Collier Resources Company
2600 Golden Gate Pkwy , Naples, Florida, United States

In the early 20th Century, advertising magnate Barron Gift Collier came to Southwest Florida and, inspired by the promise of this land, he bought more than a million acres and was instrumental in creating Collier County.  Today, nearly 100 years later, two family companies – The Barron Collier Companies and Collier Enterprises – continue to realize his vision through a commitment to integrity, strong business values and a deep respect for the land.  Both companies engage in businesses that include agricultural operations, land management, real estate development, oil and gas production, as well as the conveyance of land for preservation.  Together, the two companies manage the family’s mineral holdings through Collier Resources Company (CRC) and are part of the more than seven-decade history of successful oil exploration and development in Southwest Florida.

HISTORY OF OIL EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT

Many don’t realize the long and storied history that oil exploration and development has in Florida. But, in fact, oil exploration and production has been ongoing in Southwest Florida since it was first discovered on Collier minerals in 1943. It was discovered by Humble Oil and Refining Company after Florida’s Governor and Cabinet offered a $50,000 prize for whoever could be the first to find oil in Florida.  Since 1943, when crude oil production commenced, more than 120 million barrels of oil, nearly all from the Upper Sunniland formation, have been produced from eight commercial oil fields across the Sunniland Trend, a well-defined, onshore oil reserve that stretches from Fort Myers to Miami.  A large part of the Sunniland Trend is located within the Big Cypress National Preserve. Created in 1974, the Big Cypress National Preserve was established as the first preserve in United States, in part, for the purpose of maintaining certain existing rights – one of which was oil and gas exploration and development.  In order to establish the preserve, the Collier family conveyed 76,790 acres to the National Park Service but maintained private ownership of the mineral rights. In addition, in 1996, the Collier family conveyed an additional 83,000 acres to the National Park Service for the expansion of the Big Cypress National Preserve.  Today, nearly 2,800 barrels of oil per day continue to be produced in the Sunniland Trend. The focus of Collier Resources Company today is on the exploration of their minerals and potential future resource development.

Mineral Holdings & Oil Fields

 Collier Resources Company (CRC) manages more than 800,000 acres of minerals throughout Collier, Lee and Hendry Counties, leasing mineral rights and monitoring oil exploration, development and production at three oil fields – Raccoon Point, Bear Island and Sunniland Field. CRC is also actively engaged in further exploring its mineral assets.

• When oil was needed to power the war effort during World War II, the federal government created incentives to locate and drill for oil in Florida. Humble Oil Company, known today as ExxonMobil, made the first discovery on Collier minerals at Sunniland Field just south of Immokalee in 1943. It was the beginning of oil exploration and development in Florida, and since that time, the Sunniland Field has produced more than 13 million barrels of oil and continues to produce oil today.
• Partially located in the Big Cypress National Preserve, oil was discovered in Bear Island in 1972, prior to the establishment of the preserve, and production began just a year later. This oil field has yielded nearly 13 million barrels of oil since then and continues to produce oil today.
• Oil at Raccoon Point field was first discovered by ExxonMobil in 1978 and production began in 1981. The field is located in the Big Cypress National Preserve near the Collier-Dade County line and produces approximately 1,950 barrels of oil per day. The field has produced more than 18 million barrels of oil to date, with a recent increase in production with the addition of a new horizontal well. The field was expanded in 1992 as a result of a 3-D seismic survey.

Preparing the Well site

When preparing a site for a new well, Collier Resources Company (CRC) lessees’ top priority is protecting the environment and Florida’s natural resources.  By using existing roads and trails, whenever possible, and placing numerous culverts to avoid interruption of surface water flow, CRC creates a single-lane limestone road to access a 3- to 5-acre site for the well.At the well site, a limestone pad is then constructed with a berm surrounding it to prevent rain water run-off into the surrounding environment. The pad is also covered with a thick impermeable liner to protect groundwater.Finally, a drilling rig is then carefully assembled on the pad along with a closed loop, containerized water, and mud system that ensures the operation is clean and the environment is protected.

Advanced Drilling Process

Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), while an advanced technique, has been commonly used by the oil and gas industry safely and successfully over the past 40 years. HDD is an efficient technique, as it makes it possible to drill nearly 4,000 feet or more in multiple directions from the pad left or right of a well site, rather than just directly below the drilling pad; thus, allowing Collier Resources Company’s (CRC) lessees to drill more wells from a single pad, reducing the number of drill sites and producing more oil from fewer pads, while lessening the overall impact to Florida’s environment.

Then, the drill pushes through the potential oil formation. If the presence of oil is confirmed, a specially-designed steerable drill is used to complete the well hole horizontally up to an additional 4,000 feet or more. The horizontal portion of the well then drains a much wider portion of the oil reservoir than could be drained with a vertical well; thus, reducing the number of drill pad sites that would be required with vertical wells.  To finish the process, an electric submersible pump is typically inserted into the well and the drilling rig is replaced with a small well head. The pump then pulls the oil from the formation and brings it to the surface.