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Florentino Gonzalez
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Our island has grown to be one full
of modern facilities and easily accessible services. Of course, for our
town to achieve this, many hardworking men and women had to go through
difficult times and devote numerous hours of their lives working for the
development of San Pedro. Many years ago, people had to sacrifice a lot
to ensure the progress of the island. That is the case of this week's
personality who was a pioneer of San Pedro's tourism industry - Mr.
Florentino Gonzalez.
Born in 1931, Florentino has been a great contributor to our
community. From the tender age of twelve, he spent a great deal of his
life as a net fisherman. Even though fish were abundant at that time,
Florentino was only a seasonal fisherman because there was not a fish
market all year long. The abundant catch was delivered to Corozal and
Belize City, but the amounts were too large for the market there and left
the fishermen with spoilage. Their sales would sometimes pay as low as $6
a month per person.
Mr. Gonzalez saw the need to temporarily move to
Mexico for work. He worked the coconut plantations for about two years in
Mahahual and Guadalupe. He returned to San Pedro after the unfortunate
death of his father and ventured into the logging industry. Hardwood
lumber was much in demand at that time, and he worked cutting mahogany in
the mountainous areas of Placencia, Guacamayo (near San Ignacio) and
Mango Creek. He also cut pine and engaged in other logging tasks in the
Pine Ridge Area. The process included cutting and stocking wood at the
saw mill at August Pine Ridge and then transporting it to an area known
as Baceros in the Rio Hondo. There the ships were loaded for exportation
and national distribution. He worked in this field for several years
until the industry's decline, when he decided to come back home to San
Pedro.
At the age of 28, Mr. Gonzalez married
Miss Soila Paz and they have raised eight children. Their children (four
girls and four boys) today are all prominent citizens of San Pedro.
Fish were still plentiful in San Pedro so Florentino
went back to fishing but this time using traps. Soon after, the lobster
industry began to boom and he immediately got into this business. At the
same time a group of fishermen began the San Pedro Fishing Cooperative,
which he became a big part of. One of the popular spots for lobster
fishing then was Turneffe Islands. In 1961, Florentino and many other
fishermen had the most frightening experience of their lives. The team
was at their fishing camp when Hurricane Hattie struck Belize, destroying
a great part of the country including Florentino's entire camp. Having
been in the conch, fish and lobster business for a little over twenty
years, this experience signaled the beginning of the end of his fishing
expeditions.
Mr. Gonzalez was now ready to try something new. San
Pedro was growing as a tourist destination and accommodations for
visitors became a priority. He built a small hotel consisting of seven
rooms on his lot, working in collaboration with two or three hotels on
the island. Incoming guests would be assigned to a different hotel on a
rotating basis. Florentino and his wife Soila ran the hotel which they
called San Pedrano Hotel. Additionally he took on the task of taking his
guests fishing, snorkeling and to visit other islands. His tour guide
skills were admirable and as the tourism industry kept growing, his
services were much in demand. In time the hotel was renovated, making the
rooms more spacious yet still retaining their simple island charm. As
years went by Florentino and his wife gained a reputation for their
personalized service to their customers in both the hotel and tour guide
business. Eventually, because of eye-sight problems he had to stop tour
guiding. Full retirement was not something that a man like Mr. Gonzalez
was ready for. After talking with his wife and children, he opened a
small grocery in the same building to keep him entertained. They named
the store San Pedrano Grocery, a business that has grown to triple its
original size. Once again the Gonzalez's personalized and friendly
service made their business successful. Florentino and Soila now employ
seven permanent and three part-time workers in both businesses. Their
daughter, Lydia Lavin, manages the hotel and daughter, Soila Guerrero, is
the accountant overall.
At the age of 79, Mr. Gonzalez can still be seen
working at either the store or the hotel, making sure his customers are
satisfied. He is a true example of the high-spirited pioneers of San
Pedro who are responsible for building "Our Community."
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