Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Accounting Policies

1. Accounting Policies.

ORGANIZATION - FRP Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) is a holding company engaged in various real estate businesses. The segments of the Company include: (i) leasing and management of commercial properties owned by the Company (the “Asset Management Segment”), (ii) leasing and management of mining royalty land owned by the Company (the “Mining Royalty Lands Segment”), (ii) real property acquisition, entitlement, development and construction primarily for apartment, retail, warehouse, and office buildings either alone or through joint ventures (the “Development Segment”), (iv) ownership, leasing and management of buildings through joint ventures (the “Stabilized Joint Venture Segment”).

FRP Holdings, Inc. was incorporated on April 22, 2014 in connection with a corporate reorganization that preceded the Spin-off of Patriot Transportation Holding, Inc. The Company’s predecessor issuer was formed on July 20, 1998. The business of the Company is conducted through our wholly-owned subsidiaries FRP Development Corp., a Maryland corporation (“Development”) and Florida Rock Properties, Inc., a Florida corporation (“Properties”), and the various subsidiaries of each.

On May 21, 2018, the Company completed the disposition of 40 industrial warehouse properties and three additional land parcels to an affiliate of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VIII, L.P. for $347.2 million. One warehouse property valued at $11.7 million was excluded from the sale due to the tenant exercising its right of first refusal to purchase the property. On June 28, 2019, the Company completed the sale of the excluded property to the same buyer for $11.7 million. This resulted in the disposition of all of the Company’s industrial flex/office warehouse properties prior to the sale date and constituted a major strategic shift and as a result, these properties have been reclassified as discontinued operations for all periods presented. The Asset Management segment currently contains three commercial properties.

CONSOLIDATION - The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company inclusive of our operating real estate subsidiaries, Development and Properties, and all wholly-owned or controlled entities. Our investments in real estate partnerships which are conducted through limited liability corporations (“LLC”) are also referred to as joint ventures. Investments in real estate joint ventures not controlled by the Company are accounted for under the equity or cost method of accounting as appropriate (See Note 2). All significant intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in the consolidated financial statements.

Effective July 1, 2017 the Company consolidated the assets (at fair value), liabilities and operating results of our Riverfront Investment Partners I, LLC joint venture (“Dock 79”) which was previously accounted for under the equity method. Subsequent to the July 1, 2017 consolidation, the ownership of Dock 79 attributable to our partner MRP Realty is reflected on our consolidated balance sheet as a noncontrolling interest. Such noncontrolling interests are reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheets within equity but separately from shareholders' equity. On the Consolidated Statements of Income, all of the revenues and expenses from Dock 79 are reported in net income, including both the amounts attributable to the Company and the noncontrolling interest. The amounts of consolidated net income attributable to the noncontrolling interest is clearly identified on the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Income.

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS - The Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments with maturities of three months or less at time of purchase to be cash equivalents. Bank overdrafts consist of outstanding checks not yet presented to a bank for settlement, net of cash held in accounts with right of offset.

INVESTMENTS AVAILABLE FOR SALE - The Company determines the appropriate classification of its investments in debt securities at the time of purchase and reevaluates such determinations at each balance sheet date. Debt securities are classified as held to maturity when the Company has the positive intent and ability to hold the securities to maturity. Marketable securities that are bought and held principally for the purpose of selling them in the near term are classified as trading securities and are reported at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses recognized in earnings. Debt and marketable equity securities not classified as held to maturity or as trading, are classified as available-for-sale, and are carried at fair value, with the unrealized gains and losses, net of tax, included in the determination of comprehensive income and reported in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. The fair value of securities is determined using quoted market prices. At December 31, 2020, no investments were held for trading purposes or classified as held to maturity.

REVENUE AND EXPENSE RECOGNITION - Real estate rental revenue and mining royalties are generally recognized when earned under the leases and are considered collectable. Rental income from leases with scheduled increases or other incentives during their term is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Reimbursements of expenses, when provided in the lease, are recognized in the period that the expenses are incurred.

Sales of real estate are recognized when the collection of the sales price is reasonably assured and when the Company has fulfilled substantially all of its obligations, which are typically as of the closing date.

Accounts receivable are recorded net of discounts and provisions for estimated allowances. We estimate allowances on an ongoing basis by considering historical and current trends. We record estimated bad debts expense as part of operating expenses. We estimate the net collectibility of our accounts receivable and establish an allowance for doubtful accounts based upon this assessment. Specifically, we analyze the aging of accounts receivable balances, historical bad debts, customer concentrations, customer credit-worthiness, current economic trends and changes in customer payment terms.

PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT - Property and equipment is recorded at cost less accumulated depreciation and depletion. Provision for depreciation of property, plant and equipment is computed using the straight-line method based on the following estimated useful lives:

	Years
Building and improvements	3-39

Depletion of sand and stone deposits is computed on the basis of units of production in relation to estimated reserves. Reserve estimates are periodically adjusted based upon surveys.

The Company recorded depreciation and depletion expenses for fiscal year 2020, 2019 and 2018, of $5,766,000, $5,784,000 and $5,709,000, respectively.

All direct and indirect costs, including interest and real estate taxes, associated with the development, construction, leasing or expansion of real estate investments are capitalized as a cost of the property. Included in indirect costs is an allocation of internal costs associated with development of real estate investments. The cost of routine repairs and maintenance to property and equipment is expensed as incurred.

IMPAIRMENT OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS – The Company reviews its long-lived assets, which include property and equipment and purchased intangible assets subject to amortization for potential impairment annually or whenever events or circumstances indicate the carrying amount of a long-lived asset may not be recoverable. This review consists of comparing cap rates on recent cash flows and market value estimates to the carrying values of each asset group. If this review indicates the carrying value might exceed fair value then an estimate of future cash flows for the remaining useful life of each property is prepared considering anticipated vacancy, lease rates, and any future capital expenditures.

DEVELOPED PROPERTY RENTALS PURCHASE ACCOUNTING – Acquisitions of rental property, including any associated intangible assets, are measured at fair value at the date of acquisition. Any liabilities assumed or incurred are recorded at their fair value at the time of acquisition. The fair value of the acquired property is allocated between land and building (on an as-if vacant basis) based on management’s estimate of the fair value of those components for each type of property and to tenant improvements based on the depreciated replacement cost of the tenant improvements, which approximates their fair value. The fair value of the in-place leases is recorded as follows:

· the fair value of leases in-place on the date of acquisition is based on absorption costs for the estimated lease-up period in which vacancy and foregone revenue are avoided due to the presence of the acquired leases;

· the fair value of above and below-market in-place leases based on the present value (using a discount rate that reflects the risks associated with the acquired leases) of the difference between contractual rent amounts to be paid under the assumed lease and the estimated market lease rates for the corresponding spaces over the remaining non-cancelable terms of the related leases; and

· the fair value of intangible tenant or customer relationships.

The Company’s determination of these fair values requires it to estimate market rents for each of the leases and make certain other assumptions. These estimates and assumptions affect the rental revenue, and depreciation and amortization expense recognized for these leases and associated intangible assets and liabilities.

INVESTMENTS IN JOINT VENTURES - The Company uses the equity method to account for its investments in Brooksville. BC FRP Realty, and Greenville/Woodfield, in which it has a voting interest of 50% or less and has significant influence but does not have control. The Company uses the cost method to account for its investment in DST Hickory Creek because it does not have significant influence over operating and financial policies. The Company uses the equity method to account for its investment in Riverfront Investment Partners Phase II, in which it has a voting interest of 80% and has significant influence but does not have control as the minority partner has day to day management responsibility and veto rights on significant decisions during the construction and lease up phase prior to stabilization. The Company uses the equity method to account for its investment in the Bryant Street Partnerships and 1800 Half Street, in which it has a voting interest in excess of 50% because all major decisions are shared equally. Under the equity method, the investment is originally recorded at cost and adjusted to recognize the Company’s share of net earnings or losses of the investee, limited to the extent of the Company’s investment in and advances to the investee and financial guarantees on behalf of the investee that create additional basis. The Company regularly monitors and evaluates the realizable value of its investments. When assessing an investment for an other-than-temporary decline in value, the Company considers such factors as, the performance of the investee in relation to its own operating targets and its business plan, the investee’s revenue and cost trends, as well as liquidity and cash position, and the outlook for the overall industry in which the investee operates. From time to time, the Company may consider third party evaluations or valuation reports. If events and circumstances indicate that a decline in the value of these assets has occurred and is other-than-temporary, the Company records a charge to investment income (expense).

INCOME TAXES - Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized based on differences between financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities using presently enacted tax rates. Deferred income taxes result from temporary differences between pre-tax income reported in the financial statements and taxable income. The Company recognizes liabilities for uncertain tax positions based on a two-step process. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit. The second step is to estimate and measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement. It is inherently difficult and subjective to estimate such amounts, as the amounts rely upon the determination of the probability of various possible outcomes. The Company reevaluates these uncertain tax positions on a quarterly basis. This evaluation is based on factors including, but not limited to, changes in facts or circumstances, changes in tax law and expiration of statutes of limitations, effectively settled issues under audit, and audit activity. Such a change in recognition or measurement would result in the recognition of a tax benefit or an additional charge to the tax provision. It is the Company's policy to recognize as additional income tax expense the items of interest paid and penalties directly related to income taxes.

STOCK BASED COMPENSATION – The Company accounts for compensation related to share based plans by recognizing the grant date fair value of stock options and other equity-based compensation issued to employees in its income statement over the requisite employee service period using the straight-line attribution model. In addition, compensation expense must be recognized for the change in fair value of any awards modified, repurchased or cancelled after the grant date. The fair value of each grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The assumptions used in the model and current year impact are discussed in Note 7.

DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN - The Company has a deferred compensation plan, the Management Security Plan (MSP) for our President. The accruals for future benefits are based upon actuarial assumptions.

EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE - Basic earnings per common share are based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the periods. Diluted earnings per common share are based on the weighted average number of common shares and potential dilution of securities that could share in earnings. The differences between basic and diluted shares used for the calculation are the effect of employee and director stock options and restricted stock.

USE OF ESTIMATES - The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United State 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. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Certain accounting policies and estimates are of more significance in the financial statement preparation process than others. The most critical accounting policies and estimates include the economic useful lives of our mining reserves, property and equipment, provisions for uncollectible accounts receivable and collectibility of unrealized rents, accounting for real estate investments, estimates of exposures related to our insurance claims plans and environmental liabilities, and estimates for taxes. To the extent that actual, final outcomes are different than these estimates, or that additional facts and circumstances result in a revision to these estimates, earnings during that accounting period will be affected.

ENVIRONMENTAL - Environmental expenditures that benefit future periods are capitalized. Expenditures that relate to an existing condition caused by past operations, and which do not contribute to current or future revenue generation, are expensed. Liabilities are recorded for the estimated amount of expected environmental assessments and/or remedial efforts. Estimation of such liabilities includes an assessment of engineering estimates, continually evolving governmental laws and standards, and potential involvement of other potentially responsible parties.

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME – Comprehensive income consists of net income and other comprehensive income (loss). Other comprehensive income (loss) refers to expenses, gains, and losses that are not included in net income, but rather are recorded directly in shareholders’ equity.

RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS – In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” which replaces existing revenue recognition standards and significantly expand the disclosure requirements for revenue arrangements. It may be adopted either retrospectively or on a modified retrospective basis to new contracts and existing contracts with remaining performance obligations as of the effective date. Lease contracts with customers constitute a materially all of our revenues and are a specific scope exception. The new standard was adopted beginning with the first quarter of 2018 in connection with our revenues not subject to leases and did not have a material impact on our financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)”, which requires lessees to recognize a right-to-use asset and a lease obligation for all leases. The Company is not a significant lessee. Lessors will account for leases using an approach that is substantially equivalent to existing accounting standards. The Company's existing leases will continue to be classified as operating leases. Leases entered into after the effective date of the new standard may be classified as operating or sales-type leases, based on specific classification criteria. Operating leases will continue to have a similar pattern of recognition as under current GAAP. Sales-type lease accounting, however, will result in the recognition of selling profit at lease commencement, with interest income recognized over the life of the lease. The new standard also includes a change to the treatment of internal leasing costs and legal costs, which can no longer be capitalized. Only incremental costs of a lease that would not have been incurred if the lease had not been obtained may be deferred as initial direct costs. The new standard also requires lessors to exclude from variable payments certain lessor costs, such as real estate taxes, that the lessor contractually requires the lessee to pay directly to a third party on its behalf. The new standard requires our expected credit loss related to the collectability of lease receivables to be reflected as an adjustment to the line item Lease Revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the credit loss related to the collectibility of lease receivables was recognized in the line item Operating expenses and was not significant. Additionally, the new standard requires lessors to allocate the consideration in a contract between the lease component (right to use an underlying asset) and non-lease component (transfer of a good or service that is not a lease). However, lessors are provided with a practical expedient, elected by class of underlying asset, to account for lease and non-lease components of a contract as a single lease component if certain criteria are met. The terms of the Company's leases generally provide that the Company is entitled to receive reimbursements from tenants for operating expenses such as real estate taxes, insurance and common area maintenance, in addition to the base rental payments for use of the underlying asset. Under the new standard, common area maintenance is considered a nonlease component of a lease contract, which would be accounted for under Topic 606. However, the Company will apply the practical expedient to account for its lease and non-lease components as a single, combined operating lease component. While the timing of recognition should remain the same, the Company is no longer presenting reimbursement revenue from tenants separately in our Consolidated Statements of Income beginning January 1, 2019. The new standard along with the adoption of ASU No. 2018-11, Leases - Targeted Improvements which the FASB issued in July 2018, was adopted effective January 1, 2019 and we have elected to use January 1, 2019 as our date of initial application. We elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard. By adopting these practical expedients, we were not required to reassess (1) whether an existing contract meets the definition of a lease; (2) the lease classification for existing leases; or (3) costs previously capitalized as initial direct costs. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our financial statements.