By: Carlo Barbieri
Until a short time ago, Brazilians, as individual residents and as members of a community in the area of Palm Beach County, were practically non-existent in the public eye. We knew there were more Brazilians living in Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach, but they existed in relative silence while melding their cultural mores with those of the United States.
In general, when we talk with other people about Brazilians living in the community, they would comment that they might know a Brazilian person who worked in domestic services or in manual trades.
It’s amazing that a population of some 300,000 people living in South Florida has gone so unnoticed for so long.
Now, with Brazil’s noticeable presence in the world market and its global appeal, more people are paying attention to the Brazilians who have long been U.S. residents.
Several large companies in Florida are Brazilian. The following are a few examples:
In the building trade, Odebrecht Construction is surely one of the largest firms involved in public works projects, which create thousands of jobs. It is a vibrant and visible presence in the ring connecting Palmetto Park Road, I-95 and Palm Beach International Airport with Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
Another company from Brazil, Gerdau, is one of the largest steelmakers in the U.S. In actuality, Brazil-based companies conduct about 50 percent of their activities in the United States.
In the world of high-tech aircraft, Brazilian company Embraer has two bases in Florida, one in Fort Lauderdale and the other in Melbourne. It is noteworthy that some 40 percent of Americans who take regional flights do so aboard aircraft manufactured by this company. In Jacksonville, depending on the government response, the company will create more than 3,000 jobs for the military base in that city.
If we move to the food sector, we know that more than 50 percent of the orange juice produced in Florida comes through Brazilian companies. Either the fruit is imported from Brazil or Brazilian-based companies with facilities in the U.S determine how many oranges are needed for processing to meet consumer need.
In the area of defense materiel, Taurus, a Brazilian manufacturer of handguns and automatic weapons, is also based in Florida.
It is worth noting that in addition to large companies, more than 15,000 small and medium enterprises owned or run by Brazilians in Florida generate nearly 100,000 jobs.
Also, a seemingly endless number of entities bring together Brazilians who live in Florida. The newly established Brazil Club, now with hundreds of members, is dedicated to promoting the relationship between entrepreneurs and professionals, both Americans and Brazilians, to foster their businesses. The club also provides a program of courses encouraging professional development that should reach more than 2,000 people in a year.
Rotary Club International has a unique organization in West Boca Raton – a chapter for Brazilians where Portuguese is the predominant language spoken during meetings. It offers dozens of activities to support the community and has won several awards, including the Rotary International honor for its performance.
The Toastmasters Club, which provides training for people who want or need to speak in public, has a chapter in Boca which offers the only course in Portuguese in America.
The Deerfield Beach Chamber of Commerce has a permanent seat for a representative of the Brazilian business community. At a recent meeting, the mayor of Deerfield was presented with the impressive figure that 42 percent of firms in that city do business with the Brazilian community. The West Boca Chamber of Commerce also encourages Brazilians to participate in that group’s activities.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce this year created the Florida Partnership Brazil to better assist in business development among countries.
A group known as Vamos Falar Portugues provides Portuguese language instruction for non-Brazilians as well as children of Brazilian families who are not fluent in Brazil’s mother tongue – such as the children of one Brazilian and one non-Brazilian parent. This organization is expected to serve more than 200 young people.
There is also a Women’s Club dedicated to socialization skills which has achieved great success in Palm Beach and Broward counties.
In all, more than 150 groups, from pastors, Catholic priests to a lunchtime club and other entities, provide assistance to Brazilians living in South Florida.
This journal you are reading now, either in print or on line, the Boca Raton Tribune, is in itself an example of the presence of the Brazilian community in Florida. The newspaper belongs to a Brazilian, as do its sister community newspapers in Delray Beach and Coral Springs, all part of Heizer Corporation.
Gradually, our business community, intellectual and political groups will enmesh themselves in the opportunities for a Brazilian presence in this region and take them to an even higher level.
Carlo Barbieri
President of Oxford Group