IMMOKALEE, Fla. — A historic ranch in Immokalee is undergoing a major transformation that will preserve local heritage while creating new opportunities for the community.
The Gardens and Groves Project at the Roberts Ranch is more than just landscaping — it's about preserving local heritage and reconnecting the community through a comprehensive restoration of the 13-acre site.
Click here to see Immokalee Community Correspondent Victoria Quevedo speak with the ones behind the project.
"This is a large landscape project named Garden and Groves, where we're basically replanting over 100 trees back into this historic area," said Brian Sodre with Miniopolis Homes.
Sodre is leading the restoration effort, and he says the history of Immokalee drew his company to the project.
"What excited us the most is such a history that we were feeling we were contributing back," Sodre said.
The three-month project will include new walking paths and two Miccosukee-certified chickee huts. More than 100 trees will be replanted in the historic area.
Amanda Townsend, who directs Collier County Museums, says the project will recreate the original citrus groves and production gardens that once flourished on the site.
"Despite the fact that Immokalee is a cornucopia to the world, it's also considered a food desert," Townsend said.
The project is funded through the American Rescue Plan to help communities affected by COVID-19. Sodre hopes the restoration will bring the area back to life.
"Seeing what used to be here back again, but better than it was once," Sodre said.
The project is expected to be completed by mid-October.
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