Immokalee Today Florida's 21st Century

Immokalee's mother and educator, Maria Segura, has been honored by national retailer, Dollar General Stores, as an "Every Day Hero" for her work with her family and the children of others at the Family Literacy Council Academy of Immokalee. 

Segura, who came to Immokalee as a child, spoke only Spanish, worked in the farm fields along with her parents, found the Family Literacy Council which helped her earn a G.E.D., and is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in education while also teaching as lead pre-school instructor at the Literacy Council Academy will be featured later this month in People Magazine and on the Oxygen television cable network. 

Dollar General Stores discovered her when she was featured earlier this month in the Fort Myers News-Press' SWFL Parent & Child Magazine.  Dollar General will honor Segura with a $10,000 donation to the Family Literacy Council. 

“(Education) is my passion,” she told the News-Press. “This is my life, and I feel whole when I am in the classroom.”

Click here to read the New-Press piece about Segura. 

Click here to read and see a video of Segura at WINK-TV. 

What is now an empty lot at the corner of Immokalee's Main Street and First Street will soon be transformed into a warm and welcoming, aesthetically pleasing central town plaza - or, in the Latin American tradition, a zocalo. 

The Immokalee Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has been given preliminary design plans for the plaza by noted Naples architect David Corban and renowned landscape architect Ellen Goetz. The Immokalee CRA's citizens advisory committee will review the design when it meets May 15 at 8:30 a.m. at Southwest Florida Works, 750 South 5th Street. 

The design includes a variety of native plants, walkways, seating areas and a small band shell. 

Collier County Commissioners approved the purchase of the two lots at the corner of Immokalee's First Street and Main Street in 2012 and awarded the plaza design contract to Corban in January. Together with a companion gathering spot at Main and 9th Street, the plazas serve as linchpins of the Immokalee Public Realm Plan which won the 2010 Award of Merit from the Florida Planning & Zoning Association.

Click here to read the Public Realm Plan and to see more conceptual drawings and a slide presentation of what the plazas may, eventually, look like. Of course, the drawings on these pages will bear no particular resemblence to the design Corban brings forth in the next few months. 

The task of growing and diversifying Immokalee's economy is a multi-faceted endeavor. 

Investment from regional and national companies is important but so is the growth and expansion of home-grown Immokalee businesses. 

The Salazar Machine & Steel Company is the perfect example of a home-grown business that has prospered with the help of economic incentives available in Immokalee. Founded 12 years ago as a two-man operation, Salazar Machine & Steel has grown into 20,000 square foot operation at the Immokalee Regional Airport. Company Founder Pete Salazar celebrated his expanded operation last week with an open house. 

Read what the Naples Daily News had to say about the successful Immokalee business: 

Pete Salazar went from working out of his truck to opening his own manufacturing plant.

He started out traveling from one job site to another with a mobile machining and welding service, before opening a 2,000-square-foot manufacturing plant. Now, after about 12 years, Salazar has added 20,000 square feet to his headquarters manufacturing site at Immokalee Regional Airport.

“We are very happy that we have our building,” said Salazar, owner of Salazar Machine & Steel Inc. "It's all about serving our community and growing and creating jobs and training.

"We are excited about what has happened to our business ever since we moved into the Immokalee Airport. It has been growth ever since."

Bernardo Barnhart, president of the Immokalee Chamber of Commerce and vice-president of Florida Community Bank shares Salazar's enthusiasm. 

“I’m excited because I’m seeing the growth in the development in Immokalee,” said Barnhart, a native of the town. “It’s a great time for this community.”

Read more in the Naples Daily News. 

Special from the Naples Daily News: 

The Rich Dombroski era at Immokalee High School didn’t start with Xs and Os, but rather numbers.

As soon as Immokalee hired Dombroski to be the next head football coach of the Indians, he went straight to the pulse of most teenage boys: the cellphone.

“That was the first key when I got here, ‘Here’s my cellphone number, guys. Text me. Tell me your name and what position you want to play, and we’ll get the ball rolling that way,’” said Dombroski, 43, who was hired Feb. 26 to replace Jerrod Ackley.

After a 45-minute weather delay kept everyone inside a field house, Immokalee’s first day of spring practice started Wednesday with close to 100 players in helmets and shorts at Gary Bates Stadium.

Doling out his cellphone number might seem like an insignificant move, but it is just one way Dombroski is trying to form a bond with his new players.

Read more in the Naples Daily News. 

Special from the Naples Daily News: 

Ovince St. Preux said he learned “the meaning of hard work” playing football at Immokalee High School.

The 2001 grad said he can still hear former Indians coach John Weber saying “come on, come on” urging the players to give their all.

St. Preux said he heard Weber’s voice Saturday night in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

He admitted battling nerves more than his opponent, fellow former college football player Gian Villante, in a preliminary bout at UFC 159 in Newark, N.J.

“It was a little nerve-wracking at the beginning but at the end of the night I wanted to get my hand raised,” St. Preux said of reaching the pinnacle of the mixed-martial arts sport.

After 30 seconds of the third and final round, St. Preux did get his hand raised — along with a little controversy. The referee stopped the fight after Villante said he got poked in the eye by a St. Preux punch. The referee thought Villante was unable to continue and called it an unintentional foul. St. Preux (13-5) gained the victory on a scorecard decision (30-28, 30-29 and 29-29).

Villante said he could have continued fighting. St. Preux said he still would have won the fight.

“I felt like I was dominating,” St. Preux said. “I felt refreshed in the third round, especially better than the second round. I knew at the end of the day I was going to win. In the third round I was looking for knockout.”

Read more in the Naples Daily News. 

It has been a most troubling stretch of roadway in northeast Immokalee, filled every day with pedestrians - students and adults - and plenty of vehicle traffic. 

But thanks to the Immokalee Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU), a division now of the Immokalee Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), sidewalks along Carson Road will make transit - and life - much easier and safer for hundreds of Immokaleans who depend daily on the short thoroughfare. 

The sidewalks, currently being installed and set to be complete by the end of July, run along the west side of Carson Road, from Lake Trafford Road to Westclox Street. 

Immokalee's planners and visionaries, sitting as the citizens advisory committee of the Immokalee Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), will met April 24 in its regular session. 

The citizens advisory committee is a volunteer group of Immokalee business and civic leaders who guide the CRA in its mission to make the community a shining example of "Florida in the 21st Century." 

 Members got a glimpse of the preliminary design for the planned First Street Plaza or Zocalo to be built at the corner of Immokalee's Main Street and First Street.

Once again the skies over Immokalee were filled April 20-21 with the romance and adventure of huge, colorful hot air balloons and the Seminole Immokalee Casino presented Balloons Over Paradise. 

Special from the Naples Daily News: 

An uplifting experience for thousands of onlookers occurred this morning as the fog cleared over the Immokalee skies and dozens of colorful hot air balloons took flight.

“You can’t help but smile when you look at these balloons,” said Tony Alves, general manager of the Seminole Casino, which is hosting the second annual Balloons Over Paradise Festival at the Seminole Tribe Youth Ranch.

A fog rolled in just before sunrise that threatened to delay and perhaps cancel the mass ascension of dozens of balloons until Sunday, the second day of the festival. However, the fog lifted just before 9 a.m.

Many attendees said it was great to see something bright, colorful and literally uplifting after a week of national tragedies, including the Boston Marathon bombing and a fertilizer plant explosion in Texas.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled, and, hopefully, this provides everyone some relief after all the bad news,” said Alves, as the balloons began taking flight, one after another, filling the horizon with rainbow-colored balloons, cartoon smiley faces and other cheery designs. 

Read more, see plenty of photographs at the Naples Daily News. 

Special from the Naples Daily News: 

Immokalee’s Leonel Delacruz gave the Indians a slight lead over Dunbar by repeating as the district titlist in the 3,200 meters — the second-to-last event of the day. The Immokalee boys nailed down the team title for the second straight year when they crushed the competition in the 4x400 relay.

The Indians, led by multiple-event winners J.C. Jackson (long jump and 200), Mackensie Alexander (100 and 400) and Delacruz (1,600 and 3,200), totaled 177 points, 13 more than second-place Dunbar.

“I’m the luckiest coach here,” Indians coach John Thomas said. “To have kids take on what you’re saying and perform is special. We’re always here to compete. We try to win every event we can.”

Other Immokalee winners included Deadrin Senat in the shot put and Jummy Victorin (high jump).

Other area athletes advancing to regionals were Immokalee’s Anita Munoz (1,600 and 3,200) and Destiny Christopher (100) and the Titans’ Herrard (triple jump).

On the boys side, Immokalee’s Dudsen Senatus (200), Jevon Alberique (300 hurdles), Rafael Martinez (110 hurdles), and Senat (discus) will compete on Thursday along with Alejandro Pedraza (1,600 and 3,200), Alex Torres (high jump), Taylor Anderson (triple jump), and Matthew Octave (triple jump).

Read more in the Naples Daily News. 

Immokalee was a happenin' place this over the weekend of April 13-14! 

The 2013 Harvest Festival began Friday and carried over to Saturday and included live bands, games, home-town entertainment a wild hog BBQ and much more.  , 

The annual Harvest Festival is a production of the Immokalee Chamber of Commerce and celebrates the agricultural heritage of the community. 

Proceeds from the event went directly toward scholarships each year for two deserving Immokalee High School seniors to further their education.