COCOA, Fla. -- A Facebook post about a teen's lemonade stand has led to a community standing behind him.
- Cocoa teen becomes neighborhood sensation
- Kalyi Miglia recently opened a lemonade stand
- He makes between $100 and $180 a day
The post, shared more than 150 times in less than a week, has made the Cocoa High School teen a neighborhood sensation.
If you live in Cocoa, chances are you've met Kalyi Miglia or "lemonade boy" as people call him around the neighborhood.
The 15-year-old started selling his special recipe lemonade a few weeks ago after seeing his younger siblings make a little money selling from their house.
Kalyi took that concept to the next level by adding secret ingredients to the lemonade. He then went to busy street intersections in front of businesses and held up a sign.
He's making anywhere between $100 and $180 a day just by selling cups for $1 each.
"Monday through Friday I can be here at 4:30 and on Saturday and Sunday I'm here at noon," Kalyi said.
His father, Derek Miglia, says Kalyi has always been a hard-working kid with a go-getter attitude, but like any teenager, he does get grounded from time to time.
According to Derek Miglia, seeing his son be successful is comforting to know that when he gets older, he'll already have the tools necessary to make ends meet.
"I teach them having a business doesn't have an age," he said.
Kalyi says he's happy the community is supporting him by donating custom shirts, a lemonade stand and ingredients. He says he wants to be a positive influence for his four younger siblings and to show his teenage friends that you can make money by doing the right thing.
"Just keep following the right path, as long as you're doing good, they will want to be like that," he said.
According to semi-annual data from FDLE, last year there were 560 crimes committed in the Cocoa, ranging from murder to robbery. Kalyi says he's hoping to change that by focusing on being an entrepreneur. He also wants to be a realtor when graduates high school and follow his father's footsteps.
Kalyi also says he's hoping to save enough money to buy a car.
