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Immokalee racer asks county for help finding a new 45‑acre site as current track faces closure
Summary
Ralph Hester petitioned the board to help find 45 acres at the airport for a new racetrack after the current Immokalee venue was scheduled to close; he said he has 1,700 petition signatures and funds ready to build.
Ralph Hester, founder of the Immokalee Regional Raceway, asked the Collier County Board on March 24 for assistance locating roughly 45 acres at the local airport to reestablish his track after his current lease is scheduled to end.
"All I need is 45 acres," Hester said, describing 27 years of operation and telling commissioners his winter series draws competitors from more than a dozen states and Canada and pays out substantial purses. He said he has a petition (he estimated 1,700 signatures) and savings ready to build a new facility, and requested either that the county provide a parcel or consider a short extension until Jan. 1 to allow time to relocate.
The chair thanked Hester and said the board had no immediate questions; commissioners did not take formal action at the meeting. During later public comments, a separate caller unfamiliar with the petition period asked about the track and was directed to contact Commissioner McDaniel's office for more details on state funding previously set aside for an off‑road park and how the county manages related funds.
No formal motion or county commitment to provide airport acreage was recorded; Hester said he is available to answer follow‑up questions and the board thanked him for bringing the issue forward.
