Florencio "Seño Bosh" Acosta

    On October 26th, 1924, Juan and Benita Acosta welcomed a bouncing baby boy, Florencio, into the world. Born in Corozal Town, his childhood was spent enjoying the clear waters of the Caribbean and playing marbles with his sister and two brothers.

    Unfortunately, Florencio's father died a few years later, leaving his mother to raise four children on her own. He recalled those were hard times for his family and stated, "I remember there were days when my mother would give us her share of the food and she wouldn't eat."

    A few years after her husband's death, Florencio's mother fell in love with a man named Adriano Ramirez. To better provide for his new family, Adriano moved the family to San Pedro Town. At that time, the coconut industry was booming on the island and Florencio went to work with his stepfather to support the family. Everyday, he cleared bushes and weeds from an area around the base of the coconut trees (known as a "macate".) Florencio was paid a meager 50 cents for cleaning this 10- square-yard space. In the afternoons, he and his stepfather would gather coconuts and then strip them of their stringy coating. The larger shells were sold to merchants in Belize City who then shipped the coconuts to the United States. The men earned a mere ten dollars for every one thousand coconuts.

    When he was a little older, Florencio joined his stepfather on trips to the mainland to harvest chicle, which was used for chewing gum. From May to December they would "bleed" the trees of their sap and then cook the liquid until it got chewy. Florencio and his stepfather received $25 for every 100 pounds of gum they produced.

    During one of these trips in 1955, Adriano and Florencio heard that Hurricane Janet had struck the island. Distressed by the news, the two men rushed to the island and found that, luckily, their family had survived the disaster. However, the storm had destroyed much of the island's trees and the coconut industry came to a halt. Replanting efforts began immediately but plantation jobs were put on hold until the coconut trees had time to mature and bear nuts.

    Shortly after Hurricane Janet, Florencio met the woman with whom he would share almost four decades, Juliana Reina. Together, the couple raised eight children: Maricela, Gilberto, Ricardo, German, Hermojenes, Florencio, Grimaldo and Arminda.

    Unfortunately, before the coconut industry had a chance to renew itself, disaster struck again in 1961 when Hurricane Hattie destroyed the trees. With their main source of income virtually blown away, island men were forced to find another way to make a living. Many plantation workers, including Florencio, became fishermen and earned money selling their catch to the newly formed Caribeña Co-operative. Florencio used a net to catch snapper, which was abundant in the waters around Ambergris Caye. "There were plenty of fish back then. One net would bring in about 40 fish; now, you throw a net and you are lucky if you get four," Florencio stated.

    In 1980, after nearly 20 years of fishing, Florencio grew tired of this occupation and began selling fruits and vegetables to earn a living. "I found that this provided me with a steady income, which was enough to support my family," he said. After years of selling produce, Florencio eventually saved enough money to open his own market, "Mindy's Store," where "Seño Bosh" sold fruits, vegetables and other food staples, as well as candy and chips to the children.

    As a result of his labors, Florencio was able to make a decent living for his children and managed to put each one of them through school. Sadly, in the year 2000, his wife died after a long battle with cancer, and eventually, "Seño Bosh" decided to close his store and sell some of his property.

    These days, Florencio lives with his son Gilberto and finds pleasure in everything the island has to offer. He explained that when he was younger he didn't have a chance to take walks on the beach or fish for fun - he simply worked. He stated, "Now, I get pleasure from taking a stroll on the beach or playing with my grandchildren and great grandchildren. Today, Florencio makes it a point to enjoy his life, after working many years to support both of his families.

    A dedicated, hardworking family man to this day, 79-year-old Florencio Acosta is a prime example of the people visitors refer to when they speak about the friendly, warm, hospitable members of "Our Community."