[3] In 1961, Ben Hill Griffin, Jr. was named to the board of directors of Alico, Inc, which then became a publicly traded corporation engaged in citrus fruit, sugarcane, and sod production, cattle ranching and forestry.

Griffin III went on to donate 760 acres of the company's land in South Fort Myers to the state for the construction of Florida Gulf Coast University.

Florida's Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection noted the land sale would protect water resources and wildlife, including the Florida panther, and that in addition to the land being managed well, it has been preserved by Alico in "as close to a historic state as possible.

Alico also engages in complementary activities including contracting for harvesting, hauling and marketing and the purchase and resale of fruit.

In January 2024 Alico announced their intention to discontinue citrus crop operations due to greening disease and weather damage.

With the May 2020 sale of 10,684 acres to the Florida Forever Program, the permitting process for the water project has been suspended.

The project also rehydrates natural systems that eventually flow south into the Everglades and preserves ranch and farmland from future development and urban sprawl.

The project has the estimated ability to store and treat 92,000 acre-feet of water annually, or 30 billion gallons.

[17] In 1992, Alico donated 760 acres of land for the construction of Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU).