EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1786117
Filing Year: 2021
Filename: 1786117_10-K_2021_0001558370-21-001062.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
OVERVIEW
We are a real estate company that owns and operates a high-quality portfolio of single-tenant commercial properties all located in the United States. Our properties are primarily leased to industry leading, creditworthy tenants, many of which operate in industries we believe are resistant to the impact of e-commerce. Our portfolio consists of 48 single-tenant, primarily net leased, retail and office properties located in 34 markets in 18 states. Twenty of these properties, representing our initial portfolio, were acquired from CTO Realty Growth, Inc. (“CTO”), a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “CTO”, in the Formation Transactions (defined below) utilizing $125.9 million of proceeds from our initial public offering of our common stock (the “IPO”) and the issuance of 1,223,854 units of our operating partnership (the “OP Units”) that had an initial value of $23.3 million based on the IPO price of $19.00 per share (the “IPO Price”). The remaining 28 properties, net of one property disposed of during 2020, were acquired during the year ended December 31, 2020. For four of our properties in our portfolio, we own the land and are the lessor in a long-term ground lease to the tenant. See Note 17, “Subsequent Events” to the consolidated and combined financial statements included in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information related to the single-tenant income properties acquired subsequent to December 31, 2020.
Our portfolio is comprised of single-tenant retail and office properties primarily located in or in close proximity to major Metropolitan Statistical Areas (“MSAs”), growth markets and other markets in the United States with favorable economic and demographic conditions. The properties in our portfolio are primarily triple-net leases, which generally require the tenant to pay all of the property operating expenses such as real estate taxes, insurance, assessments and other governmental fees, utilities, repairs and maintenance expenses and certain capital expenditures.
We have elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our short taxable year beginning on November 26, 2019 and ending on December 31, 2019. We believe that, commencing with such short taxable year, we have been organized and have operated in such a manner as to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws. We intend to continue to operate in such a manner, but no assurances can be given that we will continue to operate in such a manner as to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws.
Our primary objective is to maximize cash flow and value per share by generating stable and growing cash flows and attractive risk-adjusted returns through owning, operating and growing a diversified portfolio of high-quality single-tenant, net leased commercial properties with strong long-term real estate fundamentals. The 48 properties in our portfolio are 100% occupied and represent 1.6 million of gross rentable square feet with leases that have a weighted average lease term of 8.4 years (weighting based on annualized base rent as of December 31, 2020). None of our material leases expire prior to January 31, 2024. Our portfolio is representative of our investment strategy, which consists of one or more of the following core investment criteria:
● Attractive Locations. The 48 properties in our portfolio represent 1.6 million gross rentable square feet, are 100% occupied and are primarily located in or in close proximity to major MSAs and in markets in the United States with favorable economic and demographic conditions. As of December 31, 2020, a total of 77% of our portfolio’s annualized base rent was derived from properties located in MSAs with populations greater than one million people.
● Creditworthy Tenants. 46% of our portfolio’s annualized base rent as of December 31, 2020 was derived from tenants that have (or whose parent company has) an investment grade credit rating from a recognized credit rating agency. Our largest tenant, Wells Fargo N.A., has an ‘A+’ credit rating from S&P Global Ratings and contributed 15% of our portfolio’s annualized base rent as of December 31, 2020.
● Geographically Diversified. Our portfolio is spread across 34 markets in 18 states. Our largest property, as measured by annualized base rent, is located in the Portland, Oregon MSA.
● 100% Occupied with Primarily Long Duration Leases. Our portfolio is 100% leased and occupied. The leases in our portfolio have a weighted average remaining lease term of 8.4 years (weighted based on annualized base rent as of December 31, 2020), with no material leases expiring prior to January 31, 2024.
● Contractual Rent Growth. As of December 31, 2020, 44% of the leases in our portfolio (based on annualized base rent as of December 31, 2020) provide for increases in contractual base rent during the lease term.
Organization and Formation Transactions
The Company is a Maryland corporation. We closed the IPO on November 26, 2019 and our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “PINE.” We sold 7,500,000 shares of our common stock at $19.00 per share in the IPO. CTO purchased 421,053 of the shares of our common stock that we sold in the IPO. We refer to the IPO, the CTO Private Placement (defined below), and the other transactions executed at the time of our listing on the NYSE collectively as the “Formation Transactions”.
We conduct the substantial majority of our operations through Alpine Income Property OP, LP (the “Operating Partnership”). Our wholly owned subsidiary, Alpine Income Property GP, LLC (“PINE GP”), is the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership. Substantially all of our assets are held by, and our operations are conducted through, the Operating Partnership. As of December 31, 2020, we have a total ownership interest in the Operating Partnership of 85.9%, with CTO holding, directly and indirectly, a 14.1% ownership interest in the Operating Partnership. Our interest in the Operating Partnership generally entitles us to share in cash distributions from, and in the profits and losses of, the Operating Partnership in proportion to our percentage ownership. We, through PINE GP, generally have the exclusive power under the partnership agreement to manage and conduct the business and affairs of the Operating Partnership, subject to certain approval and voting rights of the limited partners. Our Board of Directors (the “Board”) manages our business and affairs.
Each limited partner of the Operating Partnership has the right to require the Operating Partnership to redeem part or all of its OP Units for cash, based upon the value of an equivalent number of shares of our common stock at the time of the redemption, or, at our election, shares of our common stock on a one-for-one basis, beginning on and after the date that is 12 months after issuance of such OP Units, subject to certain adjustments and the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock set forth in our charter. Each redemption of OP Units will increase our percentage ownership interest in the Operating Partnership and our share of its cash distributions and profits and losses.
We are externally managed by Alpine Income Property Manager, LLC (our “Manager”), a wholly owned subsidiary of CTO. Concurrently with the closing of the IPO, CTO invested $7.5 million in exchange for 394,737 shares of our common stock at the IPO Price (the “CTO Private Placement”). In addition, CTO purchased from us $8.0 million in shares of our common stock, or 421,053 shares, in the IPO. Upon completion of the Formation Transactions, CTO owned 22.3% of our outstanding common stock (assuming the OP Units issued to CTO in the Formation Transactions are exchanged for shares of our common stock on a one-for-one basis).
Capital Markets
On December 1, 2020, the Company filed a shelf registration statement on Form S-3, relating to the registration and potential issuance of its common stock, preferred stock, warrants, rights, and units with a maximum aggregate offering price of up to $350.0 million. The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) declared the Form S-3 effective on December 11, 2020.
On December 14, 2020, the Company implemented a $100.0 million at-the-market (“ATM”) offering program (the “2020 ATM Program”) pursuant to which the Company may sell, from time to time, shares of the Company’s common stock at its current trading prices. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had not sold any shares under the 2020 ATM Program.
On November 26, 2019, we entered into a $100.0 million unsecured revolving credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) with affiliates of BMO Capital Markets Corp. and Raymond James & Associates, Inc., as initial lenders. On October 16, 2020, the Company executed the second amendment to the Credit Facility (the “Second Amendment”), with the addition of two lenders, Huntington National Bank and Truist Bank. As a result of the Second Amendment, the Credit Facility now has a total borrowing capacity of $150.0 million with the ability to increase that capacity up to $200.0 million during the term, utilizing an accordion feature, subject to lender approval. These funds are available to us for general corporate purposes, including the funding of potential future acquisitions.
Market Opportunity
We believe the single-tenant, net lease market has expanded steadily over the last several years, and investor demand for net leased properties continued to gain momentum into 2020 and likely beyond. Unlike a gross lease, which places the financial responsibility for most expenses with the property owner, the net lease structure shifts the majority or entirety of costs for property taxes, insurance, maintenance and often utilities and capital expenditures, to the lessee, in addition to rent payments. Net leases are generally executed for an initial term of 10 to 15 years, but 20- and 25-year leases are not uncommon. Lease agreements often include multiple options for the tenant to extend and may include terms for periodic rent increases. Comparatively, multi-tenant commercial real estate properties under gross leases often have average initial lease terms between five and ten years with shorter or fewer options to extend. Rent escalation is also commonly embedded in the net lease terms as a specified percentage increase of existing rent per year or determined by reference to an inflation measure such as the Consumer Price Index. With cash flows that are intended to be passive, stable and paid at regular intervals, net leased real estate is similar, in many ways, to interest-bearing corporate bonds, but with the additional potential for appreciation in the value of the underlying property.
Investment Strategy
We seek to acquire, own and operate primarily freestanding, single-tenant commercial real estate properties located in the United States, leased primarily pursuant to triple-net, long-term leases. We are focused on investments in single-tenant retail and office properties. We target tenants in industries that we believe are favorably impacted by current macroeconomic trends that support consumer spending, such as strong and growing employment and positive consumer sentiment, as well as tenants in industries that have demonstrated resistance to the impact of the growing e-commerce retail sector. We also seek to invest in properties that are net leased to tenants that we determine have attractive credit characteristics and stable operating histories, are well-located within their market and have rent levels at or below market rent levels. Furthermore, we believe that the size of our company will, for at least the near term, allow us to focus our investment activities on the acquisition of single properties or smaller portfolios of properties that represent a transaction size that most of our publicly-traded net lease REIT peers will not pursue on a consistent basis.
Our strategy for investing in income-producing properties is focused on factors including, but not limited to, long-term real estate fundamentals and markets experiencing significant economic growth. We employ a methodology for evaluating targeted investments in income-producing properties which includes an evaluation of: (i) the attributes of the real estate (e.g. location, market demographics, comparable properties in the market, etc.); (ii) an evaluation of the existing tenant(s) (e.g. credit-worthiness, property level sales, tenant rent levels compared to the market, etc.); (iii) other market-specific conditions (e.g. tenant industry, job and population growth in the market, local economy, etc.); and (iv) considerations relating to the Company’s business and strategy (e.g. strategic fit of the asset type, property management needs, alignment with the Company’s structure, etc.).
We believe that the single-tenant retail and office properties we own and intend to acquire will provide our stockholders with investment diversification and can deliver strong risk-adjusted returns. We expect the majority of our net leased properties will be retail properties, with the remainder comprised of office properties that are critical to the tenant’s overall business. We believe the risk-adjusted returns for select office properties are compelling and offer attractive investment yields, rental rates at or below prevailing market rental rates and an investment basis below replacement cost. Based on our senior management team’s experience, we believe office properties often have less buyer competition. In addition, we believe that long-term tenants who have consistently invested their own capital into their leased premises are less likely to vacate the property and the risk of significant capital investment to re-lease the property is reduced. We believe that certain of the office properties in our initial portfolio provide the opportunity for increased rents to higher market rent levels at the end of their lease terms.
Income Property Portfolio
As of December 31, 2020, the Company owned 48 single-tenant income properties in 18 states. Following is a summary of these properties:
Type
Tenant
S&P Credit Rating (1)
Location
Rentable Square Feet
Remaining Term (Years)
Tenant Extension Options (Number x Years)
Contractual Rent Escalations
Annualized Base Rent (2) ($000's)
Office
Wells Fargo
A+
Portland, OR
212,363
5.0
3x5
Yes
$
3,138
Office
Hilton Grand Vacations
BB
Orlando, FL
102,019
5.9
2x5
Yes
1,825
Retail
LA Fitness
CCC+
Brandon, FL
45,000
11.3
3x5
Yes
Retail
At Home
B-
Raleigh, NC
116,334
11.8
4x5
Yes
Retail
Cinemark
B
Reno, NV
52,474
3.7
3x5
Yes
Retail
Container Store
B-
Phoenix, AZ
23,329
9.2
2x5
Yes
Office
Hilton Grand Vacations
BB
Orlando, FL
31,895
5.9
2x5
Yes
Retail
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.
B
East Troy, WI
N/A
(3)
12.3
N/A
Yes
Retail
Hobby Lobby
N/A
Winston-Salem, NC
55,000
9.3
3x5
Yes
Retail
Dick's Sporting Goods
N/A
McDonough, GA
46,315
3.1
4x5
No
Retail
Jo-Ann Fabric
B-
Saugus, MA
22,500
8.1
4x5
Yes
Retail
Walgreens
BBB
Birmingham, AL
14,516
8.3
N/A
No
Retail
Walgreens
BBB
Alpharetta, GA
15,120
4.8
N/A
No
Retail
Best Buy
BBB
McDonough, GA
30,038
5.3
4x5
Yes
Retail
Walgreens
BBB
Albany, GA
14,770
12.1
N/A
No
Retail
Outback Steakhouse
B+
Charlotte, NC
6,297
10.8
4x5
Yes
Retail
Cheddar's (4)
BBB-
Jacksonville, FL
8,146
6.8
4x5
Yes
Retail
Scrubbles Car Wash (4)
N/A
Jacksonville, FL
4,512
16.8
4x5
Yes
Retail
Family Dollar
BBB
Lynn, MA
9,228
3.3
7x5
Yes
Retail
7-Eleven
AA-
Austin, TX
6,400
14.3
3x5
Yes
Retail
7-Eleven
AA-
Georgetown, TX
7,726
15.0
4x5
Yes
Retail
Conn's HomePlus
B-
Hurst, TX
37,957
10.7
4x5
Yes
Retail
Lehigh Gas Wholesale Services, Inc.
N/A
Highland Heights, KY
2,578
9.9
4x5
Yes
Retail
American Multi-Cinema, Inc.
CC
Tyngsborough, MA
39,474
12.3
2x5
Yes
Retail
Hobby Lobby
N/A
Tulsa, OK
84,180
10.0
4x5
Yes
Retail
Long John Silver's (4)
N/A
Tulsa, OK
3,000
0.1
N/A
No
Retail
Old Time Pottery
N/A
Orange Park, FL
84,180
9.6
2x5
Yes
Retail
Freddy's Frozen Custard (4)
N/A
Orange Park, FL
3,200
5.9
4x5
Yes
Retail
Hobby Lobby
N/A
Arden, NC
55,000
10.7
3x5
Yes
Retail
Walmart
AA
Howell, MI
214,172
6.1
5x5
No
1,369
Retail
Advanced Auto Parts
BBB-
Severn, MD
6,876
14.2
3x5
Yes
Retail
Dollar General
BBB
Heuvelton, NY
9,342
11.8
4x5
Yes
Retail
Dollar General
BBB
Winthrop, NY
9,167
10.7
4x5
Yes
Retail
Dollar General
BBB
Salem, NY
9,199
12.7
4x5
Yes
Retail
Dollar General
BBB
Harrisville, NY
9,309
13.0
4x5
Yes
Retail
Dollar General
BBB
Newtonsville, OH
9,290
9.4
5x5
Yes
Retail
Dollar General
BBB
Hammond, NY
9,219
12.0
4x5
Yes
Retail
Dollar General
BBB
Barker, NY
9,275
12.9
4x5
Yes
Retail
Dollar General
BBB
Chazy, NY
9,277
10.8
4x5
Yes
Retail
Dollar General
BBB
Milford, ME
9,128
12.8
3x5
Yes
Retail
Dollar General
BBB
Limestone, ME
9,167
12.8
3x5
Yes
Retail
Dollar General
BBB
Bingham, ME
9,345
12.8
3x5
Yes
Retail
Dollar General
BBB
Willis, TX
9,138
14.6
3x5
Yes
Retail
Dollar General
BBB
Somerville, TX
9,252
14.5
3x5
Yes
Retail
Dollar General
BBB
Odessa, TX
9,127
14.6
3x5
Yes
Retail
Dollar General
BBB
Kermit, TX
10,920
14.7
3x5
Yes
Retail
Kohl's
BBB-
Glendale, AZ
87,875
9.1
N/A
Yes
Retail
Walgreens
BBB
Tacoma, WA
14,125
9.6
6x5
No
Total / Weighted Average
1,596,754
8.4
$
21,079
(1) Tenant, or tenant parent, credit rating as of December 31, 2020.
(2) Annualized straight-line base rental income in place as of December 31, 2020.
(3) The Alpine Valley Music Theatre, leased to Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., is an entertainment venue consisting of a two-sided, open-air, 7,500-seat pavilion; an outdoor amphitheater with a capacity for 37,000; and over 150 acres of green space.
(4) We are the land owner and lessor in a ground lease with the tenant. Rentable square feet represents improvements on the property that revert to the Company at the expiration of the lease.
Two tenants, Wells Fargo and Hilton Grand Vacations represented more than 10% of our consolidated revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020 at 19% and 12% of total revenues, respectively, and for the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019 at 26% and 17% of total revenues, respectively. We also have tenants who represent more than 10% of the square footage of our income property portfolio. These tenants include Wells Fargo, Walmart, and Hobby Lobby, each representing 13%, 13%, and 12%, respectively, of total square footage.
Management Agreement
On November 26, 2019, we entered into a management agreement with our Manager (the “Management Agreement”). Pursuant to the terms of the Management Agreement, our Manager manages, operates and administers our day-to-day operations, business and affairs, subject to the direction and supervision of the Board and in accordance with the investment guidelines approved and monitored by the Board. Our Manager is subject to the direction and oversight of the Board. We pay our Manager a base management fee equal to 0.375% per quarter of our “total equity” (as defined in the Management Agreement and based on a 1.5% annual rate), calculated and payable in cash, quarterly in arrears.
Our Manager has the ability to earn an annual incentive fee based on our total stockholder return exceeding an 8% cumulative annual hurdle rate (the “Outperformance Amount”) subject to a high-water mark price. We would pay our Manager an incentive fee with respect to each annual measurement period in the amount of the greater of (i) $0.00 and (ii) the product of (a) 15% multiplied by (b) the Outperformance Amount multiplied by (c) the weighted average shares. No incentive fee was due for the year ended December 31, 2020.
The initial term of the Management Agreement will expire on November 26, 2024 and will automatically renew for an unlimited number of successive one-year periods thereafter, unless the agreement is not renewed or is terminated in accordance with its terms.
Our independent directors will review our Manager’s performance and the management fees annually and, following the initial term, the Management Agreement may be terminated annually upon the affirmative vote of two-thirds of our independent directors or upon a determination by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock, based upon (i) unsatisfactory performance that is materially detrimental to us or (ii) a determination that the management fees payable to our Manager are not fair, subject to our Manager’s right to prevent such termination due to unfair fees by accepting a reduction of management fees agreed to by two-thirds of our independent directors. We may also terminate the Management Agreement for cause at any time, including during the initial term, without the payment of any termination fee, with 30 days’ prior written notice from the Board. During the initial term of the Management Agreement, we may not terminate the Management Agreement except for cause.
We will pay directly or reimburse our Manager for certain expenses, if incurred by our Manager. We will not reimburse any compensation expenses incurred by our Manager or its affiliates. Expense reimbursements to our Manager will be made in cash on a quarterly basis following the end of each quarter. In addition, we will pay all of our operating expenses, except those specifically required to be borne by our Manager pursuant to the Management Agreement.
Exclusivity and ROFO Agreement
On November 26, 2019, we also entered into an exclusivity and right of first offer (“ROFO”) agreement with CTO. During the term of the exclusivity and ROFO agreement, CTO will not, and will cause each of its affiliates (which for purposes of the exclusivity and ROFO agreement will not include our company and our subsidiaries) not to, acquire, directly or indirectly, a single-tenant, net leased property, without providing us with notice and we have affirmatively rejected the opportunity to acquire the applicable property or properties.
The terms of the exclusivity and ROFO agreement do not restrict CTO or any of its affiliates from providing financing for a third party’s acquisition of single-tenant, net leased properties or from developing and owning any single-tenant, net leased property.
Pursuant to the exclusivity and ROFO agreement, neither CTO nor any of its affiliates (which for purposes of the exclusivity and ROFO agreement does not include our company and our subsidiaries) may sell to any third party any single-tenant, net leased property that was owned by CTO or any of its affiliates as of the closing date of the IPO; or is owned by CTO or any of its affiliates after the closing date of the IPO, without first offering us the right to purchase such property.
The term of the exclusivity and ROFO agreement will continue for so long as the Management Agreement with our Manager is in effect.
Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest may exist or could arise in the future with CTO and its affiliates, including our Manager, the individuals who serve as our executive officers and executive officers of CTO, any individual who serves as a director of our company and as a director of CTO and any limited partner of the Operating Partnership. Conflicts may include, without limitation: conflicts arising from the enforcement of agreements between us and CTO or our Manager; conflicts in the amount of time that executive officers and employees of CTO, who are provided to us through our Manager, will spend on our affairs versus CTO’s affairs; and conflicts in future transactions that we may pursue with CTO and its affiliates. We do not generally expect to enter into joint ventures with CTO, but if we do so, the terms and conditions of our joint venture investment will be subject to the approval of a majority of disinterested directors of the Board.
In addition, we are subject to conflicts of interest arising out of our relationships with our Manager. Pursuant to the Management Agreement, our Manager is obligated to supply us with our senior management team. However, our Manager is not obligated to dedicate any specific CTO personnel exclusively to us, nor are the CTO personnel provided to us by our Manager obligated to dedicate any specific portion of their time to the management of our business. Additionally, our Manager is a wholly owned subsidiary of CTO. All of our executive officers are executive officers and employees of CTO and one of our officers (John P. Albright) is also a member of CTO’s board of directors. As a result, our Manager and the CTO personnel it provides to us may have conflicts between their duties to us and their duties to, and interests in, CTO.
We may acquire or sell single-tenant, net leased properties in which our Manager or its affiliates have or may have an interest. Similarly, our Manager or its affiliates may acquire or sell single-tenant, net leased properties in which we have or may have an interest. Although such acquisitions or dispositions may present conflicts of interest, we nonetheless may pursue and consummate such transactions. Additionally, we may engage in transactions directly with our Manager or its affiliates, including the purchase and sale of all or a portion of a portfolio asset. If we acquire a single-tenant, net leased property from CTO or one of its affiliates or sell a single-tenant, net leased property to CTO or one of its affiliates, the purchase price we pay to CTO or one of its affiliates or the purchase price paid to us by CTO or one of its affiliates may be higher or lower, respectively, than the purchase price that would have been paid to or by us if the transaction were the result of arms’ length negotiations with an unaffiliated third party.
In deciding whether to issue additional debt or equity securities, we will rely, in part, on recommendations made by our Manager. While such decisions are subject to the approval of the Board, our Manager is entitled to be paid a base management fee that is based on our “total equity” (as defined in the Management Agreement). As a result, our Manager may have an incentive to recommend that we issue additional equity securities at dilutive prices.
All of our executive officers are executive officers and employees of CTO. These individuals and other CTO personnel provided to us through our Manager devote as much time to us as our Manager deems appropriate. However, our executive officers and other CTO personnel provided to us through our Manager may have conflicts in allocating their time and services between us, on the one hand, and CTO and its affiliates, on the other. During a period of prolonged economic weakness or another economic downturn affecting the real estate industry or at other times when we need focused support and assistance from our Manager and the CTO executive officers and other personnel provided to us through our Manager, we may not receive the necessary support and assistance we require or that we would otherwise receive if we were self-managed.
Additionally, the exclusivity and ROFO agreement does contain exceptions to CTO’s exclusivity for opportunities that include only an incidental interest in single-tenant, net leased properties. Accordingly, the exclusivity and ROFO agreement will not prevent CTO from pursuing certain acquisition opportunities that otherwise satisfy our then-current investment criteria.
Our directors and executive officers have duties to our company under applicable Maryland law in connection with their management of our company. At the same time, PINE GP has fiduciary duties, as the general partner, to the Operating Partnership and to the limited partners under Delaware law in connection with the management of the Operating Partnership. These duties as a general partner to the Operating Partnership and its partners may come into conflict with the duties of our directors and executive officers to us. Unless otherwise provided for in the relevant partnership agreement, Delaware law generally requires a general partner of a Delaware limited partnership to adhere to fiduciary duty standards under which it owes its limited partners the highest duties of loyalty and care and which generally prohibits such general partner from taking any action or engaging in any transaction as to which it has a conflict of interest. The partnership agreement provides that in the event of a conflict between the interests of our stockholders on the one hand and the limited partners of the Operating Partnership on the other hand, PINE GP will endeavor in good faith to resolve the conflict in a manner not adverse to either our stockholders or the limited partners; provided, however, that so long as we own a controlling interest in the Operating Partnership, any such conflict that we, in our sole and absolute discretion, determine cannot be resolved in a manner not adverse to either our stockholders or the limited partners of the Operating Partnership shall be resolved in favor of our stockholders, and we shall not be liable for monetary damages for losses sustained, liabilities incurred or benefits not derived by the limited partners in connection with such decisions.
COMPETITION
The real estate business generally is highly competitive. We intend to focus on investing in commercial real estate that produces income primarily through the leasing of assets to tenants. To identify investment opportunities in income-producing real estate assets and to achieve our investment objectives, we compete with numerous companies and organizations, both public as well as private, of varying sizes, ranging from organizations with local operations to organizations with national scale and reach, and in some cases, we compete with individual real estate investors. In all the markets in which we compete to acquire net leased properties, price is the principal method of competition, with transaction structure and certainty of execution also being significant considerations for potential sellers. We face competition for acquisitions of real property from investors, including traded and non-traded public REITs, private equity investors and institutional investment funds, some of which have greater financial resources than we do, a greater ability to borrow funds to acquire properties and the ability to accept more risk. This competition may increase the demand for the types of properties in which we typically invest and, therefore, reduce the number of suitable investment opportunities available to us and increase the prices paid for such acquisition properties. This competition will increase if investments in real estate become more attractive relative to other forms of investment.
As a landlord, we compete in the multi-billion-dollar commercial real estate market with numerous developers and owners of properties, many of which own properties similar to ours in the same markets in which our properties are located. Some of our competitors have greater economies of scale, lower costs of capital, access to more resources and greater name recognition than we do. If our competitors offer space at rental rates below current market rates or below the rental rates we currently charge our tenants, we may lose our tenants or prospective tenants and we may be pressured to reduce our rental rates or to offer substantial rent abatements, tenant improvement allowances, early termination rights or below-market renewal options in order to retain tenants when our leases expire.
EMERGING GROWTH COMPANY STATUS
We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, and we are eligible to receive certain specified reduced disclosure and other requirements that are otherwise generally applicable to public companies that are not “emerging growth companies,” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We have irrevocably opted-out of the extended transition period afforded to emerging growth companies in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised financial accounting standards. As a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards on the same time frames as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.
We will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest to occur of (i) the last day of the fiscal year during which our total annual gross revenue equals or exceeds $1.07 billion (subject to adjustment for inflation), (ii) December 31, 2024 (the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the IPO); (iii) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities and (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.
We are also a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Regulation S-K under the Securities Act and may take advantage of certain of the scaled disclosures available to smaller reporting companies. We may be a smaller reporting company even after we are no longer an “emerging growth company.”
REGULATION
General. Our properties are subject to various laws, ordinances and regulations, including those relating to fire and safety requirements, and affirmative and negative covenants and, in some instances, common area obligations. Our tenants have primary responsibility for compliance with these requirements pursuant to our leases. We believe that each of our properties has the necessary permits and approvals.
Americans With Disabilities Act. Under Title III of the ADA, and rules promulgated thereunder, in order to protect individuals with disabilities, public accommodations must remove architectural and communication barriers that are structural in nature from existing places of public accommodation to the extent “readily achievable.” In addition, under the ADA, alterations to a place of public accommodation or a commercial facility are to be made so that, to the maximum extent feasible, such altered portions are readily accessible to and usable by disabled individuals. The “readily achievable” standard considers, among other factors, the financial resources of the affected site and the owner, lessor or other applicable person.
Compliance with the ADA, as well as other federal, state and local laws, may require modifications to properties we currently own or may purchase or may restrict renovations of those properties. Failure to comply with these laws or regulations could result in the imposition of fines or an award of damages to private litigants, as well as the incurrence of the costs of making modifications to attain compliance, and future legislation could impose additional obligations or restrictions on our properties. Although our tenants are generally responsible for all maintenance and repairs of the property pursuant to our lease, including compliance with the ADA and other similar laws or regulations, we could be held liable as the owner of the property for a failure of one of our tenants to comply with these laws or regulations.
ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS
Federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations regulate, and impose liability for, releases of hazardous or toxic substances into the environment. Under various of these laws and regulations, a current or previous owner, operator or tenant of real estate may be required to investigate and clean up hazardous or toxic substances, hazardous wastes or petroleum product releases or threats of releases at the property, and may be held liable to a government entity or to third parties for property damage and for investigation, clean-up and monitoring costs incurred by those parties in connection with the actual or threatened contamination. These laws may impose clean-up responsibility and liability without regard to fault, or whether the owner, operator or tenant knew of or caused the presence of the contamination. The liability under these laws may be joint and several for the full amount of the investigation, clean-up and monitoring costs incurred or to be incurred or actions to be undertaken, although a party held jointly and severally liable may seek to obtain contributions
from other identified, solvent, responsible parties of their fair share toward these costs. These costs may be substantial and can exceed the value of the property. In addition, some environmental laws may create a lien on the contaminated site in favor of the government for damages and costs it incurs in connection with the contamination. As the owner or operator of real estate, we also may be liable under common law to third parties for damages and injuries resulting from environmental contamination emanating from the real estate. The presence of contamination, or the failure to properly remediate contamination, on a property may adversely affect the ability of the owner, operator or tenant to sell or rent that property or to borrow using the property as collateral and may adversely impact our investment in that property.
Some of our properties contain, have contained or are adjacent to or near other properties that have contained or currently contain storage tanks for the storage of petroleum products or other hazardous or toxic substances. Similarly, some of our properties were used in the past for commercial or industrial purposes, or are currently used for commercial purposes, that involve or involved the use of petroleum products or other hazardous or toxic substances or are adjacent to or near properties that have been or are used for similar commercial or industrial purposes. These operations create a potential for the release of petroleum products or other hazardous or toxic substances, and we could potentially be required to pay to clean up any contamination. In addition, environmental laws regulate a variety of activities that can occur on a property, including the storage of petroleum products or other hazardous or toxic substances, air emissions, water discharges and exposure to lead-based paint. Such laws may impose fines or penalties for violations and may require permits or other governmental approvals to be obtained for the operation of a business involving such activities. As a result of the foregoing, we could be materially and adversely affected.
Environmental laws also govern the presence, maintenance and removal of asbestos-containing materials (“ACM”). Federal regulations require building owners and those exercising control over a building’s management to identify and warn, through signs and labels, of potential hazards posed by workplace exposure to installed ACM in their building. The regulations also have employee training, record keeping and due diligence requirements pertaining to ACM. Significant fines can be assessed for violation of these regulations. As a result of these regulations, building owners and those exercising control over a building’s management may be subject to an increased risk of personal injury lawsuits by workers and others exposed to ACM. The regulations may affect the value of a building containing ACM in which we have invested. Federal, state and local laws and regulations also govern the removal, encapsulation, disturbance, handling and/or disposal of ACM when those materials are in poor condition or in the event of construction, remodeling, renovation or demolition of a building. These laws may impose liability for improper handling or a release into the environment of ACM and may provide for fines to, and for third parties to seek recovery from, owners or operators of real properties for personal injury or improper work exposure associated with ACM.
When excessive moisture accumulates in buildings or on building materials, mold growth may occur, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or is not addressed over a period of time. Some molds may produce airborne toxins or irritants. Indoor air quality issues can also stem from inadequate ventilation, chemical contamination from indoor or outdoor sources and other biological contaminants such as pollen, viruses and bacteria. Indoor exposure to airborne toxins or irritants above certain levels can be alleged to cause a variety of adverse health effects and symptoms, including allergic or other reactions. As a result, the presence of significant mold or other airborne contaminants at any of our properties could require us to undertake a costly remediation program to contain or remove the mold or other airborne contaminants from the affected property or increase indoor ventilation. In addition, the presence of significant mold or other airborne contaminants could expose us to liability from our tenants, employees of our tenants or others if property damage or personal injury occurs.
With respect to each of the properties in our initial portfolio, CTO obtained Phase I environmental site assessments. The Company has obtained Phase I environmental assessments on all properties acquired subsequent to the completion of the IPO. Phase I environmental site assessments are limited in scope and therefore may not reveal all environmental conditions affecting a property. However, if recommended in the initial assessments, we may undertake additional assessments such as soil and/or groundwater samplings or other limited subsurface investigations and ACM or mold surveys to test for substances of concern. A prior owner or operator of a property or historic operations at our properties may have created a material environmental condition that is not known to us or the independent consultants preparing the site assessments. Material environmental conditions may have arisen after the review was completed or may arise in the future, and future laws, ordinances or regulations may impose material additional environmental liability. If environmental concerns are not satisfactorily resolved in any initial or additional assessments, we may obtain environmental insurance
policies to insure against potential environmental risk or loss depending on the type of property, the availability and cost of the insurance and various other factors we deem relevant. Our ultimate liability for environmental conditions may exceed the policy limits on any environmental insurance policies we obtain, if any.
Generally, our leases require the lessee to comply with environmental law and provide that the lessee will indemnify us for any loss or expense we incur as a result of the lessee’s violation of environmental law or the presence, use or release of hazardous materials on our property attributable to the lessee. If our lessees do not comply with environmental law, or we are unable to enforce the indemnification obligations of our lessees, our results of operations would be adversely affected.
We cannot predict what other environmental legislation or regulations will be enacted in the future, how existing or future laws or regulations will be administered or interpreted or what environmental conditions may be found to exist on our properties in the future. Compliance with existing and new laws and regulations may require us or our tenants to spend funds to remedy environmental problems. If we or our tenants were to become subject to significant environmental liabilities, we could be materially and adversely affected.
EMPLOYEES
The Company has no employees and is externally managed and advised by our Manager pursuant to the Management Agreement. Our Manager is a wholly owned subsidiary of CTO. All of our executive officers serve as executive officers of CTO, and one of our executive officers and directors, John P. Albright, serves as an executive officer and director of CTO.
AVAILABLE INFORMATION
The Company maintains a website at www.alpinereit.com. The Company is providing the address to its website solely for the information of investors. The information on the Company’s website is not a part of, nor is it incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Through its website, the Company makes available, free of charge, its annual proxy statement, Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company electronically files such material with, or furnishes them to, the SEC.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks summarized below in this Item 1A, “Risk Factors” included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:
● We are subject to risks related to the ownership of commercial real estate that could affect the performance and value of our properties.
● Adverse changes in U.S., global and local regions or markets that impact our tenants’ businesses may materially and adversely affect us generally and the ability of our tenants to make rental payments to us pursuant to our leases.
● Our business is dependent upon our tenants successfully operating their businesses, and their failure to do so could materially and adversely affect us.
● Our assessment that certain of our tenants’ businesses are insulated from e-commerce pressure may prove to be incorrect, and changes in macroeconomic trends may adversely affect our tenants, either of which could impair our tenants’ ability to make rental payments to us and thereby materially and adversely affect us.
● Properties occupied by a single tenant pursuant to a single lease subject us to significant risk of tenant default.
● Our portfolio has geographic market concentrations that make us susceptible to adverse developments in those geographic markets.
● We are subject to risks related to tenant concentration, and an adverse development with respect to a large tenant could materially and adversely affect us.
● Certain of our tenants are not rated by a recognized credit rating agency or do not have an investment grade rating from such an agency. Leases with unrated or non-investment grade rated tenants may be subject to a greater risk of default.
● The decrease in demand for retail space may materially and adversely affect us.
● We may be unable to renew leases, lease vacant space or re-lease space as leases expire on favorable terms or at all.
● The tenants that occupy our properties compete in industries that depend upon discretionary spending by consumers. A reduction in the willingness or ability of consumers to use their discretionary income in the businesses of our tenants and potential tenants could adversely impact our tenants’ business and thereby adversely impact our ability to collect rents and reduce the demand for leasing our properties.
● The vacancy of one or more of our properties could result in us having to incur significant capital expenditures to re-tenant the space.
● We may be unable to identify and complete acquisitions of suitable properties, which may impede our growth, and our future acquisitions may not yield the returns we expect.
● We face significant competition for tenants, which may adversely impact the occupancy levels of our portfolio or prevent increases of the rental rates of our properties.
● The costs of compliance with or liabilities related to environmental laws may materially and adversely affect us.
● Our properties may contain or develop harmful mold, which could lead to liability for adverse health effects and costs of remediation.
● Our senior management team is required to operate two publicly traded companies, CTO and our company, which could place a significant strain on our senior management team and the management systems, infrastructure and other resources of CTO on which we rely.
● We have no employees and are entirely dependent upon our Manager for all the services we require, and we cannot assure you that our Manager will allocate the resources necessary to meet our business objectives.
● CTO may be unable to obtain or retain the executive officers and other personnel that it provides to us through our Manager.
● The base management fee payable to our Manager pursuant to the Management Agreement is payable regardless of the performance of our portfolio, which may reduce our Manager’s incentive to devote the time and effort to seeking profitable investment opportunities for us.
● The incentive fee payable to our Manager pursuant to the Management Agreement may cause our Manager to select investments in more risky assets to increase its incentive compensation.
● There are conflicts of interest in our relationships with our Manager, which could result in outcomes that are not in our best interests.
● Termination of the Management Agreement could be difficult and costly, including as a result of payment of termination fees to our Manager, and may cause us to be unable to execute our business plan, which could materially and adversely affect us.
● The Management Agreement with our Manager and the exclusivity and ROFO agreement with CTO were not negotiated on an arm’s-length basis and may not be as favorable to us as if they had been negotiated with unaffiliated third parties.
● Failure to remain qualified as a REIT would cause us to be taxed as a regular corporation, which would substantially reduce funds available for distributions to our stockholders.
● Even if we remain qualified as a REIT, we may face other tax liabilities that could reduce our cash flows and negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.
● Failure to make required distributions would subject us to U.S. federal corporate income tax.
● Complying with REIT requirements may limit our ability to hedge our liabilities effectively and may cause us to incur tax liabilities.
● The prohibited transactions tax may limit our ability to dispose of our properties.
● The ability of the Board to revoke our REIT qualification without stockholder approval may cause adverse consequences to our stockholders.
● Dividends payable by REITs do not qualify for the reduced tax rates available for some dividends.
● The novel coronavirus pandemic (the “COVID-19 Pandemic”), and the future outbreak of other highly infectious or contagious diseases, could materially and adversely impact or disrupt our tenant’s business operations and as a result adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and performance.
Risks Related to Our Business
We are subject to risks related to the ownership of commercial real estate that could affect the performance and value of our properties.
Factors beyond our control can affect the performance and value of our properties. Our core business is the ownership of single-tenant commercial net leased properties. Accordingly, our performance is subject to risks incident to the ownership of commercial real estate, including:
● inability to collect rents from tenants due to financial hardship, including bankruptcy;
● changes in local real estate conditions in the markets where our properties are located, including the availability and demand for the properties we own;
● changes in consumer trends and preferences that affect the demand for products and services offered by our tenants;
● adverse changes in national, regional and local economic conditions;
● inability to lease or sell properties upon expiration or termination of existing leases;
● environmental risks, including the presence of hazardous or toxic substances on our properties;
● the subjectivity of real estate valuations and changes in such valuations over time;
● illiquidity of real estate investments, which may limit our ability to modify our portfolio promptly in
response to changes in economic or other conditions;
● zoning or other local regulatory restrictions, or other factors pertaining to the local government institutions
which inhibit interest in the markets in which our properties are located;
● changes in interest rates and the availability of financing;
● competition from other real estate companies similar to ours and competition for tenants, including
competition based on rental rates, age and location of properties and the quality of maintenance, insurance
and management services;
● acts of God, including natural disasters and global pandemics, such as the COVID-19 Pandemic, which impact the United States, which may result in uninsured losses;
● acts of war or terrorism, including consequences of terrorist attacks;
● changes in tenant preferences that reduce the attractiveness and marketability of our properties to
tenants or cause decreases in market rental rates;
● costs associated with the need to periodically repair, renovate or re-lease our properties;
● increases in the cost of our operations, particularly maintenance, insurance or real estate taxes
which may occur even when circumstances such as market factors and competition cause a reduction in our revenues;
● changes in governmental laws and regulations, fiscal policies and zoning ordinances and the related
costs of compliance with laws and regulations, fiscal policies and ordinances including in response to global pandemics whereby our tenants’ businesses are forced to close or remain open on a limited basis only; and
● commodities prices.
The occurrence of any of the risks described above may cause the performance and value of our properties to decline, which could materially and adversely affect us.
Adverse changes in U.S., global and local regions or markets that impact our tenants’ businesses may materially and adversely affect us generally and the ability of our tenants to make rental payments to us pursuant to our leases.
Our results of operations, as well as the results of operations of our tenants, are sensitive to changes in U.S., global and local regions or markets that impact our tenants’ businesses. Adverse changes or developments in U.S., global or regional economic conditions may impact our tenants’ financial condition, which may adversely impact their ability to
make rental payments to us pursuant to the leases they have with us and may also impact their current or future leasing practices. Adverse economic conditions such as high unemployment levels, rising interest rates, increased tax rates and increasing fuel and energy costs may have an impact on the results of operations and financial conditions of our tenants, which would likely adversely impact us. During periods of economic slowdown and declining demand for real estate, we may experience a general decline in rents or increased rates of default under our leases. A lack of demand for rental space could adversely affect our ability to maintain our current tenants and gain new tenants, which may affect our growth, profitability and ability to pay dividends.
Our business is dependent upon our tenants successfully operating their businesses, and their failure to do so could materially and adversely affect us.
Each of our properties are occupied by a single tenant. Therefore, the success of our investments in these properties is materially dependent upon the performance of each property’s respective tenants. The financial performance of any one of our tenants is dependent on the tenant’s individual business, its industry and, in many instances, the performance of a larger business network that the tenant may be affiliated with or operate under. The financial performance of any one of our tenants could be adversely affected by poor management, unfavorable economic conditions in general, changes in consumer trends and preferences that decrease demand for a tenant’s products or services or other factors, including the impact of a global pandemic which affects the United States, over which neither they nor we have control. Our portfolio includes properties leased to single tenants that operate in multiple locations, which means we own multiple properties operated by the same tenant. To the extent we own multiple properties operated by one tenant, the general failure of that single tenant or a loss or significant decline in its business could materially and adversely affect us.
At any given time, any tenant may experience a decline in its business that may weaken its operating results or the overall financial condition of individual properties or its business as a whole. Any such decline may result in our tenant failing to make rental payments when due, declining to extend a lease upon its expiration, delaying occupancy of our property or the commencement of the lease or becoming insolvent or declaring bankruptcy. We depend on our tenants to operate their businesses at the properties we own in a manner which generates revenues sufficient to allow them to meet their obligations to us, including their obligations to pay rent, maintain certain insurance coverage, pay real estate taxes, make repairs and otherwise maintain our properties. The ability of our tenants to fulfill their obligations under our leases may depend, in part, upon the overall profitability of their operations. Cash flow generated by certain tenant businesses may not be sufficient for a tenant to meet its obligations to us pursuant to the applicable lease. We could be materially and adversely affected if a tenant representing a significant portion of our operating results or a number of our tenants were unable to meet their obligations to us.
Our assessment that certain of our tenants’ businesses are insulated from e-commerce pressure may prove to be incorrect, and changes in macroeconomic trends may adversely affect our tenants, either of which could impair our tenants’ ability to make rental payments to us and thereby materially and adversely affect us.
We invest in properties leased, in many instances, to tenants engaged in businesses that we believe are generally insulated from the impact of e-commerce. While we believe our assessment to be accurate, businesses previously thought to be resistant to the pressure of the increasing level of e-commerce have ultimately been proven to be susceptible to competition from e-commerce. Overall business conditions and the impact of technology, particularly in the retail industry, are rapidly changing, and our tenants may be adversely affected by technological innovation, changing consumer preferences and competition from non-traditional sources. To the extent our tenants face increased competition from non-traditional competitors, such as internet vendors, their businesses could suffer. There can be no assurance that our tenants will be successful in meeting any new competition, and a deterioration in our tenants’ businesses could impair their ability to meet their lease obligations to us and thereby materially and adversely affect us.
Additionally, we believe that many of the businesses operated by our tenants are benefiting from current favorable macroeconomic trends that support consumer spending, such as strong and growing employment levels, a relatively low interest rate environment and positive consumer sentiment. Economic conditions are generally cyclical, and developments that discourage consumer spending, such as increasing unemployment, wage stagnation, decreases in the value of real estate, inflation or increasing interest rates, could adversely affect our tenants, impair their ability to meet their lease obligations to us and materially and adversely affect us.
Properties occupied by a single tenant pursuant to a single lease subject us to significant risk of tenant default.
Our strategy focuses on owning, operating and investing in single-tenant, net leased commercial properties. Therefore, the financial failure of, or default in payment by, a tenant under its lease is likely to cause a significant or complete reduction in our rental revenue from that property and possibly a reduction in the value of the property. We may also experience difficulty or a significant delay in re-leasing or selling such property. This risk is magnified in situations where we lease multiple properties to a single tenant and the financial failure of the tenant’s business affects more than a single property. A failure or default by such a tenant could reduce or eliminate rental revenue from multiple properties and reduce the value of such properties, which could materially and adversely affect us.
We may experience a decline in the fair value of our real estate assets which could result in impairments and would impact our financial condition and results of operations.
A decline in the fair market value of our long-lived assets may require us to recognize an impairment against such assets (as defined by Financial Accounting Standards Board, or the FASB, authoritative accounting guidance) if certain conditions or circumstances related to an asset were to change and we were to determine that, with respect to any such asset, that the cash flows no longer support the carrying value of the asset. The fair value of our long-lived assets depends on market conditions, including estimates of future demand for these assets, and the revenues that can be generated from such assets. If such a determination were to be made, we would recognize the estimated unrealized losses through earnings and write down the depreciated cost of such assets to a new cost basis, based on the fair value of such assets on the date they are considered to be impaired. Such impairment charges reflect non-cash losses at the time of recognition, and subsequent dispositions or sales of such assets could further affect our future losses or gains, as they are based on the difference between the sales price received and the adjusted depreciated cost of such assets at the time of sale.
Our portfolio has geographic market concentrations that make us susceptible to adverse developments in those geographic markets.
In addition to general, regional, national, and global economic conditions, our operating performance is impacted by the economic conditions of the specific geographic markets in which we have concentrations of properties. Our portfolio includes substantial holdings in Florida and Oregon as of December 31, 2020 (based on annualized base rent). Our geographic concentrations could adversely affect our operating performance if conditions become less favorable in any of the states or markets within such states in which we have a concentration of properties. Such geographic concentrations could be heightened by the fact that our investments may be concentrated in certain areas that are affected by COVID-19 more than other areas. We cannot assure you that any of our markets will grow, not experience adverse developments or that underlying real estate fundamentals will be favorable to owners and operators of commercial properties. Our operations may also be affected if competing properties are built in our markets. A downturn in the economy in the states or regions in which we have a concentration of properties, or markets within such states or regions, could adversely affect our tenants operating businesses in those states or regions, impair their ability to pay rent to us and thereby, materially and adversely affect us.
We are subject to risks related to tenant concentration, and an adverse development with respect to a large tenant could materially and adversely affect us.
As of December 31, 2020, on an annualized basis, Wells Fargo, our largest tenant, contributed 19% of our total revenue. Additionally, we derived 12% of our total revenue as of December 31, 2020 from our second largest tenant, Hilton Grand Vacations. As a result, our financial performance depends significantly on the financial condition of these tenants. In the future, we may have additional tenant and property concentrations. In the event that one of these tenants, or another tenant that occupies a significant number of our properties or whose lease payments represent a significant portion of our rental revenue, were to experience financial difficulty or file for bankruptcy, it could have a material adverse effect on us.
Certain of our tenants are not rated by a recognized credit rating agency or do not have an investment grade rating from such an agency. Leases with unrated or non-investment grade rated tenants may be subject to a greater risk of default.
As of December 31, 2020, 54% of our tenants or parent entities thereof (based on annualized straight-line base rent) were not rated or did not have an investment grade credit rating from a recognized rating agency. Leases with non-investment grade or unrated tenants may be subject to a greater risk of default. Unrated tenants or non-investment grade tenants may also be more likely to experience financial weakness or file for bankruptcy than tenants with investment grade credit ratings. When we consider the acquisition of a property with an in-place lease with an unrated or non-investment grade rated tenant or leasing a property to a tenant that does not have a credit rating or does not have an investment grade rating, we evaluate the strength of the proposed tenant’s business at the property level and at a corporate level, if applicable, and may consider the risk of tenant/company insolvency using internally developed methodologies or assessments provided by third parties. If our evaluation of an unrated or non-investment grade tenant’s creditworthiness is inaccurate, the default or bankruptcy risk related to the tenant may be greater than anticipated. In the event that any of our unrated tenants were to experience financial weakness or file for bankruptcy, it could have a material adverse effect on us.
The decrease in demand for retail space may materially and adversely affect us.
As of December 31, 2020, leases representing 73% of the annualized straight-line base rent of our initial portfolio were with tenants operating retail businesses. In the future, we intend to acquire additional properties leased to a single tenant operating a retail business at the property. Accordingly, decreases in the demand for leasing retail space may have a greater adverse effect on us than if we had fewer investments in retail properties. The market for leasing of retail space has historically been adversely affected by weakness in the national, regional and local economies, the adverse financial condition of some large retail companies, consolidation in the retail industry, the excess amount of retail space in a number of markets and increasing e-commerce pressure. To the extent that adverse conditions arise or continue, they are likely to negatively affect market rents for retail space and could materially and adversely affect us.
We may be unable to renew leases, lease vacant space or re-lease space as leases expire on favorable terms or at all.
Our results of operations depend on our ability to lease our properties, including renewing expiring leases, leasing vacant space and re-leasing space in properties where leases are expiring. In leasing or re-leasing our properties, we may be unable to optimize our tenant mix or execute leases on more economically favorable terms than the prior in-place lease. Our tenants may decline, or may not have the financial resources available, to renew their leases, and there can be no assurance that leases that are renewed will have terms that are as economically favorable to us as the expiring lease terms. If tenants do not renew their leases as they expire, we will have to source new tenants to lease our properties, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to find new tenants or that our properties will be re-leased at rental rates equal to or above the previous in-place lease or current average rental rates or that substantial rent abatements, tenant improvement allowances, early termination rights or below-market renewal options will not be offered to attract new tenants. We may experience increased costs in connection with re-leasing our properties, which could materially and adversely affect us.
Certain provisions of our leases may be unenforceable.
Our rights and obligations with respect to our leases are governed by written agreements. A court could determine that one or more provisions of such an agreement are unenforceable. We could be adversely impacted if this were to happen with respect to a property or group of properties.
The bankruptcy or insolvency of any of our tenants could result in the termination of such tenant’s lease and material losses to us.
The occurrence of a tenant bankruptcy or insolvency would likely diminish the income we receive from that tenant’s lease or leases or force us to re-tenant a property as a result of a default of the in-place tenant or a rejection of a tenant lease by a bankruptcy court. If a tenant files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, federal law may prohibit us from evicting such tenant based solely upon such bankruptcy or insolvency. In addition, a bankrupt or insolvent tenant may be authorized
to reject and terminate its lease or leases with us. Any claims against such bankrupt tenant for unpaid rent or future rent would be subject to statutory limitations that would likely result in our receipt of rental revenues that are substantially less than the contractually specified rent we are owed under the lease or leases. In addition, any claim we have for unpaid past rent, if any, may not be paid in full. We may also be unable to re-lease a property in which the in-place lease was not terminated or rejected or to re-lease it on comparable or more favorable terms. As a result, tenant bankruptcies or insolvencies may materially and adversely affect us.
We may not acquire the properties that we evaluate in our pipeline.
We will generally seek to maintain a robust pipeline of investment opportunities. Transactions may fail to close for a variety of reasons, including the discovery of previously unknown liabilities or other items uncovered during our diligence process. Similarly, we may never execute binding purchase agreements with respect to properties that are currently subject to non-binding letters of intent, and properties with respect to which we are negotiating may never lead to the execution of any letter of intent. For many other reasons, we may not ultimately acquire the properties in our pipeline.
As we continue to acquire properties, we may decrease or fail to increase the diversity of our portfolio.
While we will seek to maintain or increase our portfolio’s tenant, geographic and industry diversification with future acquisitions, it is possible that we may determine to consummate one or more acquisitions that actually decrease our portfolio’s diversity. If our portfolio becomes less diverse, our business will be more sensitive to tenant or market factors, including the bankruptcy or insolvency of tenants, to changes in consumer trends of a particular industry and to a general economic downturn or downturns in a market or particular geographic area.
We may obtain only limited warranties when we acquire a property and may only have limited recourse if our due diligence did not identify any issues that may subject us to unknown liabilities or lower the value of our property, which could adversely affect our financial condition and ability to make distributions to you.
The seller of a property often sells the property in its “as is” condition on a “where is” basis and “with all faults,” without any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular use or purpose. In addition, purchase agreements may contain only limited warranties, representations and indemnifications that will survive for only a limited period after the closing. The acquisition of, or purchase of, properties with limited warranties increases the risk that we may lose some or all of our invested capital in the property, lose rental income from that property or may be subject to unknown liabilities with respect to such properties.
The tenants that occupy our properties compete in industries that depend upon discretionary spending by consumers. A reduction in the willingness or ability of consumers to use their discretionary income in the businesses of our tenants and potential tenants could adversely impact our tenants’ business and thereby adversely impact our ability to collect rents and reduce the demand for leasing our properties.
Certain properties in our portfolio are leased to tenants operating retail, service-oriented or experience-based businesses. General merchandise, financial services, hospitality, home furnishings and entertainment represent a significant portion of the industries in our portfolio. The success of most of the tenants operating businesses in these industries depends on consumer demand and, more specifically, the willingness of consumers to use their discretionary income to purchase products or services from our tenants. The ability of consumers to use their discretionary income may be impacted by issues including a global pandemic that impacts the United States. A prolonged period of economic weakness, another downturn in the U.S. economy or accelerated dislocation of these industries due to the impact of e-commerce, could cause consumers to reduce their discretionary spending in general or spending at these locations in particular, which could have a material and adverse effect on us.
The vacancy of one or more of our properties could result in us having to incur significant capital expenditures to re-tenant the space.
The loss of a tenant, either through lease expiration or tenant bankruptcy or insolvency, may require us to spend significant amounts of capital to renovate the property before it is suitable for a new tenant and cause us to incur significant costs to source new tenants. In many instances, the leases we enter into or assume through acquisition are for properties that are specifically suited to the particular business of our tenants. Because these properties have been designed or physically modified for a particular tenant, if the current lease is terminated or not renewed, we may be required to renovate the property at substantial costs, decrease the rent we charge or provide other concessions in order to lease the property to another tenant. In addition, in the event we decide to sell the property, we may have difficulty selling it to a party other than the tenant due to the special purpose for which the property may have been designed or modified. This potential limitation on our ability to sell a property may limit our ability to quickly modify our portfolio in response to changes in our tenants’ business prospects, economic or other conditions, including tenant demand. These limitations may materially and adversely affect us.
We may be unable to identify and complete acquisitions of suitable properties, which may impede our growth, and our future acquisitions may not yield the returns we expect.
Our ability to expand through acquisitions requires us to identify and complete acquisitions that are consistent with our investment and growth strategy and our investment criteria and to successfully integrate newly acquired properties into our portfolio. Our Manager continually evaluates investment opportunities for us, but our ability to acquire properties on favorable terms and successfully operate them may be constrained by the following significant risks:
● we face competition from other real estate investors with significant capital, including REITs and institutional investment funds, which may be able to accept more risk than we can prudently manage, including risks associated with paying higher acquisition prices;
● we face competition from other potential acquirers which may significantly increase the purchase price for a property we acquire, which could reduce our growth prospects;
● we may incur significant costs and divert management attention in connection with evaluating and negotiating potential acquisitions, including ones that we are unable to complete;
● we may acquire properties that are not accretive to our results of operations upon acquisition, and we may be unsuccessful in managing and leasing such properties in accordance with our expectations;
● our cash flow from an acquired property may be insufficient to meet our required principal and interest payments with respect to debt used to finance the acquisition of such property;
● we may discover unexpected issues, such as unknown liabilities, during our due diligence investigation of a potential acquisition or other customary closing conditions may not be satisfied, causing us to abandon an investment opportunity after incurring expenses related thereto;
● we may fail to obtain financing for an acquisition on favorable terms or at all;
● we may spend more than budgeted amounts to make necessary improvements or renovations to acquired properties;
● market conditions may result in higher than expected vacancy rates and lower than expected rental rates; and
● we may acquire properties subject to (i) liabilities without any recourse, or with only limited recourse, with respect to unknown liabilities such as liabilities for clean-up of undisclosed environmental contamination not revealed in Phase I environmental site assessments or otherwise through due diligence, (ii) claims by tenants, vendors or other persons dealing with the former owners of the properties, (iii) liabilities incurred in the ordinary course of business and (iv) claims for indemnification by general partners, directors, officers and others indemnified by the former owners of the properties.
If any of these risks are realized, we may be materially and adversely affected.
We may be unable to complete acquisitions of properties owned by CTO that are covered by the exclusivity and ROFO agreement between us and CTO, and any completed acquisitions of such properties may not yield the returns we expect.
Although the exclusivity and ROFO agreement with CTO provides us with a right of first offer with respect to certain single-tenant, net leased properties owned by CTO, there can be no assurance that CTO will elect to sell these properties in the future. Even if CTO elects to sell these properties in the future, we may be unable to reach an agreement with CTO on the terms of the purchase of such properties or may not have the funds or ability to finance the purchase of such properties. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will be able to acquire any properties covered by the exclusivity and ROFO agreement in the future. Further, even if we are able to acquire properties covered by the exclusivity and ROFO agreement, there is no guarantee that such properties will be able to maintain their historical performance, or that we will be able to realize the same returns from those properties as CTO.
We face significant competition for tenants, which may adversely impact the occupancy levels of our portfolio or prevent increases of the rental rates of our properties.
We compete with numerous developers, owners and operators of single-tenant, net leased properties, many of which are much larger and own properties similar to ours in the same markets in which our properties are located. The size and financial wherewithal of our competitors may allow them to offer space at rental rates below current market rates or below the rental rates we charge our tenants. As a result, we may lose existing tenants or fail to obtain future tenants, and the downward pressure caused by these other owners, operators and developers may cause us to reduce our rental rates or to offer more substantial rent abatements, tenant improvements, early termination rights or below-market renewal options in order to retain tenants when our leases expire. Competition for tenants could adversely impact the occupancy levels of our portfolio or prevent increases of the rental rates of our properties, which could materially and adversely affect us.
Inflation may materially and adversely affect us and our tenants.
Increased inflation could have an adverse impact on interest rates, which would likely negatively impact the cost of any variable rate debt that we obtain in the future. During times when inflation is increasing at a greater rate than the increases in rent provided by our leases, our rent levels will not keep up with the costs associated with rising inflation. Increased costs may have an adverse impact on our tenants if increases in their operating expenses exceed increases they might achieve in revenues, which may adversely affect the tenants’ ability to pay rent owed to us.
The redevelopment or renovation of our properties may cause us to experience unexpected costs and have other risks that could materially and adversely affect us.
We may in the future redevelop, significantly renovate or otherwise invest additional capital in our properties to improve them and enhance the opportunity for achieving attractive risk-adjusted returns. These activities are subject to a number of risks, including risks associated with construction work and risks of cost overruns due to construction delays or other factors that may increase the expected costs of a project. In addition, we may incur costs in connection with projects that are ultimately not pursued to completion. Any of our redevelopment or renovation projects may be financed. If such financing is not available on acceptable terms, our redevelopment and renovation activities may not be pursued or may be curtailed. In addition, such activities would likely reduce the available borrowing capacity on the revolving credit facility we expect to have in place upon completion of the IPO or any other credit facilities that we may have in place in the future, which would limit our ability to use those sources of capital for the acquisition of properties and other operating needs. The risks associated with redevelopment and renovation activities, including but not necessarily limited to those noted above, could materially and adversely affect us.
Our real estate investments are generally illiquid, which could significantly affect our ability to respond to market changes or adverse changes relating to our tenants or in the performance of our properties.
The real estate investments made, and expected to be made, by us are relatively difficult for us to sell quickly. As a result, our ability to make rapid adjustments in the size and content of our portfolio in response to economic or other conditions will be limited. Illiquid assets typically experience greater price volatility, as a ready market does not exist, and
can be more difficult to value. In addition, validating third party pricing for illiquid assets may be more subjective than more liquid assets. As a result, if we are required to quickly liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have previously recorded our assets.
In addition, the Code imposes restrictions on a REIT’s ability to dispose of properties that are not applicable to other types of real estate companies. In particular, the tax laws applicable to REITs effectively require that we hold our properties for investment, rather than primarily for sale in the ordinary course of business, which may cause us to forgo or defer sales of properties that otherwise would be in our best interest. Therefore, we may not be able to vary our portfolio in response to economic or other conditions promptly or on favorable terms, which may materially and adversely affect us.
We may not be able to dispose of properties we target for sale to recycle our capital.
Although we may seek to selectively sell properties to recycle our capital, we may be unable to sell properties targeted for disposition due to adverse market or other conditions, or not achieve the pricing or timing that is consistent with our expectations. This may adversely affect, among other things, our ability to deploy capital into the acquisition of other properties and the execution of our overall operating strategy, which could, consequently, materially and adversely affect us.
Risks Related to Certain Events, Environmental Matters and Climate Change
Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, other acts of violence or war or other unexpected events could materially and adversely affect us.
Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, other acts of violence or war or other unexpected events, including a global pandemic that impacts the economy in the United States, could materially interrupt our business operations (or those of our tenants), cause consumer confidence and spending to decrease or result in increased volatility in the U.S. and worldwide financial markets and economies. They also could result in or prolong an economic recession. Any of these occurrences could materially and adversely affect us.
In addition, our corporate headquarters and certain of our properties are located in Florida, where major hurricanes have occurred. Depending on where any hurricane makes landfall, our properties in Florida could experience significant damage. In addition, the occurrence and frequency of hurricanes in Florida could also negatively impact demand for our properties located in that state because of consumer perceptions of hurricane risks. In addition to hurricanes, the occurrence of other natural disasters and climate conditions in Florida (and in other states where our properties are located), such as tornadoes, floods, fires, unusually heavy or prolonged rain, droughts and heat waves, could have an adverse effect on our tenants, which could adversely impact our ability to collect rental revenues. If a hurricane, earthquake, natural disaster or other similar significant disruption occurs, we may experience disruptions to our operations and damage to our properties, which could materially and adversely affect us.
Terrorist attacks or other acts of violence may also negatively affect our operations. There can be no assurance that there will not be terrorist attacks against businesses within the U.S. These attacks may directly impact our physical assets or business operations or the financial condition of our tenants, lenders or other institutions with which we have a relationship. The U.S. may be engaged in armed conflict, which could also have an impact on the tenants, lenders or other institutions with which we have a relationship. The consequences of armed conflict are unpredictable, and we may not be able to foresee events that could have an adverse effect on our business. Any of these occurrences could materially and adversely affect us.
Insurance on our properties may not adequately cover all losses and uninsured losses could materially and adversely affect us.
Our leases typically provide that either the landlord or the tenant will maintain property and liability insurance for the properties that are leased from us. If our tenants are required to carry liability and/or property insurance coverage, our tenants are required to name us (and any of our lenders that have a mortgage on the property leased by the tenant) as additional insureds on their liability policies and additional named insured and/or loss payee (or mortgagee, in the case of
our lenders) on their property policies. Depending on the location of the property, losses of a catastrophic nature, such as those caused by hurricanes, earthquakes and floods, may be covered by insurance policies that are held by our tenant with limitations such as large deductibles or co-payments that a tenant may not be able to meet. In addition, losses of a catastrophic nature, such as those caused by wind, hail, hurricanes, terrorism or acts of war, may be uninsurable or not economically insurable. In the event there is damage to our properties that is not covered by insurance and such properties are subject to recourse indebtedness, we will continue to be liable for the indebtedness, even if these properties are irreparably damaged.
Inflation, changes in building codes and ordinances, environmental considerations and other factors, including terrorism or acts of war, may make any insurance proceeds we receive insufficient to repair or replace a property if it is damaged or destroyed. In those circumstances, the insurance proceeds received may not be adequate to restore our economic position with respect to the affected real property and its generation of rental revenue. Furthermore, in the event we experience a substantial or comprehensive loss of one of our properties, we may not be able to rebuild such property to its existing specifications without significant capital expenditures which may exceed any amounts received pursuant to insurance policies, as reconstruction or improvement of such a property would likely require significant upgrades to meet zoning and building code requirements. The loss of our capital investment in or anticipated future returns from our properties due to material uninsured losses could materially and adversely affect us.
The costs of compliance with or liabilities related to environmental laws may materially and adversely affect us.
The ownership of our properties may subject us to known and unknown environmental liabilities. Under various federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the environment, as a current or former owner or operator of real property, we may be liable for costs and damages resulting from environmental matters, including the presence or discharge of hazardous or toxic substances, waste or petroleum products at, on, in, under or migrating from such property, as well as costs to investigate or clean up such contamination and liability for personal injury, property damage or harm to natural resources. We may face liability regardless of:
● our knowledge of the contamination;
● the timing of the contamination;
● the cause of the contamination; or
● the party responsible for the contamination of the property.
There may be environmental liabilities associated with our properties of which we are unaware. With respect to each of the properties in our initial portfolio, CTO has obtained Phase I environmental site assessments. We have obtained Phase I environmental assessments on all properties acquired subsequent to the completion of the IPO. Phase I environmental site assessments are limited in scope and therefore may not reveal all environmental conditions affecting a property. Therefore, there could be undiscovered environmental liabilities on the properties we own. Some of our properties use, or may have used in the past, underground tanks for the storage of petroleum-based products or waste products that could create a potential for release of hazardous substances or penalties if tanks do not comply with legal standards. If environmental contamination exists on our properties, we could be subject to strict, joint and/or several liability for the contamination by virtue of our ownership interest. Some of our properties may contain asbestos-containing materials, or ACM. Environmental laws govern the presence, maintenance and removal of ACM and such laws may impose fines, penalties or other obligations for failure to comply with these requirements or expose us to third-party liability (for example, liability for personal injury associated with exposure to asbestos). Environmental laws also apply to other activities that can occur on a property, such as storage of petroleum products or other hazardous toxic substances, air emissions, water discharges and exposure to lead-based paint. Such laws may impose fines and penalties for violations and may require permits or other governmental approvals to be obtained for the operation of a business involving such activities.
The known or potential presence of hazardous substances on a property may adversely affect our ability to sell, lease or improve the property or to borrow using the property as collateral. In addition, environmental laws may create liens on contaminated properties in favor of the government for damages and costs it incurs to address such contamination. Moreover, if contamination is discovered on our properties, environmental laws may impose restrictions on the manner in which they may be used or businesses may be operated, and these restrictions may require substantial expenditures.
In addition, although our leases generally require our tenants to operate in compliance with all applicable laws and to indemnify us against any environmental liabilities arising from a tenant’s activities on the property, we could be subject to strict liability by virtue of our ownership interest. We cannot be sure that our tenants will, or will be able to, satisfy their indemnification obligations, if any, under our leases. Furthermore, the discovery of environmental liabilities on any of our properties could lead to significant remediation costs or to other liabilities or obligations attributable to the tenant of that property or could result in material interference with the ability of our tenants to operate their businesses as currently operated. Noncompliance with environmental laws or discovery of environmental liabilities could each individually or collectively affect such tenant’s ability to make payments to us, including rental payments and, where applicable, indemnification payments.
Our environmental liabilities may include property and natural resources damage, personal injury, investigation and clean-up costs, among other potential environmental liabilities. These costs could be substantial. Although we may obtain insurance for environmental liability for certain properties that are deemed to warrant coverage, our insurance may be insufficient to address any particular environmental situation and we may be unable to continue to obtain insurance for environmental matters, at a reasonable cost or at all, in the future. If our environmental liability insurance is inadequate, we may become subject to material losses for environmental liabilities. Our ability to receive the benefits of any environmental liability insurance policy will depend on the financial stability of our insurance company and the position it takes with respect to our insurance policies. If we were to become subject to significant environmental liabilities, we could be materially and adversely affected.
Our properties may contain or develop harmful mold, which could lead to liability for adverse health effects and costs of remediation.
When excessive moisture accumulates in buildings or on building materials, mold growth may occur, particularly if the moisture problem remains undiscovered or is not addressed over a period of time. Some molds may produce airborne toxins or irritants. Concern about indoor exposure to mold has been increasing, as exposure to mold may cause a variety of adverse health effects and symptoms, including allergic or other reactions. As a result, should our tenants or their employees or customers be exposed to mold at any of our properties, we could be required to undertake a costly remediation program to contain or remove the mold from the affected property. In addition, exposure to mold by our tenants or others could subject us to liability if property damage or health concerns arise. If we were to become subject to significant mold-related liabilities, we could be materially and adversely affected.
Our operations and financial condition may be adversely affected by climate change, including possible changes in weather patterns, weather-related events, government policy, laws, regulations and economic conditions.
In recent years, the assessment of the potential impact of climate change has begun to impact the activities of government authorities, the pattern of consumer behavior and other areas that impact the business environment in the U.S., including, but not limited to, energy-efficiency measures, water use measures and land-use practices. The promulgation of policies, laws or regulations relating to climate change by governmental authorities in the U.S. and the markets in which we own properties may require us to invest additional capital in our properties. In addition, the impact of climate change on businesses operated by our tenants is not reasonably determinable at this time. While not generally known at this time, climate change may impact weather patterns or the occurrence of significant weather events which could impact economic activity or the value of our properties in specific markets. The occurrence of any of these events or conditions may adversely impact our ability to lease our properties, which would materially and adversely affect us.
Risks Related to Other Aspects of our Operation and as a Public Company
We are highly dependent on information systems and certain third-party technology service providers, and systems failures not related to cyber-attacks or similar external attacks could significantly disrupt our business, which may, in turn, negatively affect the market price of our common stock and adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows.
Our business is highly dependent on communications and information systems and networks. Any failure or interruption of these systems or networks could cause delays or other problems in our operations and communications.
Through our relationship with CTO and our Manager, we rely heavily on CTO’s financial, accounting and other data processing systems. In addition, much of the information technology infrastructure on which we rely is or may be managed by third parties and, as such, we also face the risk of operational failure, termination or capacity constraints by any of these third parties. It is difficult to determine what, if any, negative impact may directly result from any specific interruption or disruption of the networks or systems on which our business relies or any failure to maintain performance, reliability and security of our technological infrastructure, but significant events impacting the systems or networks on which our business relies could materially and adversely affect us.
Our senior management team is required to operate two publicly traded companies, CTO and our company, which could place a significant strain on our senior management team and the management systems, infrastructure and other resources of CTO on which we rely.
Our senior management team operates two publicly traded companies, our company and CTO, and is required to comply with periodic and current reporting requirements under applicable SEC regulations and comply with applicable listing standards of the NYSE. This could place a significant strain on our senior management team and the management systems, infrastructure and other resources of CTO made available to us through our Manager and on which we rely. There can be no assurance that our senior management team will be able to successfully operate two publicly traded companies. Any failure by our senior management team to successfully operate our company or CTO could materially and adversely affect us.
If there are deficiencies in our disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately present our financial statements, which could materially and adversely affect us.
As a publicly traded company, we are required to report our financial statements on a consolidated basis. Effective internal controls are necessary for us to accurately report our financial results. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act will require us to evaluate and report on our internal control over financial reporting. However, for as long as we are an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We could be an “emerging growth company” for up to five years. An independent assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls could detect problems that our management’s assessment might not. There can be no guarantee that our internal control over financial reporting will be effective in accomplishing all control objectives all of the time. Furthermore, as we grow our business, our internal controls will become more complex, and we may require significantly more resources to ensure our internal controls remain effective. Future deficiencies, including any material weakness, in our internal control over financial reporting which may occur could result in misstatements of our results of operations that could require a restatement, failing to meet our public company reporting obligations and causing investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could materially and adversely affect us.
Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and fire, safety and other regulations may require us to make unanticipated expenditures that materially and adversely affect us.
Our properties are and will be subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act, or the ADA. Under the ADA, all public accommodations must meet federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. Compliance with the ADA requirements could require removal of access barriers and non-compliance could result in imposition of fines by the U.S. government or an award of damages to private litigants, or both. While our tenants are and will be obligated by law to comply with the ADA and typically obligated under our leases to cover costs associated with compliance, if required changes involve greater expenditures than anticipated or if the changes must be made on a more accelerated basis than anticipated, the ability of our tenants to cover costs could be adversely affected. We could be required to expend our own funds to comply with the provisions of the ADA, which could materially and adversely affect us.
In addition, we are and will be required to operate our properties in compliance with fire and safety regulations, building codes and other land use regulations, as they may be adopted by governmental agencies and bodies and become applicable to our properties. We may be required to make substantial capital expenditures to comply with those requirements and may be required to obtain approvals from various authorities with respect to our properties, including prior to acquiring a property or when undertaking renovations of any of our existing properties. There can be no assurance
that existing laws and regulatory policies will not adversely affect us or the timing or cost of any future acquisitions or renovations, or that additional regulations will not be adopted that increase such delays or result in additional costs. Additionally, failure to comply with any of these requirements could result in the imposition of fines by governmental authorities or awards of damages to private litigants. While we intend to only acquire properties that we believe are currently in substantial compliance with all regulatory requirements, these requirements may change, and new requirements may be imposed which would require significant unanticipated expenditures by us and could materially and adversely affect us.
In the future, we may choose to acquire properties or portfolios of properties through tax deferred contribution transactions, which could result in stockholder dilution and limit our ability to sell such assets.
In the future, we may acquire properties or portfolios of properties through tax deferred contribution transactions in exchange for common or preferred units of limited partnership interest in the Operating Partnership, which may result in stockholder dilution. This acquisition structure may have the effect of, among other things, reducing the amount of tax depreciation we could deduct over the tax life of the acquired properties, and may require that we agree to protect the contributors’ ability to defer recognition of taxable gain through restrictions on our ability to dispose of the acquired properties and/or the allocation of partnership debt to the contributors to maintain their tax bases. These restrictions could limit our ability to sell an asset at a time, or on terms, that would be favorable absent such restrictions.
Risks Related to Our Relationship with CTO and Our Manager and the Management Agreement
We have no employees and are entirely dependent upon our Manager for all the services we require, and we cannot assure you that our Manager will allocate the resources necessary to meet our business objectives.
Because we are “externally managed,” we do not employ our own personnel, but instead depend upon CTO, our Manager and their affiliates for virtually all of the services we require. Our Manager selects and manages the acquisition of properties that meet our investment criteria; administers the collection of rents, monitors lease compliance by our tenants and deals with vacancies and re-letting of our properties; coordinates the sale of our properties; provides financial and regulatory reporting services; communicates with our stockholders, causes us to pay distributions to our stockholders and arranges for transfer agent services; and provides all of our other administrative services. Accordingly, our success is largely dependent upon the expertise and services of the executive officers and other personnel of CTO provided to us through our Manager.
CTO may be unable to obtain or retain the executive officers and other personnel that it provides to us through our Manager.
Our success depends to a significant degree upon the executive officers and other personnel of CTO that it provides to us through our Manager. In particular, we rely on the services of John P. Albright, President and Chief Executive Officer of our company and CTO and a member of the board of directors of our company and CTO; Matthew M. Partridge, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of our company and CTO; Steven R. Greathouse, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of our company and CTO; and Daniel E. Smith, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of our company and CTO. In addition to these executive officers, we also rely on other personnel of CTO that are provided to us through our Manager. We cannot guarantee that all, or any particular one of these executive officers and other personnel of CTO provided to us through our Manager, will remain affiliated with CTO, our Manager and us. We do not separately maintain key person life insurance on any person. Failure by CTO to retain any of its executive officers and other personnel provided to us through our Manager and to hire and retain additional highly skilled managerial, operational and marketing personnel could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our investment growth objectives and could result in us incurring excess costs and suffering deficiencies in our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal control over financial reporting.
We pay substantial fees and expenses to our Manager. These payments increase the risk that you will not earn a profit on your investment.
Pursuant to the Management Agreement, we pay significant fees to our Manager. Those fees include a base management fee and an incentive fee, if earned. We will also reimburse our Manager for certain expenses pursuant to the Management Agreement. These payments increase the risk that you will not earn a profit on your investment.
The base management fee payable to our Manager pursuant to the Management Agreement is payable regardless of the performance of our portfolio, which may reduce our Manager’s incentive to devote the time and effort to seeking profitable investment opportunities for us.
We pay our Manager a base management fee pursuant to the Management Agreement, which may be substantial, based on our “total equity” (as defined in the Management Agreement) regardless of the performance of our portfolio of properties. Our Manager’s entitlement to non-performance-based compensation might reduce its incentive to seek profitable investment opportunities for us, which could result in a lower performance of our portfolio and materially adversely affect us.
The incentive fee payable to our Manager pursuant to the Management Agreement may cause our Manager to select investments in more risky assets to increase its incentive compensation.
Our Manager has the ability to earn incentive fees based on our total stockholder return exceeding an 8% cumulative annual hurdle rate, which may create an incentive for our Manager to invest in properties with a purchase price reflecting a higher potential yield, that may be riskier or more speculative, or sell an investment prematurely for a gain, in an effort to increase our short-term gains and thereby increase our stock price and the incentive fees to which it is entitled. If our interests and those of our Manager are not aligned, the execution of our business plan and our results of operations could be adversely affected, which could materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
There are conflicts of interest in our relationships with our Manager, which could result in outcomes that are not in our best interests.
We are subject to conflicts of interest arising out of our relationships with our Manager. Pursuant to the Management Agreement, our Manager is obligated to supply us with our management team. However, our Manager is not obligated to dedicate any specific personnel exclusively to us, nor are the CTO personnel provided to us by our Manager obligated to dedicate any specific portion of their time to the management of our business. Additionally, our Manager is a wholly owned subsidiary of CTO. All of our executive officers are executive officers and employees of CTO and one of our executive officers (John P. Albright) is also a member of the board of directors of our company and the board of directors of CTO. As a result, our Manager and the CTO personnel it provides to us, including our executive officers, may have conflicts between their duties to us and their duties to CTO.
In addition to our initial portfolio, we may acquire or sell properties in which CTO or its affiliates have or may have an interest. Similarly, CTO or its affiliates may acquire or sell properties in which we have or may have an interest. Although such acquisitions or dispositions may present conflicts of interest, we nonetheless may pursue and consummate such transactions. Additionally, we may engage in transactions directly with CTO, our Manager or their affiliates. If we acquire a property from CTO or one of its affiliates or sell a property to CTO or one of its affiliates, the purchase price we pay to CTO or one of its affiliates or the purchase price paid to us by CTO or one of its affiliates may be higher or lower, respectively, than the purchase price that would have been paid to or by us if the transaction were the result of arms’ length negotiations with an unaffiliated third party.
In deciding whether to issue additional debt or equity securities, we will rely in part on recommendations made by our Manager. While such decisions are subject to the approval of the Board, our Manager is entitled to be paid a base management fee that is based on our “total equity” (as defined in the Management Agreement). As a result, our Manager may have an incentive to recommend that we issue additional equity securities at dilutive prices. If we issue additional
equity securities at dilutive prices, the market price of our common stock may be adversely affected, and you could lose some or all of your investment in our common stock.
All of our executive officers are executive officers and employees of CTO. These individuals and other CTO personnel provided to us through our Manager devote as much time to us as our Manager deems appropriate. However, our executive officers and other CTO personnel provided to us through our Manager may have conflicts in allocating their time and services between us, on the one hand, and CTO and its affiliates, on the other. During a period of prolonged economic weakness or another economic downturn affecting the real estate industry or at other times when we need focused support and assistance from our Manager and the CTO executive officers and other personnel provided to us through our Manager, we may not receive the necessary support and assistance we require or that we would otherwise receive if we were self-managed.
Our Manager’s failure to identify and acquire properties that meet our investment criteria or perform its responsibilities under the Management Agreement could materially and adversely affect our business and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
Our ability to achieve our objectives depends on, among other things, our Manager’s ability to identify, acquire and lease properties that meet our investment criteria. Accomplishing our objectives is largely a function of our Manager’s structuring of our investment process, our access to financing on acceptable terms and general market conditions. Our stockholders will not have input into our investment decisions. All of these factors increase the uncertainty, and thus the risk, of investing in our common stock. The CTO executive officers and other CTO personnel provided to us through our Manager have substantial responsibilities under the Management Agreement. In order to implement certain strategies, CTO, our Manager or their affiliates may need to hire, train, supervise and manage new employees successfully. Any failure by CTO or our Manager to manage our future growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on us, our ability to maintain our qualification as a REIT and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
Our Manager’s liability is limited under the Management Agreement, and we have agreed to indemnify our Manager against certain liabilities. As a result, we could experience unfavorable operating results or incur losses for which our Manager would not be liable.
Pursuant to the Management Agreement, our Manager will not assume any responsibility other than to render the services called for thereunder and will not be responsible for any action of the Board in following or declining to follow its directives. Our Manager maintains a contractual, as opposed to a fiduciary relationship, with us. Under the terms of the Management Agreement, our Manager, its officers, members and personnel, any person controlling or controlled by our Manager and any person providing sub-advisory services to our Manager will not be liable to us, any subsidiary of ours, our directors, our stockholders or any subsidiary’s stockholders or partners for acts or omissions performed in accordance with and pursuant to the Management Agreement, except those resulting from acts constituting gross negligence, willful misconduct, bad faith or reckless disregard of our Manager’s duties under the Management Agreement.
In addition, we have agreed to indemnify our Manager and each of its officers, directors, members, managers and employees from and against any claims or liabilities, including reasonable legal fees and other expenses reasonably incurred, arising out of or in connection with our business and operations or any action taken or omitted on our behalf pursuant to authority granted by the Management Agreement, except where attributable to gross negligence, willful misconduct, bad faith or reckless disregard of such person’s duties under the Management Agreement. As a result, we could experience unfavorable operating results or incur losses for which our Manager would not be liable.
Termination of the Management Agreement could be difficult and costly, including as a result of payment of termination fees to our Manager, and may cause us to be unable to execute our business plan, which could materially and adversely affect us.
If we fail to renew the Management Agreement, or terminate the agreement, other than for a termination for cause, we are obligated to pay our Manager a termination fee equal to three times the sum of (i) the average annual base management fee earned by our Manager during the 24-month period immediately preceding the most recently completed calendar quarter prior to the termination date and (ii) the average annual incentive fee earned by our Manager during the
two most recently completed measurement periods (as defined in the Management Agreement) prior to the termination date. Such a payment would likely be a substantial one-time charge that could render unattractive, or not economically feasible, the termination of our Manager, even if it performed poorly. In addition, any termination of the Management Agreement would end our Manager’s obligation to provide us with our executive officers and personnel upon whom we rely for the operation of our business and would also terminate our rights under the exclusivity and ROFO agreement with CTO, as discussed further herein. As a result of termination of the exclusivity and ROFO agreement, we would face increased competition from CTO and its affiliates, as well as others, for the acquisition of properties that meet our investment criteria, and our right to acquire certain properties from CTO and its affiliates would be terminated. As a result, the termination of the Management Agreement could materially and adversely affect us.
If our Manager ceases to be our manager pursuant to the Management Agreement, counterparties to our agreements may cease doing business with us.
If our Manager ceases to be our manager, it could constitute an event of default or early termination event under financing and other agreements we may enter into in the future, upon which our counterparties may have the right to terminate their agreements with us. If our Manager ceases to be our manager for any reason, including upon the non-renewal of the Management Agreement, our business and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders may be materially adversely affected.
The Management Agreement with our Manager and the exclusivity and ROFO agreement with CTO were not negotiated on an arm’s-length basis and may not be as favorable to us as if they had been negotiated with unaffiliated third parties.
The Management Agreement with our Manager and the exclusivity and ROFO agreement with CTO were negotiated between related parties and before our independent directors were elected, and their terms, including the fees payable to our Manager, may not be as favorable to us as if they had been negotiated with unaffiliated third parties. The terms of these agreements may not reflect our long-term best interests and may be overly favorable to CTO, our Manager and their affiliates (other than us and our subsidiaries). Further, we may choose not to enforce, or to enforce less vigorously, our rights under the Management Agreement and the exclusivity and ROFO agreement because of our desire to maintain our ongoing relationships with our Manager and CTO.
Risks Related to Our Financing Activities
Our growth depends on external sources of capital, including debt financings, that are outside of our control and may not be available to us on commercially reasonable terms or at all.
In order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we are required under the Code, among other things, to distribute annually at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding any net capital gain. In addition, we are subject to income tax at the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate to the extent that we distribute less than 100% of our net taxable income. Because of these distribution requirements, we may not have sufficient liquidity from our operating cash flows to fund future capital needs, including any acquisition financing. Consequently, we may rely on third-party sources, including lenders, to fund our capital needs. We may not be able to obtain debt financing on favorable terms or at all. Any additional debt we incur will increase our leverage and likelihood of default. Our access to third-party sources of capital depends, in part, on:
● general market conditions;
● the market’s perception of our growth potential;
● our current debt levels;
● our current and expected future earnings;
● our cash flow and cash distributions; and
● the market price per share of our common stock.
If we cannot obtain capital from third-party sources, we may not be able to acquire properties when strategic opportunities exist, meet the capital and operating needs of our existing properties, satisfy our debt service obligations or make the cash distributions to our stockholders necessary to maintain our qualification as a REIT, which would materially and adversely affect us.
Our organizational documents have no limitation on the amount of additional indebtedness that we may incur in the future. As a result, we may become highly leveraged in the future, which could materially and adversely affect us.
We have entered into the Credit Facility and, in the future, we may incur additional indebtedness to finance future acquisitions and redevelopment and renovation projects and for general corporate purposes. There are no restrictions in our charter or bylaws that limit the amount or percentage of indebtedness that we may incur nor restrict the form in which our indebtedness will be incurred (including recourse or non-recourse debt or cross-collateralized debt).
A substantial level of indebtedness in the future could have adverse consequences for our business and otherwise materially and adversely affect us because it could, among other things:
● require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to make principal and interest payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing our cash flow available to fund working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes, including to pay dividends on our common stock as currently contemplated or necessary to satisfy the requirements for qualification as a REIT;
● increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions and limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and our industry;
● limit our ability to borrow additional funds or refinance indebtedness on favorable terms or at all to expand our business or ease liquidity constraints; and
● place us at a competitive disadvantage relative to competitors that have less indebtedness.
The agreements governing our indebtedness are likely to place restrictions on us and our subsidiaries, reducing our operational flexibility and creating risks associated with default and noncompliance.
The agreements governing the Credit Facility and any other indebtedness that we may incur in the future contain or may contain covenants that place restrictions on us and our subsidiaries. These covenants may restrict, among other activities, our and our subsidiaries’ ability to:
● merge, consolidate or transfer all or substantially all of our or our subsidiaries’ assets;
● sell, transfer, pledge or encumber our stock or the ownership interests of our subsidiaries;
● incur additional debt or issue preferred stock;
● make certain investments;
● make certain expenditures, including capital expenditures;
● pay dividends on or repurchase our capital stock; and
● enter into certain transactions with affiliates.
These covenants could impair our ability to grow our business, take advantage of attractive business opportunities or successfully compete. Our ability to comply with financial and other covenants may be affected by events beyond our control, including prevailing economic, financial and industry conditions. A breach of any of these covenants or covenants under any other agreements governing our indebtedness could result in an event of default. Any cross-default provisions in our debt agreements could cause an event of default under one debt agreement to trigger an event of default under our other debt agreements. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under any of our debt agreements, our lenders could elect to declare all outstanding debt under such agreements to be immediately due and payable. If we were unable to repay or refinance the accelerated debt, our lenders could proceed against any assets pledged to secure that debt, including foreclosing on or requiring the sale of any properties securing that debt, and the proceeds from the sale of these properties may not be sufficient to repay such debt in full.
Mortgage debt obligations expose us to the possibility of foreclosure, which could result in the loss of our investment in any property subject to mortgage debt.
Future borrowings may be secured by mortgages on our properties. Incurring mortgage and other secured debt obligations increases our risk of losses because defaults on secured indebtedness may result in foreclosure actions initiated by lenders and ultimately our loss of the properties securing any loans for which we are in default. If we are in default under a cross-defaulted mortgage loan, we could lose multiple properties to foreclosure. For tax purposes, a foreclosure of any of our properties would be treated as a sale of the property for a purchase price equal to the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage. If the outstanding balance of the debt secured by the mortgage exceeds our tax basis in the property, we would recognize taxable income on foreclosure, but would not receive any cash proceeds, which could hinder our ability to meet the REIT distribution requirements imposed by the Code. As we execute our business plan, we may assume or incur new mortgage indebtedness on our properties. Any default under any mortgage debt obligation we incur may increase the risk of our default on our other indebtedness, including indebtedness under our anticipated revolving credit facility, which could materially and adversely affect us.
An increase in interest rates would increase our interest costs on our variable rate debt and could adversely impact our ability to refinance existing debt or sell assets.
Future borrowings under our revolving credit facility will bear interest at variable rates. An increase in interest rates would increase our interest payments and reduce our cash flow available for other corporate purposes. In addition, rising interest rates could limit our ability to refinance debt when it matures and increase interest costs on any debt that is refinanced. Further, an increase in interest rates could increase the cost of financing, thereby decreasing the amount third parties are willing to pay for our properties, which would limit our ability to dispose of properties when necessary or desired.
In addition, we may enter into hedging arrangements in the future. Our hedging arrangements may include interest rate swaps, caps, floors and other interest rate hedging contracts. Our hedging arrangements could reduce, but may not eliminate, the impact of rising interest rates, and they could expose us to the risk that other parties to our hedging arrangements will not perform or that the agreements relating to our hedges may not be enforceable.
Changes in the method pursuant to which LIBOR is determined and potential phasing out of LIBOR after 2021 may affect our financial results.
In July 2017, the chief executive of the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, or the FCA, which regulates LIBOR, announced that the FCA intends to stop compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. It is not possible to predict the effect of these changes, other reforms or the establishment of alternative reference rates in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. Furthermore, in the United States, efforts to identify a set of alternative U.S. dollar reference interest rates include proposals by the Alternative Reference Rates Committee of the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The U.S. Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Alternative Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large U.S. financial institutions, is considering replacing U.S. dollar LIBOR with the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, or SOFR, a new index calculated by short-term repurchase agreements, backed by Treasury securities. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York began publishing SOFR rates in 2018. The market transition away from LIBOR and towards SOFR is expected to be gradual and complicated. There are significant differences between LIBOR and SOFR, such as LIBOR being an unsecured lending rate and SOFR a secured lending rate, and SOFR is an overnight rate and LIBOR reflects term rates at different maturities. These and other differences create the potential for basis risk between the two rates. The impact of any basis risk between LIBOR and SOFR may negatively affect our operating results. Any of these alternative methods may result in interest rates that are higher than if LIBOR were available in its current form, which could have a material adverse effect on results. Whether or not SOFR attains market traction as a LIBOR replacement tool remains in question.
On November 30, 2020, ICE Benchmark Administration (“IBA”), the administrator of LIBOR, with the support of the United States Federal Reserve and the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, announced plans to consult on ceasing publication of USD LIBOR on December 31, 2021 for only the one week and two month USD LIBOR tenors, and on June 30, 2023 for all other USD LIBOR tenors. While this announcement extends the transition period to June 2023,
the United States Federal Reserve concurrently issued a statement advising banks to stop new USD LIBOR issuances by the end of 2021. In light of these recent announcements, the future of LIBOR at this time is uncertain and any changes in the methods by which LIBOR is determined or regulatory activity related to LIBOR’s phaseout could cause LIBOR to perform differently than in the past or cease to exist. If that were to occur, the level of interest payments we incur may change. In addition, although certain of our LIBOR based obligations provide for alternative methods of calculating the interest rate payable on certain of our obligations if LIBOR is not reported, which include requesting certain rates from major reference banks in London or New York, or alternatively using LIBOR for the immediately preceding interest period or using the initial interest rate, as applicable, uncertainty as to the extent and manner of future changes may result in interest rates and/or payments that are higher than, lower than or that do not otherwise correlate over time with the interest rates and/or payments that would have been made on our obligations if LIBOR rate was available in its current form. Although regulators and IBA have made clear that the recent announcements should not be read to say that LIBOR has ceased or will cease, in the event LIBOR does cease to exist, the risks associated with the transition to an alternative reference rate will be accelerated and magnified.
Risks Related to Our Organization and Structure
We are a holding company with no direct operations, and we will rely on funds received from the Operating Partnership to pay our obligations and make distributions to our stockholders.
We are a holding company and will conduct substantially all of our operations through the Operating Partnership. We will not have, apart from an interest in the Operating Partnership, any independent operations. As a result, we will rely on distributions from the Operating Partnership to make any distributions we declare on shares of our common stock. We will also rely on distributions from the Operating Partnership to meet any of our obligations, including any tax liability on taxable income allocated to us from the Operating Partnership. In addition, because we are a holding company, your claims as stockholders are structurally subordinated to all existing and future creditors and preferred equity holders of the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries. Therefore, in the event of a bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation or reorganization of the Operating Partnership or its subsidiaries, assets of the Operating Partnership or the applicable subsidiary will be available to satisfy our claims to us as an equity owner therein only after all of their liabilities and preferred equity have been paid in full.
As of December 31, 2020, we owned 85.9% of the OP Units issued by the Operating Partnership. However, in connection with our future acquisition activities or otherwise, we may issue additional OP Units to third parties. Such issuances would reduce our ownership in the Operating Partnership.
Certain provisions of Maryland law could inhibit changes in control of our company.
Certain “business combination” and “control share acquisition” provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law, or the MGCL, may have the effect of deterring a third party from making a proposal to acquire us or of impeding a change in control under circumstances that otherwise could provide the holders of our common stock with the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price of our common stock. Pursuant to the MGCL, the Board has by resolution exempted business combinations between us and any other person. Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the control share acquisition statute any and all acquisitions by any person of shares of our stock. However, there can be no assurance that these exemptions will not be amended or eliminated at any time in the future. Our charter and bylaws and Maryland law also contain other provisions that may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or that our stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interest.
Certain provisions in the partnership agreement of the Operating Partnership may delay, defer or prevent unsolicited acquisitions of us.
Provisions in the partnership agreement of the Operating Partnership may delay, defer or prevent unsolicited acquisitions of us or changes of our control. These provisions could discourage third parties from making proposals involving an unsolicited acquisition of us or change of our control, although some stockholders might consider such proposals, if made, desirable. These provisions include, among others:
● redemption rights of qualifying parties;
● transfer restrictions on OP Units;
● our ability, as general partner, in some cases, to amend the partnership agreement and to cause the Operating Partnership to issue units with terms that could delay, defer or prevent a merger or other change of control of us or the Operating Partnership without the consent of the limited partners; and
● the right of the limited partners to consent to transfers of the general partnership interest and mergers or other transactions involving us under specified circumstances.
The partnership agreement of the Operating Partnership and Delaware law also contain other provisions that may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or that our stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interest.
Our charter contains stock ownership limits, which may delay, defer or prevent a change of control.
In order for us to maintain our qualification as a REIT for each taxable year commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2020, no more than 50% in value of our outstanding capital stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals during the last half of any calendar year, and at least 100 persons must beneficially own our stock during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months or during a proportionate portion of a shorter taxable year. “Individuals” for this purpose include natural persons, private foundations, some employee benefit plans and trusts and some charitable trusts. To assist us in complying with these limitations, among other purposes, our charter generally prohibits any person from directly or indirectly owning more than 9.8% in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our capital stock. These ownership limitations could have the effect of discouraging a takeover or other transaction in which holders of our common stock might receive a premium for their shares over the then prevailing market price or which holders might believe to be otherwise in their best interests.
Our charter’s constructive ownership rules are complex and may cause the outstanding shares owned by a group of related individuals or entities to be deemed to be constructively owned by one individual or entity. As a result, the acquisition of less than these percentages of the outstanding shares by an individual or entity could cause that individual or entity to own constructively in excess of these percentages of the outstanding shares and thus violate the share ownership limits. Our charter also provides that any attempt to own or transfer shares of our common stock or preferred stock (if and when issued) in excess of the stock ownership limits without the consent of the Board or in a manner that would cause us to be “closely held” under Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the shares are held during the last half of a taxable year) will result in the shares being automatically transferred to a trustee for a charitable trust or, if the transfer to the charitable trust is not automatically effective to prevent a violation of the share ownership limits or the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our shares, any such transfer of our shares will be null and void.
The Board may change our strategies, policies or procedures without stockholder consent, which may subject us to different and more significant risks in the future.
Our investment, financing, leverage and distribution policies and our policies with respect to all other activities, including growth, debt, capitalization and operations, are determined by the Board. These policies may be amended or revised at any time and from time to time at the discretion of the board of directors without notice to or a vote of our stockholders. This could result in us conducting operational matters, making investments or pursuing different business or growth strategies than those contemplated. Under these circumstances, we may expose ourselves to different and more significant risks in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and growth. In addition, the
Board may change our policies with respect to conflicts of interest, provided that such changes are consistent with applicable legal requirements.
We may have assumed unknown liabilities in connection with the Formation Transactions, which, if significant, could materially and adversely affect us.
As part of the Formation Transactions, we acquired our initial portfolio from CTO, subject to existing liabilities, some of which may have been unknown at the time of the IPO and may remain unknown. Unknown liabilities might include claims of tenants, vendors or other persons dealing with such entities prior to the IPO (that had not been asserted or threatened prior to the IPO), tax liabilities and accrued but unpaid liabilities incurred in the ordinary course of business. Any unknown or unquantifiable liabilities that we assumed in connection with the Formation Transactions for which we have no or limited recourse could materially and adversely affect us.
Our rights and the rights of our stockholders to take action against our directors and executive officers are limited, which could limit your recourse in the event of actions not in your best interest.
Our charter limits the liability of our present and former directors and executive officers to us and our stockholders for money damages to the maximum extent permitted under Maryland law. Under current Maryland law, our present and former directors and executive officers will not have any liability to us or our stockholders for money damages other than liability resulting from (i) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (ii) active and deliberate dishonesty by the director or executive officer that was established by a final judgment and is material to the cause of action. As a result, we and our stockholders have limited rights against our present and former directors and executive officers, which could limit your recourse in the event of actions not in your best interest.
Conflicts of interest exist or could arise in the future between the interests of our stockholders and the interests of holders of Operating Partnership units, which may impede business decisions that could benefit our stockholders.
Conflicts of interest exist or could arise in the future as a result of the relationships between us and our affiliates, on the one hand, and the Operating Partnership or any partner thereof, on the other. Our directors and executive officers have duties to our company under applicable Maryland law in connection with their management of our company. At the same time, our wholly owned subsidiary, Alpine Income Property GP, LLC, as the general partner of the Operating Partnership, has fiduciary duties and obligations to the Operating Partnership and its limited partners under Delaware law and the partnership agreement of the Operating Partnership in connection with the management of the Operating Partnership. The fiduciary duties and obligations of the general partner to the Operating Partnership and its partners may come into conflict with the duties of our directors and executive officers to our company. The Operating Partnership agreement provides that, in the event of a conflict between the interests of our stockholders on the one hand, and the limited partners of the Operating Partnership on the other hand, the general partner will endeavor in good faith to resolve the conflict in a manner not adverse to either our stockholders or the limited partners, provided however, that so long as we own a controlling interest in the Operating Partnership, any such conflict that the general partner, in its sole and absolute discretion, determines cannot be resolved in a manner not adverse to either our stockholders or the limited partners of the Operating Partnership are resolved in favor of our stockholders, and the general partner will not be liable for monetary damages for losses sustained, liabilities incurred or benefits not derived by the limited partners in connection with such decisions.
In addition, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the partnership agreement will provide for the indemnification of the general partner and our officers, directors, employees and any other persons the general partner may designate from and against any and all claims that relate to the operations of the Operating Partnership as set forth in the partnership agreement in which any indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or otherwise, unless it is established that:
● the act or omission of the indemnitee was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and either was committed in bad faith or was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty;
● the indemnitee actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or
● in the case of any criminal proceeding, the indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful.
Similarly, the general partner of the Operating Partnership and our officers, directors, agents or employees, will not be liable for monetary damages to the Operating Partnership or the limited partners for losses sustained or liabilities incurred as a result of errors in judgment or mistakes of fact or law or of any act or omission so long as any such party acted in good faith.
We could increase or decrease the number of authorized shares of stock, classify and reclassify unissued stock and issue stock without stockholder approval, which could prevent a change in our control and negatively affect the market price of our common stock.
The Board, without stockholder approval, has the power under our charter to amend our charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we are authorized to issue, to authorize us to issue authorized but unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock and to classify or reclassify any unissued shares of our common stock or preferred stock into one or more classes or series of stock and set the terms of such newly classified or reclassified shares. As a result, we may issue series or classes of common stock or preferred stock with preferences, distributions, powers and rights, voting or otherwise, that are senior to the rights of holders of our common stock. Any such issuance could dilute our existing common stockholders’ interests. Although the Board has no such intention at the present time, it could establish a class or series of preferred stock that could, depending on the terms of such series, delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change of control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or that our stockholders otherwise believe to be in their best interest.
The Operating Partnership may issue additional OP Units without the consent of our stockholders, which could have a dilutive effect on our stockholders.
The Operating Partnership may issue additional OP Units to third parties without the consent of our stockholders, which would reduce our ownership percentage in the Operating Partnership and may have a dilutive effect on the amount of distributions made to us by the Operating Partnership and, therefore, the amount of distributions we may make to our stockholders. Any such issuances, or the perception of such issuances, could materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company,” and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies will make shares of our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. We will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest to occur of (i) the last day of the fiscal year during which our total annual gross revenue equals or exceeds $1.07 billion (subject to adjustment for inflation), (ii) December 31, 2024 (the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the IPO); (iii) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt securities and (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the Exchange Act. We intend to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to most other public companies, whether or not they are classified as “emerging growth companies,” including, but not limited to, an exemption from the provisions of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requiring that our independent registered public accounting firm provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. An attestation report by our auditor would require additional procedures by them that could detect problems with our internal control over financial reporting that are not detected by management. If our system of internal control over financial reporting is not determined to be appropriately designed or operating effectively, it could require us to restate financial statements, cause us to fail to meet reporting obligations and cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, all of which could lead to a significant decline in the market price of our common stock. The JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) for complying with new or revised accounting standards. However, we have chosen to “opt out” of this extended transition period and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for all public companies that are not emerging growth companies. Our decision to opt out of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards is irrevocable.
We are also a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Regulation S-K under the Securities Act and may take advantage of certain of the scaled disclosures available to smaller reporting companies. We may be a smaller reporting company even after we are no longer an “emerging growth company.”
We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we intend to rely on certain of these exemptions and benefits under the JOBS Act. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active, liquid and/or orderly trading market for our common stock and the market price and trading volume of our common stock may be more volatile and decline significantly.
We will incur new costs as a result of becoming a public company, and such costs may increase when we cease to be an “emerging growth company.”
As a public company, we will incur significant legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses, including costs associated with public company reporting requirements. The expenses incurred by public companies generally for reporting and corporate governance purposes have been increasing. We expect compliance with these public reporting requirements and associated rules and regulations to increase expenses, particularly after we are no longer an emerging growth company, although we are currently unable to estimate theses costs with any degree of certainty. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, which could result in our incurring additional costs applicable to public companies that are not emerging growth companies.
Risks Related to Our Qualification and Operation as a REIT
Failure to remain qualified as a REIT would cause us to be taxed as a regular corporation, which would substantially reduce funds available for distributions to our stockholders.
We believe that our organization and method of operation have enabled us to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT commencing with our short taxable year beginning on November 26, 2019 and ending on December 31, 2019, and we intend to continue to be organized and operate in such a manner. However, we cannot assure you that we will qualify and remain qualified as a REIT. Moreover, our qualification and taxation as a REIT depend upon our ability to meet on a continuing basis, through actual annual operating results, certain qualification tests set forth in the U.S. federal tax laws. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that our actual results of operations for any particular taxable year will satisfy such requirements.
If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we will face serious tax consequences that will substantially reduce the funds available for distributions to our stockholders because:
● we would not be allowed a deduction for dividends paid to stockholders in computing our taxable income and would be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates;
● we could be subject increased state and local taxes; and
● unless we are entitled to relief under certain U.S. federal income tax laws, we could not re-elect REIT status until the fifth calendar year after the year in which we failed to qualify as a REIT.
In addition, if we fail to remain qualified as a REIT, we will no longer be required to make distributions. As a result of all these factors, our failure to remain qualified as a REIT could impair our ability to expand our business and raise capital, and it would adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or ability to make distributions to our stockholders and the trading price of our common stock.
Even if we remain qualified as a REIT, we may face other tax liabilities that could reduce our cash flows and negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Even if we remain qualified for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to certain U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income and assets, including taxes on any undistributed income, tax on income from some activities conducted as a result of a foreclosure and state or local income, property and transfer taxes. In addition, under new partnership audit procedures, the Operating Partnership and any other partnership that we may form or acquire may be liable at the entity
level for tax imposed under those procedures. Further, any taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRS”) that we may form in the future will be subject to regular corporate U.S. federal, state and local taxes. Moreover, several provisions of the Code regarding the arrangements between a REIT and its TRS entities function to ensure that such TRS entities are subject to an appropriate level of U.S. federal income taxation. Any of these taxes would decrease cash available for distributions to stockholders, which, in turn, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or ability to make distributions to our stockholders and the trading price of our common stock.
Failure to make required distributions would subject us to U.S. federal corporate income tax.
We intend to continue to operate in a manner so as to maintain our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we generally are required to distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding any net capital gain, each year to our stockholders. To the extent that we satisfy this distribution requirement but distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, we will be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our undistributed taxable income. In addition, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which dividends we pay in a calendar year are less than the sum of 85% of our ordinary income, 95% of our capital gain net income and, 100% of our undistributed income (as defined under the excise tax rules from prior years.
Complying with REIT requirements may cause us to forego otherwise attractive opportunities or liquidate otherwise attractive investments.
To maintain our qualification as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the sources of our income, the nature and diversification of our assets, the amounts we distribute to our stockholders and the ownership of our stock. In order to meet these tests, we may be required to forego investments we might otherwise make. Thus, compliance with the REIT requirements may hinder our performance.
In particular, we must ensure that at the end of each calendar quarter, at least 75% of the value of our assets consists of cash, cash items, government securities and qualified real estate assets. The remainder of our investment in securities (other than government securities, securities of TRSs and qualified real estate assets) generally cannot include more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer or more than 10% of the total value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer. In addition, in general, no more than 5% of the value of our assets (other than government securities, securities of TRSs and qualified real estate assets) can consist of the securities of any one issuer, no more than 20% of the value of our total assets can be represented by the securities of one or more TRSs and no more than 25% of our assets can be represented by debt of “publicly offered REITs” (i.e., REITs that are required to file annual and periodic reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act), unless secured by real property or interests in real property. If we fail to comply with these requirements at the end of any calendar quarter, we must correct the failure within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter or qualify for certain statutory relief provisions to avoid losing our REIT qualification and suffering adverse tax consequences. As a result, we may be required to liquidate otherwise attractive investments. These actions could have the effect of reducing our income and amounts available for distribution to our stockholders.
The relative lack of experience of our Manager in operating under the constraints imposed on us as a REIT may hinder the achievement of our investment objectives.
The Code imposes numerous constraints on the operations of REITs that do not apply to other investment vehicles. Our qualification as a REIT depends upon our ability to meet requirements regarding our organization and ownership, distributions of our income, the nature and diversification of our income and assets and other tests imposed by the Code. Any failure to comply could cause us to fail to satisfy the requirements associated with qualifying for and maintaining REIT status. Our Manager has relatively limited experience operating under these constraints, which may hinder our ability to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities and to achieve our investment objectives. As a result, we cannot assure you that our Manager will be able to operate our business under these constraints. If we fail to qualify as a REIT for any taxable year, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our taxable income at corporate rates. In addition, we would generally be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year of losing our REIT status. Losing our REIT status would reduce our net earnings available for investment or distribution to stockholders because of the additional tax liability. In addition, distributions to stockholders would no longer qualify for the dividends
paid deduction, and we would no longer be required to make distributions. If this occurs, we might be required to borrow funds or liquidate some investments in order to pay the applicable tax.
Complying with REIT requirements may limit our ability to hedge our liabilities effectively and may cause us to incur tax liabilities.
The REIT provisions of the Code may limit our ability to hedge our liabilities. Any income from a hedging transaction we enter into to manage risk of interest rate changes, price changes or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made to acquire or carry real estate assets, if properly identified under applicable Treasury Regulations, does not constitute “gross income” for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income tests applicable to REITs. In addition, certain income from hedging transactions entered into to hedge existing hedging positions after any portion of the hedged indebtedness or property is extinguished or disposed of will not be included in income for purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests. To the extent that we enter into other types of hedging transactions, the income from those transactions will likely be treated as non-qualifying income for purposes of both of the gross income tests. As a result of these rules, we may need to limit our use of advantageous hedging techniques or implement those hedges through a TRS. This could increase the cost of our hedging activities because our TRSs would be subject to tax on gains or expose us to greater risks associated with changes in interest rates than we would otherwise want to bear. In addition, losses in a TRS generally will not provide any tax benefit, except for being carried forward against future taxable income of such TRS.
Our ability to provide certain services to our tenants may be limited by the REIT rules or may have to be provided through a TRS.
As a REIT, we generally cannot provide services to our tenants other than those that are customarily provided by landlords, nor can we derive income from a third party that provides such services. If we forego providing such services to our tenants, we may be at a disadvantage to competitors that are not subject to the same restrictions. However, we can provide such non-customary services to tenants or share in the revenue from such services if we do so through a TRS, though income earned by such TRS will be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax.
The prohibited transactions tax may limit our ability to dispose of our properties.
A REIT’s net income from prohibited transactions is subject to a 100% tax. In general, prohibited transactions are sales or other dispositions of property, other than foreclosure property, held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. We may be subject to the prohibited transaction tax equal to 100% of net gain upon a disposition of real property. Although a safe harbor to the characterization of the sale of real property by a REIT as a prohibited transaction is available, we cannot assure you that we can comply with the safe harbor or that we will avoid owning property that may be characterized as held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business. Consequently, we may choose not to engage in certain sales of our properties or may conduct such sales through any TRS that we may form, which would be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax.
We may pay taxable dividends in our common stock and cash, in which case stockholders may sell shares of our common stock to pay tax on such dividends, placing downward pressure on the market price of our common stock.
We may satisfy the 90% distribution test with taxable distributions of our common stock. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has issued Revenue Procedure 2017-45 authorizing elective cash/stock dividends to be made by “publicly offered REITs.” Pursuant to Revenue Procedure 2017-45, the IRS will treat the distribution of stock pursuant to an elective cash/stock dividend as a distribution of property under Section 301 of the Code (i.e., a dividend), as long as at least 20% of the total dividend is available in cash and certain other parameters detailed in the Revenue Procedure are satisfied.
If we made a taxable dividend payable in cash and common stock, taxable stockholders receiving such dividends will be required to include the full amount of the dividend as ordinary income to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, stockholders may be required to pay income tax with respect to such dividends in excess of the cash dividends received. If a U.S. stockholder sells the common stock that it receives as a dividend in order to pay this tax, the sales proceeds may be less than the amount included in income with respect to the dividend, depending on the market price of our common stock at the time of the sale.
Furthermore, with respect to certain non-U.S. stockholders, we may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax with respect to such dividends, including in respect of all or a portion of such dividend that is payable in common stock. If we made a taxable dividend payable in cash and our common stock and a significant number of our stockholders determine to sell shares of our common stock in order to pay taxes owed on dividends, it may put downward pressure on the trading price of our common stock. We do not currently intend to pay taxable dividends using both our common stock and cash, although we may choose to do so in the future.
The ability of the Board to revoke our REIT qualification without stockholder approval may cause adverse consequences to our stockholders.
Our charter provides that the Board may revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without the approval of our stockholders, if it determines in good faith that it is no longer in our best interest to continue to qualify as a REIT. If we cease to qualify as a REIT, we would become subject to U.S. federal income tax on our taxable income and would no longer be required to distribute most of our taxable income to our stockholders, which may have adverse consequences on our total return to our stockholders.
Any ownership of a TRS we may form in the future will be subject to limitations and our transactions with a TRS will cause us to be subject to a 100% penalty tax on certain income or deductions if those transactions are not conducted on arm’s-length terms.
Overall, no more than 20% of the value of a REIT’s assets may consist of stock or securities of one or more TRS entities. A TRS will be subject to applicable U.S. federal, state and local corporate income tax on its taxable income, and its after tax net income will be available for distribution to us but is not required to be distributed to us. In addition, several provisions of the Code regarding the arrangements between a REIT and its TRS entities function to ensure that the TRS is subject to an appropriate level of U.S. federal income taxation. The Code also imposes a 100% excise tax on certain transactions between a TRS and its parent REIT that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis. We will monitor the value of our respective investments in any TRS that we may form for the purpose of ensuring compliance with TRS ownership limitations and will structure our transactions with any TRS on terms that we believe are arm’s length to avoid incurring the 100% excise tax described above. There can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to comply with the 20% limitation or to avoid application of the 100% excise tax.
You may be restricted from acquiring or transferring certain amounts of our common stock.
The stock ownership restrictions of the Code for REITs and the 9.8% share ownership limit in our charter may inhibit market activity in our capital stock and restrict our business combination opportunities.
In order to qualify as a REIT for each taxable year beginning in 2020, five or fewer individuals, as defined in the Code, may not own, beneficially or constructively, more than 50% in value of our issued and outstanding capital stock at any time during the last half of a taxable year. Attribution rules in the Code determine if any individual or entity beneficially or constructively owns our shares of capital stock under this requirement. Additionally, at least 100 persons must beneficially own our shares of capital stock during at least 335 days of a taxable year for each taxable year beginning in 2020. To help ensure that we meet these tests, our charter restricts the acquisition and ownership of shares of our capital stock.
Our charter, with certain exceptions, requires our directors to take such actions as are necessary and desirable to preserve our qualification as a REIT. Unless exempted by the Board, our charter prohibits any person from beneficially or constructively owning more than 9.8% in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of any class or series of our shares of capital stock. The Board may not grant an exemption from this restriction to any person if such exemption would result in our failing to qualify as a REIT. This as well as other restrictions on transferability and ownership will not apply, however, if the Board determines in good faith that it is no longer in our best interests to continue to qualify as a REIT.
Dividends payable by REITs do not qualify for the reduced tax rates available for some dividends.
The maximum U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to “qualified dividend income” payable to U.S. stockholders that are taxed at individual rates is 20% (plus the 3.8% surtax on net investment income, if applicable). Dividends payable by REITs, however, generally are not eligible for the reduced rates on qualified dividend income. However, for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2026, ordinary REIT dividends constitute “qualified business income” and thus a 20% deduction is available to individual taxpayers with respect to such dividends, resulting in a 29.6% maximum U.S. federal income tax rate (plus the 3.8% surtax on net investment income, if applicable) for individual U.S. stockholders. However, to qualify for this deduction, the stockholder receiving such dividends must hold the dividend-paying REIT stock for at least 46 days (taking into account certain special holding period rules) of the 91-day period beginning 45 days before the stock becomes ex-dividend, and cannot be under an obligation to make related payments with respect to a position in substantially similar or related property. The more favorable rates applicable to regular corporate qualified dividends could cause investors who are taxed at individual rates to perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends, which could adversely affect the value of the shares of REITs, including our common stock.
We may be subject to adverse legislative or regulatory tax changes, in each instance with potentially retroactive effect, that could reduce the market price of our common stock.
At any time, the U.S. federal income tax laws governing REITs, or the administrative interpretations of those laws may be amended. We cannot predict when or if any new U.S. federal income tax law, regulation or administrative interpretation, or any amendment to any existing U.S. federal income tax law, regulation or administrative interpretation, will be adopted, promulgated or become effective and any such law, regulation or interpretation may take effect retroactively. We and our stockholders could be adversely affected by any such change in the U.S. federal income tax laws, regulations or administrative interpretations which, in turn, could materially adversely affect our ability to make distributions to our stockholders and the trading price of our common and preferred stock.
If the Operating Partnership failed to qualify as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we would cease to qualify as a REIT and suffer other adverse consequences.
We believe that the Operating Partnership will be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a partnership, the Operating Partnership will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its income. Instead, each of its partners, including us, will be allocated, and may be required to pay tax with respect to, its share of the Operating Partnership’s income. We cannot assure you, however, that the IRS will not challenge the status of the Operating Partnership or any other subsidiary partnership in which we own an interest as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or that a court would not sustain such a challenge. If the IRS were successful in treating the Operating Partnership or any such other subsidiary partnership as an entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we would fail to meet the gross income tests and certain of the asset tests applicable to REITs and, accordingly, we would likely cease to qualify as a REIT. Also, the failure of the Operating Partnership or any subsidiary partnership to qualify as a partnership could cause such partnership to become subject to U.S. federal and state corporate income tax, which would reduce significantly the amount of cash available for debt service and for distribution to its partners, including us.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
The market value of our common stock is subject to various factors that may cause significant fluctuations or volatility.
As with other publicly traded securities, the market price of our common stock depends on various factors, which may change from time to time and/or may be unrelated to our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. These factors may cause significant fluctuations or volatility in the market price of our common stock. These factors include, but are likely not limited to, the following:
● our financial condition and operating performance and the financial condition or performance of other similar companies;
● actual or anticipated differences in our quarterly or annual operating results than expected;
● changes in our revenues, FFO, AFFO, or earnings estimates or recommendations by securities analysts;
● publication of research reports about us or the real estate industry generally;
● increases in market interest rates, which may lead investors to demand a higher distribution yield for shares of our common stock, and could result in increased interest expense on our debt;
● adverse market reaction to any increased indebtedness we incur in the future;
● actual or anticipated changes in our and our tenants’ businesses or prospects, including as a result of the impact of a global pandemic, including the COVID-19 Pandemic;
● the current state of the credit and capital markets, and our ability and the ability of our tenants to obtain financing on favorable terms;
● conflicts of interest with CTO and its affiliates, including our Manager;
● the termination of our Manager or additions and departures of key personnel of our Manager;
● increased competition in our markets;
● strategic decisions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions, divestments, spin-offs, joint ventures, strategic investments or changes in business or growth strategies;
● the passage of legislation or other regulatory developments that adversely affect us or our industry;
● adverse speculation in the press or investment community;
● actions by institutional stockholders;
● the extent of investor interest in our securities;
● the general reputation of REITs and the attractiveness of our equity securities in comparison to other equity securities, including securities issued by other real estate-based companies;
● investor confidence in the stock and bond markets, generally;
● changes in tax laws;
● equity issuances by us (including the issuances of OP Units), or common stock resales by our stockholders, or the perception that such issuances or resales may occur;
● volume of average daily trading and the amount of our common stock available to be traded;
● changes in accounting principles;
● failure to maintain our qualification as a REIT;
● failure to comply with the rules of the NYSE or maintain the listing of our common stock on the NYSE;
● terrorist acts, natural or man-made disasters, including global pandemics impacting the United States, or threatened or actual armed conflicts; and
● general market and local, regional and national economic conditions, including factors unrelated to our operating performance and prospects.
No assurance can be given that the market price of our common stock will not fluctuate or decline significantly in the future or that holders of shares of our common stock will be able to sell their shares when desired on favorable terms, or at all. From time to time in the past, securities class action litigation has been instituted against companies following periods of extreme volatility in their stock price. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to make or maintain cash distributions, and certain agreements relating to our indebtedness may, under certain circumstances, limit or eliminate our ability to make distributions to our common stockholders.
We intend to make cash distributions to our stockholders in amounts such that all or substantially all of our taxable income in each year, subject to adjustments, is distributed. Our ability to continue to make distributions in the future may be adversely affected by the risk factors described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We can give no assurance that we will be able to make or maintain distributions and certain agreements relating to our indebtedness may, under certain circumstances, limit or eliminate our ability to make distributions to our common stockholders. We can give no assurance that rents from our properties will increase, or that future acquisitions of real properties or other investments will increase our cash available for distributions to stockholders. In addition, any distributions will be authorized at the sole discretion of the Board, and their form, timing and amount, if any, will depend upon a number of factors, including our actual and projected results of operations, FFO, AFFO, liquidity, cash flows and financial condition, the revenue we actually receive
from our properties, our operating expenses, our debt service requirements, our capital expenditures, prohibitions and other limitations under our financing arrangements, our REIT taxable income, the annual REIT distribution requirements, applicable law and such other factors as the Board deems relevant.
If we do not have sufficient cash available for distributions, we may need to fund the shortage out of working capital or borrow to provide funds for such distributions, which would reduce the amount of proceeds available for real estate investments and increase our future interest costs. Our inability to make distributions, or to make distributions at expected levels, could result in a decrease in the per share trading price of our common stock.
The market price of our common stock could be adversely affected by our level of cash distributions.
We believe the market price of the equity securities of a REIT is based primarily upon the market’s perception of the REIT’s growth potential, its current and potential future cash distributions, whether from operations, sales or refinancing, and its management and governance structure and is secondarily based upon the real estate market value of the underlying assets. For that reason, our common stock may trade at prices that are higher or lower than our net asset value per share. To the extent we retain operating cash flows for investment purposes, working capital reserves or other purposes, these retained funds, while increasing the value of our underlying assets, may not correspondingly increase the market price of our common stock. If we fail to meet the market’s expectations with regard to future operating results and cash distributions, the market price of our common stock could be adversely affected.
Increases in market interest rates may result in a decline in the market price of our common stock.
One of the factors that will influence the market price of our common stock will be the distribution yield on the common stock (as a percentage of the market price of our common stock) relative to market interest rates. An increase in market interest rates, which are currently at low levels relative to historical rates, may lead prospective purchasers of shares of our common stock to expect a higher distribution yield and higher interest rates would likely increase our borrowing costs and potentially decrease our cash available for distribution. Thus, higher market interest rates could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
Future issuances of debt securities, which would rank senior to shares of our common stock upon our liquidation, and future issuances of equity securities (including preferred stock and OP Units), which would dilute the holdings of our then-existing common stockholders and may be senior to shares of our common stock for the purposes of making distributions, periodically or upon liquidation, may materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
In the future, we may issue debt or equity securities or incur other borrowings. Upon liquidation, holders of our debt securities and other loans and shares of our preferred stock will receive a distribution of our available assets before holders of shares of our common stock. We are not required to offer any debt or equity securities to existing stockholders on a preemptive basis. Therefore, shares of our common stock that we issue in the future, directly or through convertible or exchangeable securities (including OP Units), warrants or options, will dilute the holdings of our then-existing common stockholders and such issuances or the perception of such issuances may reduce the market price of our common stock. Our preferred stock, if issued, would likely have a preference on distribution payments, periodically or upon liquidation, which could limit our ability to make distributions to holders of shares of our common stock. Because our decision to issue debt or equity securities or otherwise incur debt in the future will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing, nature or impact of our future capital raising efforts. Thus, holders of shares of our common stock bear the risk that our future issuances of debt or equity securities or our incurrence of other borrowings may materially and adversely affect the market price of shares of our common stock and dilute their ownership in us.
Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public markets or the perception that they might occur, could reduce the price of our common stock and may dilute your voting power and your ownership interest in us.
Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and may make it more difficult for you to sell your common stock at a time and price that you deem appropriate.
The shares of our common stock that we sold in the IPO may be resold immediately in the public market unless they are held by “affiliates,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act. The common stock purchased by CTO in the CTO Private Placement and in the IPO and the shares of common stock underlying the OP Units issued in the Formation Transactions are “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act and may not be sold in the absence of registration under the Securities Act unless an exemption from registration is available, including the exemptions contained in Rule 144. As a result of the registration rights agreement that we entered into with CTO, the shares of our common stock purchased by CTO in the CTO Private Placement may be eligible for future sale without restriction. Sales of a substantial number of such shares upon expiration of the lock-up agreements, the perception that such sales may occur or early release of these agreements, could cause the market price of our common stock to fall or make it more difficult for you to sell your common stock at a time and price that you deem appropriate.
In addition, our charter provides that we may issue up to 500,000,000 shares of common stock and 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share. Moreover, under Maryland law and as is provided in our charter, a majority of our entire board of directors will have the power to amend our charter to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we are authorized to issue without stockholder approval. Future issuances of shares of our common stock or securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock may dilute the ownership interest of our common stockholders. Because our decision to issue additional equity or convertible or exchangeable securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future issuances. In addition, we are not required to offer any such securities to existing stockholders on a preemptive basis. Therefore, it may not be possible for existing stockholders to participate in such future issuances, which may dilute the existing stockholders’ interests in us.
Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 Pandemic, and the future outbreak of other highly infectious or contagious diseases, could materially and adversely impact or disrupt our tenant’s business operations and as a result adversely impact our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and performance.
Since late December 2019, the COVID-19 Pandemic has spread globally, including every state in the United States. The COVID-19 Pandemic has had, and other future pandemics could have, repercussions across regional and global economies and financial markets. The outbreak of COVID-19 Pandemic has significantly adversely impacted global economic activity and produced significant volatility in the global financial markets. The global impact of the outbreak has been rapidly evolving and, as cases of COVID-19 have continued to be identified in additional countries, many countries, including the United States, have reacted by instituting quarantines, mandating business and school closures and restricting travel.
Certain states and cities, including where we own properties, have also reacted by instituting quarantines, restrictions on travel, “shelter at home” rules, and importantly, restrictions on the types of business that may continue to operate or requiring others to shut down completely. Additional states and cities may implement similar restrictions. As a result, the COVID-19 Pandemic is negatively impacting most every industry directly or indirectly. A number of our tenants have announced temporary closures of their stores and requested deferral, or in some instances, rent abatement while the pandemic remains. Many experts predict that the COVID-19 Pandemic will trigger, or even has already triggered, a period of global economic slowdown or possibly a global recession. The COVID-19 Pandemic, or a future pandemic, could have material and adverse effects on our ability to successfully operate our business and as a result our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows due to, among other factors:
● a complete or partial closure of, or other operational issues at, one or more of our properties resulting from government or tenant action;
● the reduced economic activity severely impacts our tenants' businesses, financial condition and liquidity and may cause one or more of our tenants to be unable to meet their obligations to us in full, or at all, or to otherwise seek modifications of such obligations;
● the reduced economic activity could result in a recession, which could negatively impact consumer discretionary spending;
● difficulty accessing debt and equity capital on attractive terms, or at all, and a severe disruption and instability in the global financial markets or deteriorations in credit and financing conditions may affect our access to capital necessary to fund business operations on a timely basis;
● a general decline in business activity and demand for real estate transactions could adversely affect our ability or desire to grow our portfolio of properties;
● a deterioration in our or our tenants’ ability to operate in affected areas or delays in the supply of products or services to us or our tenants from vendors that are needed for our or our tenants' efficient operations could adversely affect our operations and those of our tenants; and
● the potential negative impact on the health of our Manager’s personnel, particularly if a significant number of them are impacted, could result in a deterioration in our ability to ensure business continuity during a disruption.
The extent to which the COVID-19 Pandemic impacts our operations, and those of our tenants, will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty, including the scope, severity and duration of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the impact of actions taken by governmental and health organizations to contain the COVID-19 Pandemic or mitigate its impact, and the direct and indirect economic effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic and containment measures, among others. Additional closures by our tenants of their businesses and early terminations by our tenants of their leases could reduce our cash flows, which could impact our ability to continue paying dividends to our stockholders at expected levels, or at all. The rapid onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the continued uncertainty of its duration and long-term impact precludes any prediction of the magnitude of the adverse impact on the U.S. economy, our tenant’s businesses and ours. Consequently, the COVID-19 Pandemic presents material uncertainty and risk with respect to our business operations, our Manager’s business, and therefore, our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Further, many risk factors set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, should be interpreted as heightened risks as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
General Risk Factors
Cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents could adversely affect our business and disrupt operations.
Cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. These incidents can include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data or causing operational disruption. The result of these incidents could include, but are not limited to, disrupted operations, misstated financial data, liability for stolen assets or information, increased cybersecurity protection costs, litigation and reputational damage. Should any such cyber incidents or similar events occur, our assets, particularly cash, could be lost and, as a result, our ability to execute our business and pursue our investment and growth strategy could be impaired, thereby materially and adversely affecting us.
We may become subject to litigation, which could materially and adversely affect us.
We may become subject to litigation, our operations, other securities offerings and otherwise in the ordinary course of business. Some of these claims may result in significant defense costs and potentially significant judgments against us, some of which are not, or cannot be, insured against. We generally intend to vigorously defend ourselves. However, we cannot be certain of the ultimate outcomes of any claims that may arise in the future and which are presently not known to us. Resolution of these types of matters against us may result in our having to pay significant fines, judgments or settlements, which, if uninsured, or if the fines, judgments and settlements exceed insured levels, could materially and adversely impact our earnings and cash flows, thereby materially and adversely affecting us. Certain litigation or the resolution of certain litigation may affect the availability or cost of some of our insurance coverage, which could materially
and adversely impact us, expose us to increased risks that would be uninsured and materially and adversely impact our ability to attract directors and officers.
If we fail to maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures, we may not be able to meet applicable reporting requirements, which could materially and adversely affect us.
As a publicly traded company, we are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and are required to file reports and other information with the SEC. In addition, we are required to maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file with, or submit to, the SEC is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. They include controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports filed with, or submitted to, the SEC is accumulated and communicated to management, including our principal executive and principal financial officers, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Effective disclosure controls and procedures are necessary for us to provide reliable reports, effectively prevent and detect fraud and to operate successfully as a public company. Designing and implementing effective disclosure controls and procedures is a continuous effort that requires significant resources and devotion of time. We may discover deficiencies in our disclosure controls and procedures that may be difficult or time consuming to remediate in a timely manner. Any failure to maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures or to timely effect any necessary improvements thereto could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations (which could affect the listing of our common stock on the NYSE). Additionally, ineffective disclosure controls and procedures could also adversely affect our ability to prevent or detect fraud, harm our reputation and cause investors to lose confidence in our reports filed with, or submitted to, the SEC, which would likely have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock.
Changes in accounting standards may materially and adversely affect us.
From time to time, the FASB and the SEC, who create and interpret appropriate accounting standards, may change the financial accounting and reporting standards or their interpretation and application of these standards that will govern the preparation of our financial statements. These changes could materially and adversely affect our reported financial condition and results of operations. In some cases, we could be required to apply a new or revised standard retroactively, resulting in restating prior period financial statements. Similarly, these changes could materially and adversely affect our tenant’s reported financial condition or results of operations and affect their preferences regarding leasing real estate.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (other than statements of historical fact) are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “will,” “could,” “may,” “should,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “forecast,” “project,” and similar expressions and variations thereof identify certain of such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates on which they were made. Forward-looking statements are made based upon management’s expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effect upon the Company.
There can be no assurance that future developments will be in accordance with management’s expectations or that the effect of future developments on the Company will be those anticipated by management.
We wish to caution readers that the assumptions, which form the basis for forward-looking statements with respect to or that may impact earnings for the year ended December 31, 2020, and thereafter, include many factors that are beyond the Company’s ability to control or estimate precisely. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the strength of the real estate market; the impact of a prolonged recession or downturn in economic conditions; our ability to successfully execute acquisition or development strategies; any loss of key management personnel; changes in local, regional, and national economic conditions affecting the real estate development business and income properties; the impact of competitive real estate activity; the loss of any major income property tenants; the ultimate geographic spread, severity and duration of pandemics such as the recent outbreak of COVID-19, actions that may be taken by governmental authorities to contain or address the impact of such pandemics, and the potential negative impacts of such pandemics on the global economy and our financial condition and results of operations; and the availability of capital. These risks and
uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements.
The risks described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only risks facing the Company. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to the Company or that the Company currently deems to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect the Company.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Our principal offices are located at 1140 N. Williamson Blvd., Suite 140, Daytona Beach, Florida 32114. Our telephone number is (386) 274-2202.
As of December 31, 2020, the Company owns 48 single-tenant retail and office buildings located in Arizona, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time to time, the Company may be a party to certain legal proceedings, incidental to the normal course of our business. We are not currently a party to any pending or threatened legal proceedings that we believe could have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS, AND ISSUER REPURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
The Company’s common stock trades on the NYSE under the symbol “PINE”.
As of February 10, 2021, there were 48 holders of record of our common stock. This figure does not represent the actual number of beneficial owners of our common stock because shares of our common stock are frequently held in “street name” through banks, brokers and others for the benefit of beneficial owners who may vote the shares.
We intend to make quarterly distributions to our common stockholders. In particular, in order to maintain our qualification for taxation as a REIT, we intend to make annual distributions to our stockholders of at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and excluding any net capital gain. However, any future distributions will be at the sole discretion of the Board and will depend upon, among other things, our actual results of operations and liquidity.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
There were no unregistered sales of equity securities during the year ended December 31, 2020, which were not previously reported.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
The following selected financial data should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements and Notes along with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this report.
The following table summarizes our selected historical financial information for each of the last three fiscal years (in thousands). The selected financial information has been derived from our audited Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements.
For the Year Ended December 31, 2020
For the Period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019
For the Period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019
For the Year Ended December 31, 2018
The Company
Predecessor
Revenues:
Lease Income
$
19,248
$
1,394
$
11,837
$
11,720
Total Revenues
19,248
1,394
11,837
11,720
Operating Expenses:
Real Estate Expenses
2,316
1,664
1,620
General and Administrative Expenses
4,660
1,683
1,184
Depreciation and Amortization
9,949
4,859
4,901
Total Operating Expenses
16,925
1,398
8,206
7,705
Gain on Disposition of Assets
-
-
-
Net Income (Loss) from Operations
2,610
(4)
3,631
4,015
Interest Expense
1,464
-
-
Net Income (Loss)
1,146
(45)
3,631
4,015
Less: Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest
(161)
-
-
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc.
$
$
(39)
$
3,631
$
4,015
Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic
7,588,349
7,902,737
N/A
N/A
Weighted average common shares outstanding - diluted
8,812,203
9,126,591
N/A
N/A
Net Income (Loss) Per Share Attributable to Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc.
Basic
$
0.13
$
-
N/A
N/A
Diluted
$
0.11
$
-
N/A
N/A
Dividends Declared and Paid
$
0.82
$
0.058
N/A
N/A
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Our reported results are presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). We also disclose Funds From Operations (“FFO”) and Adjusted Funds From Operations (“AFFO”) both of which are non-GAAP financial measures. We believe these two non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors because they are widely accepted industry measures used by analysts and investors to compare the operating performance of REITs.
FFO and AFFO do not represent cash generated from operating activities and are not necessarily indicative of cash available to fund cash requirements; accordingly, they should not be considered alternatives to net income as a performance measure or cash flows from operations as reported on our statement of cash flows as a liquidity measure and should be considered in addition to, and not in lieu of, GAAP financial measures.
We compute FFO in accordance with the definition adopted by the Board of Governors of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, or NAREIT. NAREIT defines FFO as GAAP net income or loss adjusted to exclude extraordinary items (as defined by GAAP), net gain or loss from sales of depreciable real estate assets, impairment write-downs associated with depreciable real estate assets and real estate related depreciation and amortization, including the pro rata share of such adjustments of unconsolidated subsidiaries. To derive AFFO, we modify the NAREIT computation of FFO to include other adjustments to GAAP net income related to non-cash revenues and expenses such as straight-line rental revenue, amortization of deferred financing costs, amortization of capitalized lease incentives and above- and below-market lease related intangibles, and non-cash compensation. Such items may cause short-term fluctuations in net income but have no impact on operating cash flows or long-term operating performance. We use AFFO as one measure of our performance when we formulate corporate goals.
FFO is used by management, investors and analysts to facilitate meaningful comparisons of operating performance between periods and among our peers primarily because it excludes the effect of real estate depreciation and amortization and net gains on sales, which are based on historical costs and implicitly assume that the value of real estate diminishes predictably over time, rather than fluctuating based on existing market conditions. We believe that AFFO is an additional useful supplemental measure for investors to consider because it will help them to better assess our operating performance without the distortions created by other non-cash revenues or expenses. FFO and AFFO may not be comparable to similarly titled measures employed by other companies.
Balance Sheet Data (in thousands):
As of December 31,
Total Real Estate, at cost
$
225,889
$
128,457
Real Estate-Net
$
219,339
$
128,040
Cash and Cash Equivalents
$
1,894
$
12,342
Intangible Lease Assets-Net
$
36,881
$
22,358
Straight-Line Rent Adjustment
$
2,045
$
Deferred Expenses
$
-
$
Other Assets
$
1,431
$
Total Assets
$
261,590
$
164,173
Accounts Payable, Accrued Expenses, and Other Liabilities
$
1,984
$
1,472
Prepaid Rent and Deferred Revenue
$
1,055
$
Intangible Lease Liabilities-Net
$
3,299
$
1,908
Long-Term Debt
$
106,159
$
-
Total Liabilities
$
112,497
$
3,468
Total Equity
$
149,093
$
160,705
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures (in thousands):
For the Year Ended December 31, 2020
For the Period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019
For the Period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019
For the Year Ended December 31, 2018
The Company
Predecessor
Net Income (Loss)
$
1,146
$
(45)
$
3,631
$
4,015
Depreciation and Amortization
9,949
4,859
4,901
Gain on Disposition of Assets
(287)
-
-
-
Funds from Operations
$
10,808
$
$
8,490
$
8,916
Adjustments:
Straight-Line Rent Adjustment
$
(1,524)
$
(68)
$
(410)
$
(451)
COVID-19 Rent Repayments (Deferrals), Net
(378)
-
-
-
Non-Cash Compensation
Amortization of Deferred Loan Costs to Interest Expense
-
-
Amortization of Intangible Assets and Liabilities to Lease Income
(108)
(5)
(234)
(229)
Accretion of Tenant Contribution
(22)
-
-
-
Amortization of Deferred Expenses to Lease Income
-
-
Recurring Capital Expenditures
(43)
-
-
-
Non-Recurring Acquisition Cost Charge
-
-
-
Adjusted Funds from Operations
$
9,189
$
$
8,632
$
8,770
Weighted Average Number of Common Shares:
Basic
7,588,349
7,902,737
N/A
N/A
Diluted
8,812,203
9,126,591
N/A
N/A
Other Data (in thousands, except per share data):
For the Year Ended December 31, 2020
For the Period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019
For the Period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019
For the Year Ended December 31, 2018
The Company
Predecessor
FFO
$
10,808
$
$
8,490
$
8,916
FFO per diluted share
$
1.23
$
0.07
N/A
N/A
AFFO
$
9,189
$
$
8,632
$
8,770
AFFO per diluted share
$
1.04
$
0.09
N/A
N/A

---

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Forward-Looking Statements
When we refer to “we,” “us,” “our,” “PINE,” or “the Company,” we mean Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. References to “Notes to Financial Statements” refer to the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements of Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Also, when the Company uses any of the words “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” or similar expressions, the Company is making forward-looking statements. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon present expectations and reasonable assumptions, the Company’s actual results could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Certain factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those the Company anticipates or projects are described in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements, which speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or any document incorporated herein by reference. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this report.
Overview
Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. is a Maryland corporation that conducts its operations so as to qualify as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. Substantially all of the operations are conducted through our Operating Partnership.
We seek to acquire, own and operate primarily freestanding, single-tenant commercial real estate properties primarily located in our target markets leased primarily pursuant to triple-net, long-term leases. Within our target markets, we will focus on investments in single-tenant retail and office properties. We will target tenants in industries that we believe are favorably impacted by current macroeconomic trends that support consumer spending, such as strong and growing employment and positive consumer sentiment, as well as tenants in industries that have demonstrated resistance to the impact of the growing e-commerce retail sector. We also will seek to invest in properties that are net leased to tenants that we determine have attractive credit characteristics, stable operating histories and healthy rent coverage levels, are well-located within their market and have rent levels at or below market rent levels. Furthermore, we believe that the size of our company will, for at least the near term, allow us to focus our investment activities on the acquisition of single properties or smaller portfolios of properties that represent a transaction size that most of our publicly-traded net lease REIT peers will not pursue on a consistent basis.
Our strategy for investing in income-producing properties is focused on factors including, but not limited to, long-term real estate fundamentals and target markets, including major markets or those markets experiencing significant economic growth. We employ a methodology for evaluating targeted investments in income-producing properties which includes an evaluation of: (i) the attributes of the real estate (e.g., location, market demographics, comparable properties in the market, etc.); (ii) an evaluation of the existing tenant(s) (e.g., credit-worthiness, property level sales, tenant rent levels compared to the market, etc.); (iii) other market-specific conditions (e.g., tenant industry, job and population growth in the market, local economy, etc.); and (iv) considerations relating to the Company’s business and strategy (e.g., strategic fit of the asset type, property management needs, alignment with the Company’s structure, etc.).
Our operating results for the year ended December 31, 2020 were in-line with our expectations and primarily driven by our investment activity of acquiring single-tenant net lease properties at valuations and yields generally consistent with our target investment parameters.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company acquired 29 single tenant net leased properties for total acquisition volume of $116.6 million, reflecting a weighted-average going-in cash cap rate of 6.9%, nearing the top end of the acquisition volume guidance provided in October 2020. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company sold one single tenant net leased property for total disposition volume of $5.1 million, reflecting an exit cash cap rate of 5.8%.
As of December 31, 2020, we owned 48 properties with an aggregate gross leasable area of 1.6 million square feet, located in 18 states, with a weighted average remaining lease term of 8.4 years. Our portfolio was 100% leased as of December 31, 2020.
In addition to our 48 income producing properties and pursuant to the amendment agreement with the Old Time Pottery tenant located in Orange Park, Florida, executed during the three months ended December 31, 2020, the Company now has the right to develop or ground lease a second outparcel and is in active discussions with a prospective tenant to ground lease the property.
COVID-19 Pandemic
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic, which has spread throughout the United States. The spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic has continued to cause significant volatility in the U.S. and international markets, and in many industries, business activity has experienced periods of almost complete shutdown. There continues to be uncertainty around the duration and severity of business disruptions related to the COVID-19 Pandemic, as well as its impact on the U.S. economy and international economies.
The Company collected 100% of the Contractual Base Rent (“CBR”) due for the three months ended December 31, 2020. CBR represents the amount owed to the Company under the current terms of its lease agreements. The Company has agreed to defer or abate certain CBR in exchange for additional lease term or other lease enhancing additions that equated to 6% of contractual rents in place at the time of the deferral or abatement agreements. Repayment of deferred CBR began in the third quarter of 2020, with payments continuing, in some cases, through the end of 2021. See Note 17, “Subsequent Events” to the consolidated and combined financial statements included in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Company’s disclosure related to 2021 rent collections.
An assessment of the current or identifiable potential financial and operational impacts on the Company as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic are as follows:
● During the first quarter of 2020, the Company completed the acquisition of nine properties for an aggregate purchase price of $46.8 million. When the pandemic was declared, given the uncertainties created by the COVID-19 Pandemic and the impact on the capital markets, the U.S. economy, and PINE’s tenants, the Company temporarily suspended its activities directed at identifying additional acquisition opportunities. Towards the end of the second quarter of 2020, the Company reached agreements with tenants for rent deferrals and abatements and the Company completed the acquisition of two properties for an aggregate purchase price of $28.6 million. During the third and fourth quarter of 2020, the Company completed the acquisition of 18 properties for an aggregate purchase price of $41.2 million, for total acquisition volume of $116.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. See Note 17, “Subsequent Events” to the consolidated and combined financial statements included in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information related to the single-tenant income properties acquired subsequent to December 31, 2020.
● As a result of the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Federal Government and the State of Florida issued orders encouraging everyone to remain at their residence and not go into work. In response to these orders and in the best interest of the employees of our Manager and the Board, our Manager implemented significant preventative measures to ensure the health and safety of its employees and the Board, including: conducting all meetings of the Board and Committees of the Board telephonically or via a visual conferencing service, permitting its employees to work from home at their election, enforcing appropriate social distancing practices in our Manager’s office, encouraging its employees to wash their hands often and use face masks and providing hand sanitizer and other disinfectant products throughout their office, requiring its employees who do not feel well, in any capacity, to stay at home, and requiring all third-party delivery services (e.g. mail, food delivery, etc.) to complete their service outside the front door of its offices. Our Manager also offered COVID-19 testing to its employees in our Manager’s office to ensure a safe working environment.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2020, THE PERIOD FROM NOVEMBER 26, 2019 TO DECEMBER 31, 2019, AND THE PREDECESSOR PERIOD FROM JANUARY 1, 2019 TO NOVEMBER 25, 2019 (in thousands)(1)
For the Year Ended December 31, 2020
For the Period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019
For the Period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019
The Company
Predecessor
Revenues:
Lease Income
$
19,248
$
1,394
$
11,837
Total Revenues
19,248
1,394
11,837
Operating Expenses:
Real Estate Expenses
2,316
1,664
General and Administrative Expenses
4,660
1,683
Depreciation and Amortization
9,949
4,859
Total Operating Expenses
16,925
1,398
8,206
Gain on Disposition of Assets
-
-
Net Income (Loss) from Operations
2,610
(4)
3,631
Interest Expense
1,464
-
Net Income (Loss)
1,146
(45)
3,631
Less: Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest
(161)
-
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc.
$
$
(39)
$
3,631
(1) Results of operations prior to November 26, 2019 represent the Predecessor activity of CTO. Subsequent to November 26, 2019, upon the acquisition of the Initial Portfolio from CTO, the results of operations are presented on a new basis of accounting pursuant to ASC 805-10.
General and Administrative Expenses for the Year Ended December 31, 2020, the Period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019, and the Predecessor Period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019 (in thousands):
For the Year Ended December 31, 2020
For the Period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019
For the Period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019
The Company
Predecessor
Management Fee to Manager
$
2,554
$
$
-
Director Stock Compensation Expense (1)
Director & Officer Insurance Expense
-
Additional General and Administrative Expense
1,379
-
Allocation of Predecessor General and Administrative Expense
-
-
1,174
Total General and Administrative Expenses
$
4,660
$
$
1,683
(1) For the Predecessor period presented, stock compensation expense represents an allocation from CTO.
Revenue and Direct Cost of Revenues
Total revenue from our income property operations totaled $19.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, $1.4 million during the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019 and $11.8 million during the Predecessor period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019. The increase in the respective revenues during the periods presented is primarily reflective of the increase in revenues attributable to the Company’s 29 income property acquisitions during the year ended December 31, 2020. The direct costs of revenues for our income property operations totaled $2.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, $0.4 million during the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019, and $1.7 million during the Predecessor period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019. The increase in the direct cost of revenues is also due to the increase in the Company’s income property portfolio during the year ended December 31, 2020.
Depreciation and amortization expense totaled $9.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, $0.7 million during the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019, and $4.9 million during the Predecessor period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019. The increase in the depreciation and amortization expense is reflective of the increase in the Company’s income property portfolio during the year ended December 31, 2020.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses totaled $4.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, $0.3 million during the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019, and $1.7 million during the Predecessor period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019. Changes in general and administrative expenses are primarily due to the changes in the nature of such expenses, as the Predecessor period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019 represents an allocation of the Predecessor parent company expenses versus actual general and administrative expenses incurred by the Company. The Predecessor general and administrative expenses were not indicative of the amount of general and administrative expenses the Company has incurred on an annual basis subsequent to the IPO. During the year ended December 31, 2020, general and administrative expenses were primarily impacted by the recognition of $2.6 million of management fee expenses, of which costs totaled $0.3 million and zero, respectively, for the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019 and for the Predecessor period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019, in addition to $0.3 million of costs associated with audit services related to the 2019 annual audit. The fees associated with our annual audit are recognized as the services are incurred, which typically occurs ratably throughout the year.
Net Income (Loss)
Net income (loss) totaled $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, less than $(0.1) million for the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019, and $3.6 million for the Predecessor period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019. In addition to the impacts described above, the decrease in net income for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019 and the Predecessor period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019 reflects the following elements:
● An increase in general and administrative expenses totaling $2.6 million as the Predecessor period represents an allocation of the parent company expenses versus actual general and administrative expenses incurred by the Company; and
● An increase in interest expense totaling $1.4 million, as compared to the same period in 2019, related to the outstanding balance on the Company’s Credit Facility to fund the acquisition of 29 income properties during the year ended December 31, 2020.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE PERIOD FROM NOVEMBER 26, 2019 TO DECEMBER 31, 2019, THE PREDECESSOR PERIOD FROM JANUARY 1, 2019 TO NOVEMBER 25, 2019, AND THE PREDECESSOR YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2018 (in thousands)(1)
For the Period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019
For the Period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019
For the Year Ended December 31, 2018
The Company
Predecessor
Revenues:
Lease Income
$
1,394
$
11,837
$
11,720
Total Revenues
1,394
11,837
11,720
Operating Expenses:
Real Estate Expenses
1,664
1,620
General and Administrative Expenses
1,683
1,184
Depreciation and Amortization
4,859
4,901
Total Operating Expenses
1,398
8,206
7,705
Net Income (Loss) from Operations
(4)
3,631
4,015
Interest Expense
-
-
Net Income (Loss)
(45)
3,631
4,015
Less: Net Loss Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest
-
-
Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc.
$
(39)
$
3,631
$
4,015
(1) Results of operations prior to November 26, 2019 represent the Predecessor activity of CTO. As of November 26, 2019, upon the acquisition of the Initial Portfolio from CTO, the results of operations are presented on a new basis of accounting pursuant to ASC 805-10.
General and Administrative Expenses for the Period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019, the Predecessor Period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019, and the Predecessor Year Ended December 31, 2018 (in thousands):
For the Period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019
For the Period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019
For the Year Ended December 31, 2018
The Company
Predecessor
Management Fee to Manager
$
$
-
$
-
Director Stock Compensation Expense (1)
Director & Officer Insurance Expense
-
-
Additional General and Administrative Expense
-
-
Allocation of Predecessor General and Administrative Expense
-
1,174
Total General and Administrative Expenses
$
$
1,683
$
1,184
(1) For the Predecessor periods presented, stock compensation expense represents an allocation from CTO.
Revenue and Direct Cost of Revenues
Total revenue from our income property operations totaled $1.4 million during the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019, $11.8 million during the Predecessor period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019, and $11.7 million during the Predecessor year ended December 31, 2018. The increase in the respective revenues during the periods presented is primarily reflective of the increase in revenues attributable to the Predecessor’s five income property acquisitions during the period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019. The direct costs of revenues for our income property operations totaled $0.4 million during the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019, $1.7 million during the Predecessor period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019, and $1.6 million during the Predecessor year ended December 31, 2018. The increase in the direct cost of revenues during the periods presented is reflective of both the time periods presented as well as an increase related to common area maintenance costs incurred related to the acquisition by the Predecessor of two ground leases in Jacksonville, Florida in October 2018.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization expense totaled $0.7 million during the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019, $4.9 million during the Predecessor period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019, and $4.9 million during the Predecessor year ended December 31, 2018. The increase in the depreciation and amortization expense during the periods presented is reflective of both the time periods presented as well as an increase related to the five income properties acquired by the Predecessor during the period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses totaled $0.3 million during the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019, $1.7 million during the Predecessor period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019, and $1.2 million during the Predecessor year ended December 31, 2018. Changes in general and administrative expenses during the periods presented is reflective of both the time periods presented, as well as changes in the nature of general and administrative expenses, as the Predecessor periods represent an allocation of the parent company expenses versus actual general and administrative expenses incurred by the Company. The Predecessor general and administrative expenses were not indicative of the amount of general and administrative expenses the Company has incurred on an annual basis subsequent to the IPO.
Net Income (Loss)
Net income (loss) totaled less than $(0.1) million for the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019, $3.6 million for the Predecessor period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019, and $4.0 million for the Predecessor year ended December 31, 2018. The $0.4 million decrease in net income for the Predecessor period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019 and for the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019 (the Company) as compared to the Predecessor year ended December 31, 2018 is reflective of the previously described increase in revenue, direct cost of revenue, and depreciation and amortization related to the increase in the Predecessor’s income property portfolio in addition to actual general and administrative expenses incurred by the Company.
LIQUIDITY
Cash and Cash Equivalents. Cash totaled $1.9 million at December 31, 2020.
Long-Term Debt. Long-term debt, at face value, totaled $106.8 million at December 31, 2020, representing an increase of $106.8 million from no balance at December 31, 2019. The increase in the long-term debt was due to the draws on our Credit Facility which were used to facilitate the acquisition of 29 income properties during the year ended December 31, 2020. See Note 17, “Subsequent Events” to the consolidated and combined financial statements included in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information related to the single-tenant income properties acquired subsequent to December 31, 2020.
As of December 31, 2020, the Company’s outstanding indebtedness, at face value, was as follows (in thousands):
Face Value Debt
Stated Interest Rate
Maturity Date
Credit Facility
$
106,809
30-Day LIBOR +
1.35% - 1.95% (1)
November 2023
Total Debt/Weighted-Average Rate
$
106,809
1.71%
(1) Effective April 30, 2020, the Company utilized an Interest Rate Swap to achieve a fixed interest rate of 0.48% plus the applicable spread on $50.0 million of the outstanding balance on the Credit Facility, see Note 10, “Interest Rate Swap” in the notes to the consolidated and combined financial statements in Item 8.
Credit Facility. The Company’s revolving credit facility (the “Credit Facility”), with Bank of Montreal (“BMO”) serving as the administrative agent for the lenders thereunder, is unsecured with regard to our income property portfolio but is guaranteed by certain wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company. The Credit Facility bank group is led by BMO and also includes Raymond James Bank, N.A. The Credit Facility had an initial total borrowing capacity of $100.0 million with the ability to increase that capacity up to $150.0 million during the base term, subject to lender approval.
On October 16, 2020, the Company executed the second amendment to the Credit Facility (the “Second Amendment”), with the addition of two lenders, Huntington National Bank and Truist Bank. As a result of the Second Amendment, the Credit Facility has a total borrowing capacity of $150.0 million with the ability to increase that capacity up to $200.0 million during the term, utilizing an accordion feature, subject to lender approval.
The Credit Facility provides the lenders with a secured interest in the equity of the Company subsidiaries that own the properties included in the borrowing base. The indebtedness outstanding under the Credit Facility accrues interest at a rate ranging from the 30-day LIBOR plus 135 basis points to the 30-day LIBOR plus 195 basis points based on the total balance outstanding under the Credit Facility as a percentage of the total asset value of the Operating Partnership, as defined in the Credit Facility. The Credit Facility also accrues a fee of 15 to 25 basis points for any unused portion of the borrowing capacity based on whether the unused portion is greater or less than 50% of the total borrowing capacity.
At December 31, 2020, the current commitment level under the Credit Facility was $150.0 million and the Company had an outstanding balance of $106.8 million.
The Operating Partnership is subject to customary restrictive covenants under the Credit Facility, including, but not limited to, limitations on the Operating Partnership’s ability to: (a) incur indebtedness; (b) make certain investments; (c) incur certain liens; (d) engage in certain affiliate transactions; and (e) engage in certain major transactions such as mergers. The Credit Facility also contains financial covenants covering the Operating Partnership, including but not limited to, tangible net worth and fixed charge coverage ratio. In addition, the Operating Partnership is subject to additional financial maintenance covenants as described in the Credit Agreement. On June 30, 2020, the Company and the Operating Partnership entered into the first amendment to the Credit Agreement with the lenders whereby the tangible net worth covenant was adjusted to be more reflective of market terms.
Acquisitions and Investments. As noted previously, the Company’s operations commenced on November 26, 2019 and we did not acquire any single-tenant income properties during the period beginning with the commencement of our operations on November 26, 2019 through December 31, 2019. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we acquired 29 single-tenant, net leased properties for a total investment of $116.6 million. See Note 17, “Subsequent Events” to the consolidated and combined financial statements included in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information related to the single-tenant income properties acquired subsequent to December 31, 2020.
During the first quarter of 2020, the Company completed the acquisition of nine properties for an aggregate purchase price of $46.8 million. When the pandemic was declared, given the uncertainties created by the COVID-19 Pandemic and the impact on the capital markets, the U.S. economy, and PINE’s tenants, the Company temporarily suspended its activities directed at identifying additional acquisition opportunities. Towards the end of the second quarter of 2020, the Company completed the acquisition of two properties for an aggregate purchase price of $28.6 million. During the third and fourth
quarter of 2020, the Company completed the acquisition of 18 properties for an aggregate purchase price of $41.2 million, for total acquisition volume of $116.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Dispositions. On September 25, 2020, the Company sold its single-tenant income property, classified as held for sale as of June 30, 2020, leased to Outback Steakhouse located in Charlottesville, Virginia, for total disposition volume of $5.1 million, reflecting an exit cap rate of 5.8%. The Company’s gain on the sale was $0.3 million, or $0.03 per diluted share. No income properties were disposed of during the period beginning with the commencement of our operations on November 26, 2019 through December 31, 2019.
Capital Expenditures. Through December 31, 2020, the Company incurred $0.9 million of tenant improvements related to the property leased to 7-Eleven in Georgetown, Texas, of which the tenant reimbursed $0.4 million subsequent to year end pursuant to the lease. As of December 31, 2020, $0.1 million of the total $0.9 million was left to be funded.
We believe we will have sufficient liquidity to fund our operations, capital requirements, maintenance, and debt service requirements over the next twelve months and into the foreseeable future, with cash on hand, cash flow from our operations and $43.2 million of available capacity on the existing $150.0 million Credit Facility, based on our current borrowing base of income properties, as of December 31, 2020.
The Board and management consistently review the allocation of capital with the goal of providing the best long-term return for our stockholders. These reviews consider various alternatives, including increasing or decreasing regular dividends, repurchasing the Company’s securities, and retaining funds for reinvestment. Annually, the Board reviews our business plan and corporate strategies, and makes adjustments as circumstances warrant. Management’s focus is to continue our strategy of investing in single-tenant net leased income properties by utilizing the capital we raised in the IPO and available borrowing capacity from the Credit Facility to increase our portfolio of income-producing properties, providing stabilized cash flows with strong risk-adjusted returns primarily in larger metropolitan areas and growth markets.
CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS AND COMMITMENTS
Through December 31, 2020, the Company incurred $0.9 million of tenant improvements related to the property leased to 7-Eleven in Georgetown, Texas, of which the tenant reimbursed $0.4 million subsequent to year end pursuant to the lease. As of December 31, 2020, $0.1 million of the total $0.9 million was left to be funded.
There are no development obligations, that are not recognized as liabilities in our consolidated financial statements.
OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS
None.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report are prepared in conformity with GAAP. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses. The development and selection of these critical accounting policies have been determined by management and the related disclosures have been reviewed with the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 3, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to the consolidated and combined financial statements included in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K; however, the most critical accounting policies, which involve the use of estimates and assumptions as to future uncertainties and, therefore, may result in actual amounts that differ from estimates, are as follows:
Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period presented. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Because of, among other factors, the fluctuating market conditions that currently exist in the national real estate markets, and the volatility and uncertainty in the financial and credit markets, it is possible that the estimates and assumptions, most notably those related to the Predecessor’s investment in income properties, could change materially due to the continued volatility of the real estate and financial markets or as a result of a significant dislocation in those markets.
Long-Lived Assets. The Company follows Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 360-10, Property, Plant, and Equipment in conducting its impairment analyses. The Company reviews the recoverability of long-lived assets, primarily real estate, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Examples of situations considered to be triggering events include: a substantial decline in operating cash flows during the period, a current or projected loss from operations, an income property not fully leased or leased at rates that are less than current market rates, and any other quantitative or qualitative events deemed significant by management. Long-lived assets are evaluated for impairment by using an undiscounted cash flow approach, which considers future estimated capital expenditures. Impairment of long-lived assets is measured at fair value less cost to sell.
Purchase Accounting for Acquisitions of Real Estate Subject to a Lease. Investments in real estate are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment losses, if any. The cost of investments in real estate reflects their purchase price or development cost. We evaluate each acquisition transaction to determine whether the acquired asset meets the definition of a business. Under Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business, an acquisition does not qualify as a business when there is no substantive process acquired or substantially all of the fair value is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or group of similar identifiable assets or the acquisition does not include a substantive process in the form of an acquired workforce or an acquired contract that cannot be replaced without significant cost, effort or delay. Transaction costs related to acquisitions that are asset acquisitions are capitalized as part of the cost basis of the acquired assets, while transaction costs for acquisitions that are deemed to be acquisitions of a business are expensed as incurred. Improvements and replacements are capitalized when they extend the useful life or improve the productive capacity of the asset. Costs of repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred.
In accordance with FASB guidance, the fair value of the real estate acquired with in-place leases is allocated to the acquired tangible assets, consisting of land, building and tenant improvements, and identified intangible assets and liabilities, consisting of the value of above-market and below-market leases, the value of in-place leases, and the value of leasing costs, based in each case on their relative fair values. In allocating the fair value of the identified intangible assets and liabilities of an acquired property, above-market and below-market in-place lease values are recorded as other assets or liabilities based on the present value. The capitalized above-market lease values are amortized as a reduction of rental income over the remaining terms of the respective leases. The capitalized below-market lease values are amortized as an increase to rental income over the initial term unless the management believes that it is likely that the tenant will renew the lease upon expiration, in which case both the Company and the Predecessor amortize the value attributable to the renewal over the renewal period. The value of in-place leases and leasing costs are amortized to expense over the remaining non-cancelable periods of the respective leases. If a lease were to be terminated prior to its stated expiration, all unamortized amounts relating to that lease would be written off.
Income Property Lease Revenue. The rental arrangements associated with the Company’s income property portfolio are classified as operating leases. The Company recognizes lease income on these properties on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Accordingly, contractual lease payment increases are recognized evenly over the term of the lease. The periodic difference between lease income recognized under this method and contractual lease payment terms (i.e., straight-line rent) is recorded as a deferred operating lease receivable and is included in straight-line rent adjustment on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019.
Income Taxes. The Company has elected to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes under the Internal Revenue Code commencing with its short taxable year beginning on November 26, 2019 and ending on December 31, 2019. The Company believes that, commencing with such short taxable year, it has been organized and has operated in such a manner as to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the U.S. federal income tax laws. The Company intends to continue to operate in such a manner. As a REIT, the Company will be subject to U.S. federal and state income taxation at corporate rates on its net taxable income; the Company, however, may claim a deduction for the amount of dividends paid to its stockholders. Amounts distributed as dividends by the Company will be subject to taxation at the stockholder level only. While the Company must distribute at least 90% of its REIT taxable income, determined without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding any net capital gain, to qualify as a REIT, the Company intends to distribute all of its net taxable income. The Company is allowed certain other non-cash deductions or adjustments, such as depreciation expense, when computing its REIT taxable income and distribution requirement. These deductions permit the Company to reduce its dividend payout requirement under U.S. federal income tax laws. Certain states may impose minimum franchise taxes. The Company may form one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRSs”), which will be subject to applicable U.S. federal, state and local corporate income tax on their taxable income. For the periods presented, the Company did not have any TRSs that would be subject to taxation.
New Accounting Pronouncements. Refer to Note 3, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” to the consolidated and combined financial statements included in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We are a smaller reporting company as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. As a result, pursuant to Item 305(e) of Regulation S-K, we are not required to provide the information required by this Item.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
The Company’s Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements appear beginning on page of this report. See Item 15 of this report.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
There have been no disagreements with our accountants on accounting and financial disclosures.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
As of the end of the period covered by this report, an evaluation, as required by rules 13(a)-15 and 15(d)-15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) was carried out under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), of the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act). Based on that evaluation, the CEO and CFO have concluded that the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the Company in such reports is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its CEO and CFO, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
MANAGEMENT’S REPORT ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act). Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our internal control over financial reporting includes policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, and that receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of assets that could have a material effect on our financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our CEO and our CFO, we evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting using the criteria set forth in the 2013 Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on our assessment and those criteria, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2020.
CHANGES IN INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
PART III

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The information required to be set forth herein will be included in the Company’s definitive proxy statement for its 2021 annual stockholders’ meeting to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 (the “Proxy Statement”), which sections are incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
We are externally managed by our Manager and as such the Company does not incur compensation costs affiliated with our executive officers. Any additional information required to be set forth herein will be included in the Proxy Statement, which sections are incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The information required to be set forth herein will be included in the Proxy Statement, which sections are incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
The information required to be set forth herein will be included in the Proxy Statement, which sections are incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The information required to be set forth herein will be included in the Proxy Statement, which section is incorporated herein by reference.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The following financial statements are filed as part of this report:
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2020 and 2019
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2020 (the Company) and for the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019 (the Company) and Combined Statements of Operations for the period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019 (Predecessor) and for the year ended December 31, 2018 (Predecessor)
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the year ended December 31, 2020 (the Company) and for the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019 (the Company) and Combined Statements of Comprehensive Income for the period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019 (Predecessor) and for the year ended December 31, 2018 (Predecessor)
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the year ended December 31, 2020 (the Company) and for the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019 (the Company) and Combined Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019 (Predecessor) and for the year ended December 31, 2018 (Predecessor)
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the year ended December 31, 2020 (the Company) and for the period from November 26, 2019 to December 31, 2019 (the Company) and Combined Statements of Cash Flows for the period from January 1, 2019 to November 25, 2019 (Predecessor) and for the year ended December 31, 2018 (Predecessor)
Notes to Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements
2. FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Schedules are omitted because of the absence of conditions under which they are required, materiality, or because the required information is given in the financial statements or notes thereof.
3. EXHIBITS
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit
Number
Description
3.1
Articles of Amendment and Restatement of Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).
3.2
Amended and Restated Bylaws of Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).
4.1
Description of the Registrant’s Securities †
4.2
Specimen Common Stock Certificate of Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-11/A (File No. 333-234304) filed with the Commission on October 29, 2019).
10.1
Stock Purchase Agreement, dated November 21, 2019, between Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. and Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).
10.2
Registration Rights Agreement, dated November 26, 2019, between Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. and Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).
10.3
Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership, dated November 26, 2019, among Alpine Income Property GP, LLC, Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc., Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co. and Indigo Group Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).
10.4
Tax Protection Agreement, dated November 26, 2019, among Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc., Alpine Income Property OP, LP, Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co. and Indigo Group Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).
10.5
Management Agreement, dated November 26, 2019, among Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc., Alpine Income Property OP, LP and Alpine Income Property Manager, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).*
10.6
Exclusivity and Right of First Offer Agreement, dated November 26, 2019, between Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co. and Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).
10.7
Credit Agreement, dated November 26, 2019, among Alpine Income Property OP, LP, Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc., Bank of Montreal, BMO Capital Markets Corp. and Raymond James Bank, N.A. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).
10.8
Indemnification Agreement, dated November 21, 2019, between Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. and John P. Albright (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).*
10.9
Indemnification Agreement, dated November 21, 2019, between Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. and Steven R. Greathouse (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).*
10.10
Indemnification Agreement, dated November 21, 2019, between Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. and Daniel E. Smith (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).*
10.11
Indemnification Agreement, dated November 21, 2019, between Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. and Mark O. Decker, Jr. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).*
10.12
Indemnification Agreement, dated November 21, 2019, between Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. and M. Carson Good (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).*
10.13
Indemnification Agreement, dated November 21, 2019, between Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. and Andrew C. Richardson (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).*
10.14
Indemnification Agreement, dated November 21, 2019, between Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. and Jeffrey S. Yarckin (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).*
10.15
Indemnification Agreement, dated February 10, 2021, between Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. and Rachel E. Wein (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 11, 2021).*
10.16
Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. 2019 Individual Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-235256) filed on November 25, 2019).*
10.17
Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. 2019 Manager Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2019).*
10.18
Form of Non-Employee Director Restricted Stock Award Agreement under the Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc. 2019 Individual Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-11/A (File No. 333-234304) filed with the Commission on November 7, 2019).*
10.19
First Amendment to the Credit Agreement, dated June 30, 2020, among Alpine Income Property OP, LP, Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc., Bank of Montreal, BMO Capital Markets Corp. and Raymond James Bank, N.A. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 3, 2020).
10.20
Second Amendment to the Credit Agreement, dated October 16, 2020, among Alpine Income Property OP, LP, Alpine Income Property Trust, Inc., the other Guarantors party thereto, the Lenders party thereto and Bank of Montreal, as Administrative Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 22, 2020).
21.1
List of Subsidiaries of the Registrant. †
23.1
Consent of Grant Thornton LLP. †
31.1
Certificate of John P. Albright, President and Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. †
31.2
Certificate of Matthew M. Partridge, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. †
32.1
Certificate of John P. Albright, President and Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. ††
32.2
Certificate of Matthew M. Partridge, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. ††
Exhibit 101.INS
XBRL Instance Document
Exhibit 101.SCH
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
Exhibit 101.CAL
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
Exhibit 101.DEF
XBRL Taxonomy Definition Linkbase Document
Exhibit 101.LAB
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
Exhibit 101.PRE
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
† Filed Herewith
†† Furnished Herewith
* Management Contract or Compensatory Plan or Arrangement