From the Sun-Sentinel in South Florida:
On a sunny day in the place sometimes called Muck City, where crime and unemployment rates soar and star football players are born and raised, the hugely successful author James Patterson walks beside a windowless, gutted-out building.
“What’s going to happen to these people? Who’s going to help them out?” he asks the camera trained on him. “The best I can do is tell their story.”
Their story aired last week on PBS's local outlet, WXEL in West Palm Beach
https://m.youtube.com/...
Belle Glade, Pahokee, South Bay and Canal Point make up the area known as "The Glades" a rich agriculture area, but the riches don't go very far beyond the well known sugar companies and other Ag businesses that make good use of the soil. Belle Glade's motto is "Her Soil is her Future". Unfortunately, the majority of the residents remain dirt poor, with unemployment hovering near 40%. The area borders Lake Okeechobee, and there is hope for more development of recreation and commerce opportunities.
The State of Florida budgeted a million dollars or so this past year for infrastructure improvements and there is always talk of the next big industry moving in. A new Career Readiness center has been opened in the last few years as well, so hope is on the way, but as Patterson's documentary reveals, there is still much work to be done.
Kudos to Patterson for his concern and his efforts.