"Welcome to Immokalee," says WINK-TV reporter Rachel Rafanelli in the opening to her piece featured February 1 on the Fort Myers CBS-TV affiliate. 

"We have plenty of land, we have a lot of incentives for new businesses that might want to come," said Penny Phillippi, executive director of the Immokalee Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). 

The piece featured the Immokalee Business Development Center (IMMBIZ), led by attorney and businesswoman Marie Capita; Immokalee entrepreneur Letticia Ramos, who is opening a new fitness and dance studio; the nearly $4 million storm water collection system improvement project, managed by the CRA's Bradley Muckel and most of all the piece featured Immokalee. 

CLICK HERE to see the video report. 

Immokalee continues to move forward, rapidly becoming the very embodiment of Florida in the 21st Century. 

With a young and diverse workforce, relatively inexpensive land and a location central to major Florida cities, Immokalee is the future of the Florida. 

That community progress is highlighted in the Immokalee CRA's annual report, formally presented to the Collier County Commission on January 17. Among the highlights of the report is the creation and rapid progress of the Immokalee Business Development Center (IMMBIZ), which is quickly becoming the center of a renewed entrepreneurial spirit in the community. 

The highlights of the 2011 annual report are captured below in a slide presentation. You may also click here to review the report along with annual reports from previous years. A video of the January 17 presentation to Collier County lawmakers is available here. 

2011 Immokalee CRA Annual Presentation

 When Collier County lawmakers agreed January 24 to award construction contracts for the $2.7 million storm water improvement system in South Immokalee it was significant on the street level – but also on the economic and cultural levels.

 When completed, the new storm water collection system will eliminate troublesome street flooding along the most residential streets of South Immokalee.

 Collier County Commissioners awarded the construction contract to the Douglas N. Higgins Construction Company of Naples.

 But among the sub-contractors on the job will be Manuel Padilla and his company, Padilla Construction, Inc., a graduate of the Immokalee Business Development Center (IMMBIZ).

 Just over a year ago, Padilla was struggling to launch his own company after years working for others in the construction trade.

 He attended last spring the initial entrepreneurial school offered by IMMBIZ and, following that, IMMBIZ helped Padilla get certified by the U.S. government as a minority-owned business, meaning he could qualify for special benefits when applying for contracts supported by tax dollars.

 Since most of the money for the South Immokalee storm water projects comes from U.S. government grants, Higgins would have to agree – as primary contractor – to award 25 percent of the sub-contractors’ work to minority-owned business. 

Enter Padilla Construction Company. 

With the construction contract signed and delivered, Padilla Construction will get a nearly $800,000 sub-contract to perform all the sidewalk reconstruction on the project. 

"It's working,” said Penny Phillippi, executive director of the Immokalee CRA and creator of IMMBIZ. “Economic development is working in Immokalee. Manuel went from IMMBIZ to (minority-owned) qualifications, introduced to the big contractor at a pre-bid meeting. The (project grant) money is coming back to Immokalee."   

Padilla Construction is among the growing number of new and expanding businesses in Immokalee, part of the growing entrepreneurial scene which again demonstrates one of the reasons why Immokalee IS Florida in the 21^st Century.

 They are intended to be bookends – plazas or zocalos; public gathering spots at either end of Immokalee’s Main Street and central business district. 

 The U.S. government agency charged with help entrepreneurs and small business now has an official outpost and partner in Immokalee. 

The Immokalee Business Development Center, or ImmBiz, signed January 20 a partnership agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, formally qualifying ImmBiz as an official link in Southwest Florida to the federal agency. 

SBA Regional Director Franciso Marrero signed the formal partnership documents with Immokalee CRA Executive Director Penny Phillippi and ImmBiz Director Marie Capita. Collier County Commissioner Jim Coletta oversaw the official signing ceremony. 

 Collier County Commissioner Tom Henning's January 13 meeting with the residents of Immokalee drew approximately 60 people to discuss the proposed Immokalee Area Master Plan. 

 Special from the Naples Daily News: 

 When the Florida Legislature opens its 2012 Session on Tuesday, it will have to focus on the state budget and redrawing Florida's congressional and legislative district lines. 

The other big issue - the one not mandated by law - will be the future of gambling in Florida and how that shakes out will directly affect Immokalee's Seminole Casino, which saw 1.2 million people pass through its doors last year. 

The News-Press and Gannett Newspapers, take a look at the 2012 Legislative Session and, speaking with Southwest Florida legislators, speculates the lawmakers may just hold their cards this year and not play them. 

 In a startling post-Christmas miracle, the Immokalee Area Master Plan suddenly has new life! 

Collier County Commissioner Jim Coletta, who represents Immokalee and Eastern Collier on the county’s lawmaking panel, announced early Wednesday the State of Florida has extended the deadline for the Master Plan’s adoption at the local level. 

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