 2015
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
AgReserves Sale	AgReserves Sale Real estate sales for the three months ended March 31, 2014, includes the sale to AgReserves, Inc. of approximately 380,000 acres of land located in Northwest Florida, along with certain other assets and inventory and rights under certain continuing leases and contracts (the “AgReserves Sale”). On March 5, 2014, the Company completed the AgReserves Sale for $562 million and recorded pre-tax income of $511.1 million for the AgReserves Sale, which includes $1.2 million of severance costs recorded in Other operating expenses. As a result of certain adjustments to the purchase price, consideration received for the AgReserves Sale was (1) $358.5 million in cash, (2) a $200 million fifteen year installment note (the “Timber Note”) issued by Panama City Timber Finance Company, LLC, a buyer-sponsored special purpose entity (the “AgReserves SPE”), and (3) an Irrevocable Standby Letter of Credit issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (the “Letter of Credit”) at the request of the AgReserves SPE, in favor of the Company. The AgReserves SPE was created by AgReserves with financial instruments with an aggregate principal balance of $203.5 million that secure the Letter of Credit. In April 2014, the Company contributed the Timber Note and assigned its rights as a beneficiary under the Letter of Credit to Northwest Florida Timber Finance, LLC, a bankruptcy-remote, qualified special purpose entity wholly owned by the Company (“NFTF”). NFTF monetized the Timber Note by issuing $180 million aggregate principal amount of its 4.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2029 (the “Senior Notes”) at an issue price of 98.483% of the face value to third party investors. The Senior Notes are payable solely by the property of NFTF and the investors holding the Senior Notes of NFTF have no recourse against the Company for payment of the Senior Notes or the related interest expense. The Company received $165.0 million in cash, net of $15.0 million in costs, from the monetization and expects to receive the remaining $20.0 million in fifteen years upon maturity of the Timber Note and after payment of the Senior Notes and any other liabilities of NFTF. The Company owns the equity interest in NFTF, but no equity interest in the AgReserves SPE. Both the AgReserves SPE and NFTF are distinct legal entities and the assets of the AgReserves SPE and NFTF are not available to satisfy the Company's liabilities or obligations and the liabilities of the AgReserves SPE and NFTF are not the Company's liabilities or obligations. In the event that proceeds from the financial instruments are insufficient to settle all of the liabilities of the AgReserves SPE or NFTF, the Company is not obligated to contribute any funds to either the AgReserves SPE or NFTF. The Company has determined that it is the primary beneficiary of the AgReserves SPE and NFTF, and therefore, the AgReserves SPE's and NFTF's assets and liabilities are consolidated in the Company's financial statements as of March 31, 2015. The carrying amounts of the AgReserves SPE's and NFTF's assets and non-recourse liabilities were $211.9 million and $178.1 million, respectively, as of March 31, 2015. The consolidated assets of the AgReserves SPE and NFTF consist of a $200 million time deposit that subsequent to April 2, 2014 pays interest at 4.006% and matures in March 2029, accrued interest of $1.0 million on the time deposit, U.S. Treasuries of $9.3 million, cash of $0.3 million and deferred issuance costs of $1.4 million for the Senior Notes. The consolidated liabilities include the Senior Notes issued by NFTF of $177.4 million net of the $2.6 million discount and $0.7 million of accrued interest expense on the Senior Notes. During the three months ended March 31, 2015, the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations includes the following related to the AgReserves SPE and NFTF: (i) $2.0 million of interest income on the time deposit and amortization of the discounts on the U.S. Treasuries and (ii) $2.2 million of interest expense for the Senior Notes, amortization of the discount and issuance costs. The Company has classified the U.S. Treasury securities held by the AgReserves SPE and NFTF as held-to-maturity based on their intent and ability to hold these securities to maturity. Accordingly, the debt securities are recorded at amortized cost, which approximates fair value as of March 31, 2015. The U.S. Treasuries mature over the fifteen year period or $0.8 million within one year, $3.7 million after one year through five years, $3.1 million after five years through ten years and $1.7 million after ten years.

Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies	Mar. 31, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Commitments and Contingencies The Company establishes an accrued liability when it believes it is both probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. The Company will evaluate the range of reasonably estimated losses and records an accrued liability based on what it believes to be the minimum amount in the range, unless it believes an amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount. In such cases, there may be an exposure to loss in excess of the amounts accrued. The Company evaluates quarterly whether further developments could affect the amount of the accrued liability previously established or would make a loss contingency both probable and reasonably estimable. The Company also provides disclosure when it believes it is reasonably possible that a loss will be incurred or when it believes it is reasonably possible that the amount of a loss will exceed the recorded liability. The Company reviews loss contingencies at least quarterly to determine whether the likelihood of loss has changed and to assess whether a reasonable estimate of the loss or range of loss can be made. This estimated range of possible loss is based upon currently available information and is subject to significant judgment and a variety of assumptions, and known and unknown uncertainties. The matters underlying the estimated range will change from time to time, and actual results may vary significantly from the current estimate. The Company is subject to a variety of litigation, claims, other disputes and governmental proceedings that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of its business, including litigation related to its prior homebuilding activities and those described herein. The Company cannot assure that it will be successful in defending these matters. Based on current knowledge, the Company does not believe that loss contingencies arising from pending litigation, claims, other disputes and governmental proceedings, including those described herein, will have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position or liquidity of the Company. However, in light of the inherent uncertainties involved in these matters, an adverse outcome in one or more of these matters could be material to the Company’s results of operations or cash flows for any particular reporting period. The Company is subject to costs arising out of environmental laws and regulations, which include obligations to remove or limit the effects on the environment of the disposal or release of certain wastes or substances at various sites, including sites which have been previously sold. It is the Company’s policy to accrue and charge against earnings environmental cleanup costs when it is probable that a liability has been incurred or range of loss can be reasonably estimated. As assessments and cleanups proceed, these accruals are reviewed and adjusted, if necessary, as additional information becomes available. The Company’s former paper mill site in Gulf County and certain adjacent properties are subject to various Consent Agreements and Brownfield Site Rehabilitation Agreements with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The paper mill site has been rehabilitated by Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation in accordance with these agreements. The Company is in the process of assessing certain adjacent properties. Management is unable to quantify future rehabilitation costs above present accruals at this time or provide a reasonably estimated range of loss. Other litigation, claims, other disputes and governmental proceedings, including environmental matters, are pending against the Company. Accrued aggregate liabilities related to the matters described above and other litigation matters were $1.4 million at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014. Significant judgment is required in both the determination of probability and the determination as to whether the amount of an exposure is reasonably estimable. Due to uncertainties related to these matters, accruals are based only on the information available at the time. As additional information becomes available, management reassesses potential liabilities related to pending claims and litigation and may revise its previous estimates, which could materially affect the Company's results of operations in a given period. On January 4, 2011 the Company received notice from the Staff (the “Staff”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) of the initiation of an inquiry into the Company’s policies and practices concerning impairment of investment in real estate assets. On June 24, 2011, the Company received notice from the SEC that it has issued a related order of private investigation. On January 20, 2015, the Company received a written “Wells Notice” from the Staff indicating the Staff’s preliminary determination to recommend that the SEC file an action against the Company for violations of certain federal securities laws. The Staff has informed the Company that the Wells Notice relates to historical accounting and disclosure practices and real estate asset valuations principally as reflected in the Company’s financial results for 2010, 2009 and prior periods. A Wells Notice is neither a formal allegation of wrongdoing nor a finding that any violations of law have occurred. Rather, it provides the Company with an opportunity to respond to issues raised by the Staff and offer its perspective prior to any SEC decision to institute proceedings. If the Staff makes a recommendation to the SEC, the recommendations may involve a civil injunctive action, public administrative proceeding, and/or cease-and-desist proceeding, and may seek remedies that include an injunction and/or cease and desist order, disgorgement, pre-judgment interest, and civil money penalties. On February 20, 2015, the Company submitted to the Staff a Wells submission to explain its views concerning such matters. The Company is unable to predict the outcome of the matter, any potential enforcement actions the Staff may recommend or that the SEC may file or any impact on the Company that may arise as a result of such actions. The Company has not established a liability for this matter because it believes that the outcome is not determinable at this time. The Company has retained certain self-insurance risks with respect to losses for third party liability and property damage, including our timber assets. At March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the Company was required to provide surety bonds that guarantee completion of certain infrastructure in certain development projects and mitigation banks of $9.1 million and $8.3 million, respectively. At March 31, 2015, the Company has a total of $4.7 million in contractual obligations, which $3.6 million are for the remainder of 2015, $0.3 million are for 2016 and $0.8 million are for 2017 and thereafter. The construction loan entered into by the Pier Park North joint venture requires the Company to provide certain guarantees and covenants as described in Note 8, Real Estate Joint Ventures. As part of the AgReserves Sale and certain sales of timberlands in 2007 and 2008, the Company generated significant tax gains. The installment notes structure allowed the Company to defer the resulting tax liability of $61.8 million until 2022 - 2024 and $69.3 million until 2029, respectively, the maturity dates for the installment notes. The Company has a deferred tax liability related to the gains in connection with these sales.

Concentration of Risks and Uncertainties	3 Months Ended
Concentration of Risks and Uncertainties	Mar. 31, 2015
Risks and Uncertainties [Abstract]
Concentration of Risks and Uncertainties	Concentration of Risks and Uncertainties The Company’s real estate investments are concentrated in Northwest Florida in a number of specific development projects. Uncertain economic conditions could have an adverse impact on the Company’s real estate values and could cause the Company to sell assets at depressed values in order to pay ongoing expenses. Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk consist of cash, cash equivalents, investments, notes receivable, investments held by special purpose entities, investments in retained interests and pledged securities held as collateral for payment of the in-substance defeased debt. The Company deposits and invests cash with a major financial institution in the United States, which balances exceed the amount of F.D.I.C. insurance provided on such deposits. In addition, as of March 31, 2015, the Company had $259.9 million invested in U.S. Treasury securities, $101.2 million invested in one issuer of corporate debt securities that is non-investment grade and $24.3 million was invested in one issuer of preferred stock that is a financial services firm that is non-investment grade. In addition, as of March 31, 2015, the Company had investments in short term commercial paper from six issuers of $248.4 million.

Nature of Operations Nature of Operations (Details)	3 Months Ended
Nature of Operations Nature of Operations (Details)	Mar. 31, 2015 Segment
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Number of reportable operating segments	5

Impairment of Long-lived Assets - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Asset Impairment Charges [Abstract]
Impairments of Long Lived assets	$ 0	$ 0

Investments - Schedule of Investments (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	$ 633,884,000	$ 638,333,000
Gross Unrealized Gains	630,000	32,000
Gross Unrealized Losses	780,000	1,487,000
Fair Value	633,734,000	636,878,000
Commercial paper
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	248,294,000
Gross Unrealized Gains	60,000
Gross Unrealized Losses	0
Fair Value	248,354,000
U.S. Treasury securities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	259,923,000	509,783,000
Gross Unrealized Gains	6,000	32,000
Gross Unrealized Losses	0	0
Fair Value	259,929,000	509,815,000
Corporate debt securities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	101,973,000	101,587,000
Gross Unrealized Gains	0	0
Gross Unrealized Losses	780,000	1,482,000
Fair Value	101,193,000	100,105,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	49,100,000	14,300,000
Preferred stock
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Amortized Cost	23,694,000	26,963,000
Gross Unrealized Gains	564,000	0
Gross Unrealized Losses	0	5,000
Fair Value	$ 24,258,000	$ 26,958,000

Investments - Additional Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
Investments - Additional Information (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2014
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Money market funds	$ 23,400,000
Fair Value	633,734,000			636,878,000
Debt securities	609,476,000
Realized losses from the sale of available-for-sale securities	0
Sales of investments	128,272,000		2,621,000
Maturities of investments	125,000,000		25,000,000
Realized gains from the sale of available-for-sale securities			400,000
Unrealized losses	780,000			1,487,000
Other-than-temporary impairment losses		1,300,000
Commercial paper
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Fair Value	248,354,000
Unrealized losses	0
US Government Agencies Debt Securities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
US Government Securities, at Carrying Value	259,900,000
Corporate debt securities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Fair Value	101,193,000			100,105,000
Debt securities	101,200,000
Unrealized losses	780,000			1,482,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Fair Value	49,100,000			14,300,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Accumulated Loss	400,000			200,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than Twelve Months, Fair Value	52,100,000			85,800,000
Available-for-sale Securities, Continuous Unrealized Loss Position, Less than 12 Months, Accumulated Loss	400,000			1,300,000
Other Debt Obligations
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Other Marketable Securities, Noncurrent	24,300,000
U.S. Treasury securities
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Fair Value	259,929,000			509,815,000
Unrealized losses	$ 0			$ 0
Minimum \| Required percent of investment account held in cash or cash equivalents
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Investments, target portfolio allocations	50.00%
Minimum \| Other aggregated investments \| Securities of any one issuer (excluding the U.S. Government)
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Investments, portfolio allocations requiring additional consent	10.00%
Maximum \| Other aggregated investments \| Securities of any one issuer (excluding the U.S. Government)
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Investments, target portfolio allocations	15.00%
Investments, portfolio allocations requiring additional consent	15.00%
Investor \| Fairholme Capital Management, L.L.C.
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]
Common stock ownership percentage	27.10%

Investments - Contractual Maturities of Investments (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Amortized Cost
Due in one year or less	$ 508,217
Due after one year through five years	101,973
Amortized Cost	610,190
Preferred stock	23,694
Amortized Cost	633,884	638,333
Fair Value
Due in one year or less	508,283
Due after one year through five years	101,193
Fair Value	609,476
Preferred stock	24,258
Fair Value	$ 633,734	$ 636,878

AgReserves Sale (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended								3 Months Ended				0 Months Ended
AgReserves Sale (Details) (USD $)	Apr. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014 acre	Dec. 31, 2014	Mar. 05, 2014	Dec. 31, 2008	Mar. 31, 2015 Carrying Value Level 3	Dec. 31, 2014 Carrying Value Level 3	Apr. 30, 2014 Northwest Florida Timber Finance, LLC Notes Receivable	Mar. 31, 2015 Special Purpose Entities	Dec. 31, 2014 Special Purpose Entities	Apr. 02, 2014 Special Purpose Entities Notes Receivable	Mar. 31, 2015 Buyer Special Purpose Entity	Mar. 05, 2014 AgReserves Sale
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Timberland Acreage Sales			380,000
Proposed land sale, purchase price														$ 562,000,000
Sale of real estate														511,100,000
Other operating and corporate expenses		7,117,000	8,507,000											1,200,000
Proceeds from sale of real estate														358,500,000
Disposal group consideration, notes receivable														200,000,000
Timber Notes Receivable Maturity Period														15 years
Investments held by special purpose entities		209,412,000		209,857,000	203,500,000
Debt instrument, face amount	180,000,000
Debt interest rate	4.75%											4.006%
Issue price of senior secured notes									98.483%
Proceeds from (repayments of) accounts receivable securitization	165,000,000
Cost of monetization	15,000,000
Retained interest promissory note receivable		20,000,000				15,200,000
Assets held by special purpose entities										211,900,000
Liabilities held by special purpose entities										178,100,000
Time deposits													200,000,000
Accrued investment income receivable													1,000,000
U.S. treasury securities										9,300,000
Cash										300,000
Debt issuance cost										1,400,000
Senior Notes Held By Special Purpose Entity		177,366,000		177,341,000			177,366,000	177,341,000
Unamortized discount (premium), net										2,600,000
Deposit liabilities, accrued interest										712,000	2,852,000
Interest income from investments in special purpose entities		2,003,000	0
Interest expense in special purpose entity		2,188,000	0
Held-To-Maturity Security, Term										15 years
U.S. Treasury securities maturing within one year										800,000
U.S. Treasury securities maturing after one year through five years										3,700,000
U.S. Treasury securities maturing after five years through ten years										3,100,000
U.S. Treasury securities maturing after ten years										$ 1,700,000

Other Income (Expense) (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Interest and dividend income	$ 2,257	$ 524
Accretion income	621	112
Realized (losses) gains on the sale of investments	0	(401)
Total net investment income from available-for-sale securities	2,878	235
Interest income from investments in special purpose entities	2,003	0
Interest accrued on notes receivable	331	39
Total investment income, net	5,212	274
Interest expense and amortization of discount and issuance costs for Senior Notes issued by special purpose entity	(2,188)	0
Interest expense	(688)	(639)
Total interest expense	(2,876)	(639)
Accretion income from retained interest investments	211	211
Hunting lease income	210	380
Other income, net	156	185
Other, net	577	776
Total other income	$ 2,913	$ 411
Other Income (Expense) [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate, Effective Percentage Rate Range, Minimum	4.90%
Minimum
Other Income (Expense) [Line Items]
Discount Rate On Retained Interest	3.70%
Maximum
Other Income (Expense) [Line Items]
Discount Rate On Retained Interest	11.60%

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements - Fair Value Hierarchy (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Restricted Investments	$ 7,099	$ 7,940
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	664,239	664,789
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	531,689	529,786
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	132,550	135,003
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Money market funds
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents, fair value	23,406	19,971
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Money market funds \| Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents, fair value	23,406	19,971
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Money market funds \| Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents, fair value	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Money market funds \| Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents, fair value	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Commercial paper
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents, fair value	248,354
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Commercial paper \| Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents, fair value	248,354
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Commercial paper \| Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents, fair value	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Commercial paper \| Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents, fair value	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| U.S. Treasury securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	259,929	509,815
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| U.S. Treasury securities \| Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	259,929	509,815
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| U.S. Treasury securities \| Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| U.S. Treasury securities \| Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Corporate Debt Securities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	101,193	100,105
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Corporate Debt Securities \| Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Corporate Debt Securities \| Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	101,193	100,105
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Corporate Debt Securities \| Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Preferred stock
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	24,258	26,958
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Preferred stock \| Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Preferred stock \| Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	24,258	26,958
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Preferred stock \| Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments, Fair Value Disclosure	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Investments [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Restricted Investments	7,099	7,940
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Investments [Member] \| Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Restricted Investments	0	0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Investments [Member] \| Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Restricted Investments	7,099	7,940
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] \| Investments [Member] \| Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Restricted Investments	$ 0	$ 0

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements - Carrying Amount and Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Senior Notes held by special purpose entities	$ 177,366	$ 177,341
Carrying Value \| Level 1
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Pledged treasury securities	25,512	25,670
Carrying Value \| Level 3
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Retained interest investments	9,974	9,932
Investments held by special purpose entities	209,412	209,857
Senior Notes held by special purpose entities	177,366	177,341
Fair Value \| Level 1
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Pledged treasury securities	26,002	26,501
Fair Value \| Level 3
Fair Value, Balance Sheet Grouping, Financial Statement Captions [Line Items]
Retained interest investments	13,055	13,026
Investments held by special purpose entities	209,473	209,679
Senior Notes held by special purpose entities	$ 177,966	$ 177,940

Real Estate Joint Ventures - Summarized Financial Information for Unconsolidated Investments (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Investment In Unconsolidated Affiliates [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 289,708	$ 34,515	$ 237,419	$ 21,894
Other assets	34,400	31,990
Total assets	1,305,492	1,303,135
Equity	970,244	971,209
Total liabilities and equity	1,305,492	1,303,135
Other Affiliates
Investment In Unconsolidated Affiliates [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	14,987	15,461
Other assets	58	57
Total assets	15,045	15,518
Accounts payable and other liabilities	483	605
Equity	14,562	14,913
Total liabilities and equity	$ 15,045	$ 15,518

Notes Receivable, net (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Notes Receivable, net (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Apr. 02, 2014 RiverTown Sale acre	Apr. 02, 2014 Minimum RiverTown Sale	Apr. 02, 2014 Maximum RiverTown Sale	Mar. 31, 2015 Interest bearing homebuilder note for the RiverTown Sale, secured by the real estate sold — 5.25% interest rate, all accrued interest and remaining principal and interest payment due June 2015	Dec. 31, 2014 Interest bearing homebuilder note for the RiverTown Sale, secured by the real estate sold — 5.25% interest rate, all accrued interest and remaining principal and interest payment due June 2015	Mar. 31, 2015 Pier Park Community Development District notes, non-interest bearing, due December 2024, net of unamortized discount of $0.1 million, effective rates 5.73% — 8.0%	Dec. 31, 2014 Pier Park Community Development District notes, non-interest bearing, due December 2024, net of unamortized discount of $0.1 million, effective rates 5.73% — 8.0%	Mar. 31, 2015 Interest bearing homebuilder notes, secured by the real estate sold — 4.0% interest rate, any remaining payments outstanding are due August 2015	Dec. 31, 2014 Interest bearing homebuilder notes, secured by the real estate sold — 4.0% interest rate, any remaining payments outstanding are due August 2015	Mar. 31, 2015 Various mortgage notes, secured by certain real estate bearing interest at various rates	Dec. 31, 2014 Various mortgage notes, secured by certain real estate bearing interest at various rates
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Notes receivable	$ 22,354,000	$ 22,354,000	$ 24,270,000				$ 18,600,000	$ 19,600,000	$ 2,147,000	$ 2,147,000	$ 1,102,000	$ 2,011,000	$ 505,000	$ 512,000
Area of Land (in acres)				4,057
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Consideration				24,000,000
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Consideration, Notes Receivable				19,600,000
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Expected Impact Fee Receivable					20,000,000	26,000,000
Impact Fees Received	$ 0	$ 100,000

Notes Receivable, net (Descriptors) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Interest bearing homebuilder note for the RiverTown Sale, secured by the real estate sold — 5.25% interest rate, all accrued interest and remaining principal and interest payment due June 2015
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Notes receivable, effective interest rate	5.25%	5.25%
Pier Park Community Development District notes, non-interest bearing, due December 2024, net of unamortized discount of $0.1 million, effective rates 5.73% — 8.0%
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Note receivable, maturity date	2024-12	2024-12
Unamortized discount	$ 0.1	$ 0.1
Pier Park Community Development District notes, non-interest bearing, due December 2024, net of unamortized discount of $0.1 million, effective rates 5.73% — 8.0% \| Minimum
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Notes receivable, effective interest rate	5.73%	5.73%
Pier Park Community Development District notes, non-interest bearing, due December 2024, net of unamortized discount of $0.1 million, effective rates 5.73% — 8.0% \| Maximum
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Notes receivable, effective interest rate	8.00%	8.00%
Interest bearing homebuilder notes, secured by the real estate sold — 4.0% interest rate, any remaining payments outstanding are due August 2015
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]
Notes receivable, effective interest rate	4.00%	4.00%

Other Assets (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Deferred Costs, Capitalized, Prepaid, and Other Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Retained interest investments	$ 9,974	$ 9,932
Accounts receivable, net	3,786	4,385
Prepaid expenses	5,276	4,783
Straight line rent	3,202	2,869
Income tax receivable	2,011	778
Other assets	8,816	6,305
Accrued interest receivable for Senior Notes held by special purpose entity	1,335	2,938
Total other assets	$ 34,400	$ 31,990

Debt (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2007
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	$ 66,487	$ 63,804
In-substance defeased debt, interest payable at 5.62%, secured and paid by pledged treasury securities, due October 1, 2015
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	25,512	25,670	29,300
Community Development District debt, secured by certain real estate and standby note purchase agreements, due through May 2039, interest payable at 2.25% to 7.0% \| Community Development District debt, secured by certain real estate and standby note purchase agreements, due through May 2039, interest payable at 2.25% to 7.0%
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	7,186	6,516
Construction loan in the Pier Park North joint venture, due February 2016, bearing interest at LIBOR plus 210 basis points, or 2.27% and 2.26% at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively \| Pier Park North Joint Venture Construction Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	$ 33,789	$ 31,618

Debt (Descriptors) (Details)				3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
Debt (Descriptors) (Details)	Apr. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2015 In-substance defeased debt, interest payable at 5.62%, secured and paid by pledged treasury securities, due October 1, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014 In-substance defeased debt, interest payable at 5.62%, secured and paid by pledged treasury securities, due October 1, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015 Community Development District debt, secured by certain real estate and standby note purchase agreements, due through May 2039, interest payable at 2.25% to 7.0%	Dec. 31, 2013 Community Development District debt, secured by certain real estate and standby note purchase agreements, due through May 2039, interest payable at 2.25% to 7.0%	Mar. 31, 2015 Construction loan in the Pier Park North joint venture, due February 2016, bearing interest at LIBOR plus 210 basis points, or 2.27% and 2.26% at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively Pier Park North Joint Venture Construction Loan	Dec. 31, 2014 Construction loan in the Pier Park North joint venture, due February 2016, bearing interest at LIBOR plus 210 basis points, or 2.27% and 2.26% at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively Pier Park North Joint Venture Construction Loan
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt interest rate	4.75%	5.62%	5.62%
Debt instrument, minimum interest				2.25%	2.25%
Debt instrument, maximum interest				7.00%	7.00%
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate						2.10%
Debt instrument, effective interest rate						2.27%	2.26%

Debt - Additional Information (Details) (USD $)			1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Debt - Additional Information (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Feb. 28, 2013 Consolidated Variable Interest Entities Pier Park North	Dec. 31, 2007 In-substance defeased debt, interest payable at 5.62%, secured and paid by pledged treasury securities, due October 1, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015 In-substance defeased debt, interest payable at 5.62%, secured and paid by pledged treasury securities, due October 1, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014 In-substance defeased debt, interest payable at 5.62%, secured and paid by pledged treasury securities, due October 1, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015 Community Development District debt, secured by certain real estate and standby note purchase agreements, due through May 2039, interest payable at 2.25% to 7.0%	Dec. 31, 2014 Community Development District debt, secured by certain real estate and standby note purchase agreements, due through May 2039, interest payable at 2.25% to 7.0%	Mar. 31, 2015 Construction loan in the Pier Park North joint venture, due February 2016, bearing interest at LIBOR plus 210 basis points, or 2.27% and 2.26% at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively Pier Park North Joint Venture Construction Loan	Dec. 31, 2014 Construction loan in the Pier Park North joint venture, due February 2016, bearing interest at LIBOR plus 210 basis points, or 2.27% and 2.26% at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively Pier Park North Joint Venture Construction Loan	Mar. 31, 2015 Construction loan in the Pier Park North joint venture, due February 2016, bearing interest at LIBOR plus 210 basis points, or 2.27% and 2.26% at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively Pier Park North Joint Venture Construction Loan Consolidated Variable Interest Entities Pier Park North	Dec. 31, 2014 Construction loan in the Pier Park North joint venture, due February 2016, bearing interest at LIBOR plus 210 basis points, or 2.27% and 2.26% at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively Pier Park North Joint Venture Construction Loan Consolidated Variable Interest Entities Pier Park North
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt	$ 66,487,000	$ 63,804,000		$ 29,300,000	$ 25,512,000	$ 25,670,000	$ 7,186,000	$ 6,516,000	$ 33,789,000	$ 31,618,000	$ 33,800,000	$ 31,600,000
Long term debt, year of balloon payment				2015
Total community development district debt	22,600,000	22,700,000
Construction loan			$ 41,000,000
Construction loan, term of optional renewal extension			2 years

Debt - Maturities of Debt (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
2015	$ 25,625
2016	33,906
2017	121
2018	126
2019	130
Thereafter	6,579
Long-term Debt	$ 66,487	$ 63,804

Accrued Liabilities and Deferred Credits (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Accrued Liabilities And Deferred Credits [Line Items]
Accrued compensation	$ 1,933	$ 2,673
Deferred revenue	15,112	15,309
Membership deposits	8,542	8,426
Other accrued liabilities	6,289	5,651
Total accrued liabilities and deferred credits	32,588	34,911
Special Purpose Entities
Accrued Liabilities And Deferred Credits [Line Items]
Accrued interest expense for Senior Notes held by special purpose entity	$ 712	$ 2,852

Accrued Liabilities and Deferred Credits - Additional Information (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2006 acre	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Deferred revenue		$ 15,112	$ 15,309
Florida Department of Transportation
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Deferred revenue		$ 12,500	$ 12,500
Acres of land sold	3,900

Income Taxes - Income Tax Expense (Benefit) Reconciliation (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Statutory federal income tax rate	(35.00%)	34.99973%
State income taxes (net of federal benefit)	(3.50%)	3.50%
Decrease in valuation allowance	(0.50%)	(17.50%)
Other	0.50%	0.00%
Effective tax rate	(38.50%)	21.00%

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
Income Taxes - Additional Information (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2013
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Deferred tax assets, valuation allowance		$ 6,200,000	$ 93,100,000
Valuation Allowance, Deferred Tax Asset, Increase (Decrease), Amount	(89,300,000)
Federal
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards		0
State
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]
Operating loss carryforwards		$ 323,900,000

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss - Summary of Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss for Pension Plan Items (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, beginning balance	$ (1,325)	$ (7,517)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	773	(736)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss		476
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	773	(260)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, beginning balance	(552)	(7,777)
Realized loss on sale	5,212	274
(Loss) income before equity in loss from unconsolidated affiliates and income taxes	(2,789)	509,904
Income tax benefit	1,073	(106,905)
Net (loss) income	(1,716)	402,989
Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Net (loss) income	0	476
Defined benefit pension items
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, beginning balance	0	(5,392)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	0	(252)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss		229
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax		(23)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, beginning balance	0	(5,415)
Defined benefit pension items \| Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Amortization of loss	0	132
Settlement cost	0	240
(Loss) income before equity in loss from unconsolidated affiliates and income taxes	0	372
Income tax benefit	0	143
Net (loss) income	0	229
Items related to available-for-sale securities
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, beginning balance	(1,325)	(2,125)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications	773	(484)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss		247
Total other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax		(237)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, beginning balance	(552)	(2,362)
Items related to available-for-sale securities \| Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Realized loss on sale	0	401
Income tax benefit	0	154
Net (loss) income	$ 0	$ 247

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Environmental liabilities	$ 1.4	$ 1.4
Guarantor Obligations [Line Items]
Purchase obligations, total	4.7
Purchase obligations, 2015	3.6
Purchase obligations, 2016	0.3
Purchase obligations, 2017	0.8
Tax Year 2022 To 2024
Guarantor Obligations [Line Items]
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Gross		61.8
Tax Year 2029
Guarantor Obligations [Line Items]
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Gross		69.3
Surety bonds \| Certain development projects
Guarantor Obligations [Line Items]
Commitment obligations	$ 9.1	$ 8.3

Concentration of Risks and Uncertainties (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Corporate debt securities	$ 609,476,000
US Government Agencies Debt Securities
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
US Government Securities, at Carrying Value	259,900,000
Corporate Debt Securities
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Corporate debt securities	101,200,000
Other Debt Obligations
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Other Marketable Securities, Noncurrent	24,300,000
Commercial paper
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Commercial Paper, at Carrying Value	$ 248,400,000