Regional,international leaders sign marine industry agreement

Regional,international leaders sign marine industry agreement
Regional,international leaders sign marine industry agreement
Pictured are (l-r, standing) Ed Fielding, Martin County Commissioner; Priscilla Taylor, Palm Beach County Mayor; Suzanne Gunzburger, Broward County Commissioner; Luis Conde, Barcelona Global; Javier Souto, Miami-Dade Commissioner; Carlos Gimenez, Miami-Dade County Mayor; Xavier Trias, Barcelona Mayor; Sònia Recasens, Teniente de Alcalde àrea econòmica apuntamiento de Barcelona; Sixte Cambra, president Port of Barcelona (auroridad PORTUARIA de Barcelona APB); Pere Portabella, member of Barcelona City Council Body Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya; (sitting) Tony Tió, Barcelona Cluster Nautic president, and Philip Purcell, Marine Industries Association of South Florida executive director.

Representing one of the first outcomes of the newly released Seven50: Southeast Florida Prosperity Plan, the Marine Industries Association of South Florida and Spain’s Barcelona Cluster Nautic signed an international agreement to work together to enhance their mutual leadership and positioning as global centers of marine industry activities.

Barcelona and its port already are noted international leaders in the nautical sector.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez and City of Barcelona Mayor Xavier Trias Vidal de Llobatera witnessed the signing of the agreement by Phil Purcell, executive director of MIASF, and Tony Tió, president of BCN, during a signing ceremony at Mayor Gimenez’s office.

This private sector-led effort, which builds upon the ties and principles of the Seven50 plan, is one of the many regional alliances to create a more globally competitive Southeast Florida. The agreement is considered an opportunity to increase diversity of the region’s economy by expanding high-paying, specialized jobs, education, training, research and exchange of knowledge and information locally and internationally. Through their participation in the process to create the Seven50 plan, Mayor Gimenez, Broward Mayor Barbara Sharief, and Palm Beach Mayor Priscilla Taylor committed at the final Seven50 public summit in January to work together on this initiative and explore other key opportunities for the region.

Specifically, as part of this agreement, MIASF and BCN seek to: increase business and marine industry ties; expand international reach; offer new and innovative alternatives to handle global operations; increase share in the marine industry market, and develop a platform of collaboration to facilitate training and education programs aimed at increasing jobs and economic opportunities.

“We are thrilled to see our elected officials and business and community leaders running with the plan we created and embracing the commitment to ensure the brightest future for Southeast Florida,” said Carlos Vidueira, vice president of Rybovich Inc. “Bolstering the marine industry is a great first step towards some of the key goals identified within the Seven50 plan, including diversifying and strengthening the regional economy.”

In addition to Gimenez and Trias, the following dignitaries attended the event and endorsed the agreement: Broward County Commissioner Suzanne Gunzburger; Palm Beach County Mayor Priscilla Taylor; Martin County Commissioner Ed Fielding, and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler. Other industry leaders in attendance included H. Wayne Huizenga Jr., president, Rybovich Marina; Pepe Garcia-Aubert, managing director, MB 92 Shipyard; Carlos Vidueira, vice president, Rybovich Marina and Executive Committee member for Seven50; Horacio Aguirre, chair, Miami River Commission; Jim Murley, executive director, South Florida Regional Planning Council; Michael J. Busha, executive director, Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, and Marcela Camblor- Cutsaimanis, project director, Seven50.

Seven50 (seven counties, 50 years) is a blueprint for growing a more prosperous, more desirable Southeast Florida during the next 50 years and beyond. Spearheaded by the South Florida and Treasure Coast Regional Planning Councils and the Southeast Florida

Regional Partnership (SFRP), a collaboration of more than 200 public, private and civic stakeholders from the region, Seven50 is mapping the strategy for the best-possible quality of life for the more than six million residents of Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties.

The plan has been created through a series of public summits, workshops, online outreach and high-impact studies led by the region’s top thinkers. Seven50 has been made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development’s Sustainable Communities Initiative.

For more information, visit online at www.seven50.org.


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