| **Investment in Real Estate - Real Estate by Property Type and Segment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands** | 3 Months Ended | 9 Months Ended |           |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------|----------------|-----------|
||
| **Real Estate Properties [Line Items]**                                                                     |           |           |      |   |   |
| Development property:                                                                                       | $ 162,367      |           | $ 162,367 |   | $ 170,790 |
| Operating property:                                                                                         | 215,760        |           | 215,760   |   | 209,154 |
| Less: Accumulated depreciation                                                                              | 62,590         |           | 62,590    |   | 58,132 |
| Total operating property, net                                                                               | 153,170        |           | 153,170   |   | 151,022 |
| Investment in real estate, net                                                                              | 315,537        |           | 315,537   |   | 321,812 |
| Capitalized indirect costs incurred (less than for the three months ended September 30, 2015)               | 100            | $ 200          | 200       | $ 600 |   |
| Residential real estate                                                                                     |           |           |      |   |   |
| **Real Estate Properties [Line Items]**                                                                     |           |           |      |   |   |
| Development property:                                                                                       | 101,671        |           | 101,671   |   | 102,408 |
| Operating property:                                                                                         | 8,089          |           | 8,089     |   | 8,084 |
| Commercial real estate                                                                                      |           |           |      |   |   |
| **Real Estate Properties [Line Items]**                                                                     |           |           |      |   |   |
| Development property:                                                                                       | 55,188         |           | 55,188    |   | 59,405 |
| Resorts and leisure                                                                                         |           |           |      |   |   |
| **Real Estate Properties [Line Items]**                                                                     |           |           |      |   |   |
| Operating property:                                                                                         | 109,342        |           | 109,342   |   | 110,136 |
| Leasing operations                                                                                          |           |           |      |   |   |
| **Real Estate Properties [Line Items]**                                                                     |           |           |      |   |   |
| Development property:                                                                                       | 268            |           | 268       |   | 3,680 |
| Operating property:                                                                                         | 79,368         |           | 79,368    |   | 72,045 |
| Forestry                                                                                                    |           |           |      |   |   |
| **Real Estate Properties [Line Items]**                                                                     |           |           |      |   |   |
| Development property:                                                                                       | 3,069          |           | 3,069     |   | 3,278 |
| Operating property:                                                                                         | 18,911         |           | 18,911    |   | 18,839 |
| Other                                                                                                       |           |           |      |   |   |
| **Real Estate Properties [Line Items]**                                                                     |           |           |      |   |   |
| Operating property:                                                                                         | 50             |           | 50        |   | 50 |
| Corporate                                                                                                   |           |           |      |   |   |
| **Real Estate Properties [Line Items]**                                                                     |           |           |      |   |   |
| Development property:                                                                                       | $ 2,171        |           | $ 2,171   |   | $ 2,019 |

| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Income-Producing Depreciable Operating Property
+ References
No definition available.
+ Details**Name:**joe_IncomeProducingDepreciableOperatingProperty**Namespace Prefix:**joe_**Data Type:**xbrli:monetaryItemType**Balance Type:**debit**Period Type:**instant |
| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
joe_Income Producing Depreciable Operating Property, Net of Accumulated Depreciation
+ References
No definition available.
+ Details**Name:**joe_Joe_IncomeProducingDepreciableOperatingPropertyNetofAccumulatedDepreciation**Namespace Prefix:**joe_**Data Type:**xbrli:monetaryItemType**Balance Type:**debit**Period Type:**instant |
| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Real Estate Inventory, Capitalized Indirect Costs Incurred
+ References
No definition available.
+ Details**Name:**joe_RealEstateInventoryCapitalizedIndirectCostsIncurred**Namespace Prefix:**joe_**Data Type:**xbrli:monetaryItemType**Balance Type:**debit**Period Type:**duration |
| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
The current amount of expenditures for a real estate project that has not yet been completed.
+ References
Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -SubTopic 210 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03.10) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879938&loc=d3e572229-122910Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Glossary Phase -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49177889
+ Details**Name:**us-gaap_DevelopmentInProcess**Namespace Prefix:**us-gaap_**Data Type:**xbrli:monetaryItemType**Balance Type:**debit**Period Type:**instant |
| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
The cumulative amount of depreciation for real estate property held for investment purposes.
+ References
Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -SubTopic 210 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03.1(3)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879938&loc=d3e572229-122910
+ Details**Name:**us-gaap_RealEstateInvestmentPropertyAccumulatedDepreciation**Namespace Prefix:**us-gaap_**Data Type:**xbrli:monetaryItemType**Balance Type:**credit**Period Type:**instant |
| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Amount of real estate investment property, net of accumulated depreciation, which may include the following: (1) land available-for-sale; (2) land available-for-development; (3) investments in building and building improvements; (4) tenant allowances; (5) developments in-process; (6) rental properties; and (7) other real estate investments.
+ References
Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 944 -SubTopic 210 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.7-03.1(d)) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6879938&loc=d3e572229-122910
+ Details**Name:**us-gaap_RealEstateInvestmentPropertyNet**Namespace Prefix:**us-gaap_**Data Type:**xbrli:monetaryItemType**Balance Type:**debit**Period Type:**instant |
| X                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Definition
Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.
+ References
No definition available.
+ Details**Name:**us-gaap_RealEstatePropertiesLineItems**Namespace Prefix:**us-gaap_**Data Type:**xbrli:stringItemType**Balance Type:**na**Period Type:**duration |
| X                                                                                                                                                           |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Details**Name:**us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_ResidentialRealEstateMember**Namespace Prefix:****Data Type:**na**Balance Type:****Period Type:** |
| X                                                                                                                                                          |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Details**Name:**us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_CommercialRealEstateMember**Namespace Prefix:****Data Type:**na**Balance Type:****Period Type:** |
| X                                                                                                                                                             |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Details**Name:**us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=joe_ResortsLeisureAndOperationsMember**Namespace Prefix:****Data Type:**na**Balance Type:****Period Type:** |
| X                                                                                                                                                   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Details**Name:**us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=joe_LeasingOperationsMember**Namespace Prefix:****Data Type:**na**Balance Type:****Period Type:** |
| X                                                                                                                                          |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Details**Name:**us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=joe_ForestryMember**Namespace Prefix:****Data Type:**na**Balance Type:****Period Type:** |
| X                                                                                                                                                        |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Details**Name:**us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=joe_OtherRealEstateSegmentMember**Namespace Prefix:****Data Type:**na**Balance Type:****Period Type:** |
| X                                                                                                                                               |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| - Details**Name:**us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_CorporateMember**Namespace Prefix:****Data Type:**na**Balance Type:****Period Type:** |