Immokalee

The county and Collier Community Foundation stepped in for dedicated bus rides to a far-away grocer after one grocery in Immokalee closed.

Folks in Immokalee who depended on the community's only supermarket, Winn Dixie, are frustrated and concerned. The store closed about a week ago as part of Aldi's acquisition of Southeastern Grocers.

Frustration and worry crossed the faces of customers coming Sunday to Immokalee’s only supermarket — Winn-Dixie — after they discovered it had closed. For good. Winn-Dixie’s parking lot was mostly leaves, dust and litter blowing in the windy weather Sunday after the store closed for business Saturday. A steady stream of customers tried for much of the morning to make purchases, only to be turned away by employees.

Lennar Homes built more than 500 homes in Seminole Tribe reservations spanning multiple Florida counties.

In the darkness, it is difficult to spot the numerous farmworkers in Immokalee riding bicycles on their way home. A local organization is working to change that.

The Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance will open a new housing application cycle on Oct 1. Sixteen qualifying families will receive the opportunity to live in a two- or three- bedroom apartment. Four of the units are designated for people with special needs.

An Immokalee organization is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in a big way.

Marco Antonio Hernandez Guevara had just begun his first day on a job in Southwest Florida farm fields when he is believed to have succumbed to heat stroke.

Some Immokalee students are getting scholarships that simply require them to have a good time. Since 2015, Dr. Massoud Eghrari and his wife, Tayebeh, have awarded “fun money” scholarships in honor of Dr. Eghrari’s late wife, Isabella, to deserving Immokalee Foundation students. To be eligible, students must have successfully completed their first semester of college and write an essay about how they would spend $500 purely having fun.

The housing gap between communities in Collier County is striking. In Immokalee, almost 40% of homes are owner-occupied, while in nearby Naples, that number is over 80%. This disparity is driving up rental costs in Immokalee, forcing many families into overcrowded living conditions. A local nonprofit has stepped up to build an affordable housing complex, hoping to offer relief to those who need it most.