Miramar City Commission Special Meeting on Sister Cities Board Workshop - November 1, 2023
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Miramar City Commission Special Meeting: Sister Cities Board Workshop - November 1, 2023
The Miramar City Commission held a special workshop on November 1, 2023, at 5:00 PM at the Miramar Civic Center to review the city's Sister Cities program. The workshop was led by Economic Development and Housing Director Anita Taylor and Vice Chair of the Sister Cities Board Val Glenister. The presentation covered the history of Sister Cities International, Miramar's past and current international engagement, and future recommendations for formalizing sister city agreements.
Discussion Items
Historical Overview and Current Activities
- Director Taylor provided a history of Sister Cities International, founded in 1956 by President Eisenhower, and Miramar's involvement, including a 1964 resolution with Santa Ana, El Salvador, and a 2013 memorandum of understanding with Belize City, Belize.
- She detailed extensive international trade missions and cultural exchanges from 2020 to 2023, including participation in export sales missions to Ghana (2020) and Dubai (2021), hosting delegations from Senegal, Ecuador, and Panama, and attending FITSE (Florida International Trade and Cultural Expo) annually.
- Upcoming events include a visit from a Chilean construction delegation and a planned “Doing Business with Panama” workshop.
Sister Cities Board Presentation
- Vice Chair Val Glenister reviewed the board's mission: to promote international collaboration through economic, cultural, and educational exchanges. She noted the board's activities, including a 2023 marketing mixer with the Belize American Chamber of Commerce and the development of a “potential sister city analysis sheet” and interest form to guide candidate selection.
- The board identified four potential sister cities at various stages: Accra, Ghana (Step 1 – initial interest), Colon, Panama (Step 1), Kingston, Jamaica (Step 2 – finding mutual interests), and Belize City, Belize (Step 3 – recommendation to proceed). Santa Ana, El Salvador, was listed as Step 4 (existing sister city from 1964).
Commission Comments and Questions
- Vice Mayor Davis expressed surprise at the 1964 sister city agreement, noting it was not widely known. She requested staff research whether the agreement is still active and what actions were taken since 1964. She also questioned the board's model, comparing it to Fort Lauderdale's approach, and suggested the board needs funding and autonomy to attend events and advise the commission effectively.
- Commissioner Colbourne agreed that the 1964 relationship appears inactive and should be verified. She supported moving forward with Belize City and exploring other candidates like Accra. She also recommended including the Sister Cities Board in upcoming protocol training.
- Commissioner Chambers emphasized the importance of a strong governance structure and objective criteria for selecting sister cities. He praised the board's analysis sheet and interest form, and suggested empowering the board to raise funds and engage local businesses and organizations to support exchanges.
- Mayor Messam thanked staff and the board, and noted that the program is still evolving and open to modifications.
Key Outcomes
- Direction to Research 1964 Sister City: The commission directed staff to research the 1964 resolution with Santa Ana, El Salvador, and determine the status of that relationship.
- Recommendation to Proceed with Belize City: The Sister Cities Board will prepare a formal recommendation for the commission to consider approving Belize City as a sister city, pending further due diligence.
- Board Empowerment and Criteria Development: The commission encouraged the board to continue developing objective selection criteria (the analysis sheet and interest form) and to explore ways to become more autonomous, including fundraising and local outreach.
- Protocol Training: The board will be included in the city's protocol training sessions.
- Next Steps: The board will continue evaluating candidate cities (Accra, Colon, Kingston) and report back to the commission. The workshop concluded with a note that the regular commission meeting would follow at 7:00 PM.
Meeting Transcript
So I wanted to bring light to the number of people who are black and British during their uh black British Heritage Month, which is October. Black Britons haven't been celebrating good evening. Today's workshop meeting is being streamed live at Miramar FL.gov slash commission meeting and televised on Comcast Channel Seventy-eight and ATT U versus Channel 99 for CWMAR subscribers. The meeting of the Myanmar City Commission workshop is now called to order. And at this time, Madam Clerk, please call the role. Um this evening we'll be presenting the workshop on our sister Mirror Cities. Um this workshop will provide some historic um background where we are currently and where we we're trending in the future. Um so without much um more comment. I'll ask our economic development and housing director, Miss Anita Taylor to address the commission. I'm pleased to present the sister cities, Mirmar sister cities at this commission workshop. Also joining will be Donald Scantelberry. She may be online, she's the president of the Florida Sister Cities International, and Brenda Franks, Vice President of the Florida Sister Cities International and Sister Cities International Volunteer of the Year. Mr. Sherman Banks was also invited, but we have not received confirmation from him as of yet. First, I'll provide a history of Sister Cities International, followed by what we have done as a staff and a commission as well as administration on building international relationships. Vice Chair of the Sister Cities Board, Ms. Val Glenister will give an overview of the Sister Cities Board as well as activities that they have that have taken place, and we'll discuss upcoming events. Sister Cities International was founded in 1956 after President Eisenhower's White House conference on citizen diplomacy. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and serves as a national nonprofit organization. The City Diplomacy Focus emphasizes city to city connections, fostering global understanding and cooperation. The cross border impact is that they facilitate cultural exchange and economic initiatives, creating enduring global relationships. The global network, it is an organization linking U.S. cities with communities globally, fostering international collaboration and understanding. The central coordination is that Sister Cities International recognizes, registers, and coordinates Sister City linkages, ensuring structured and meaningful partnerships. They have a worldwide reach, representing 2,000 partnerships in more than 140 countries worldwide, showcasing its vast global network and impact. From a historical perspective, in 1964, Miramar City Commission passed resolution number 136 agreement with Santa Ana, El Salvador. In 2013, a memorandum of understanding was established between the city and Belize City Belize. And from 2013 to 2020, city staff did research. There was a commission workshop held, and there were exploration committee meetings scheduled and held. In 2021 to present, we had a workshop meeting and established the Miramar Sister Cities Board. The board was created on October 13, 2021, when the City Commission approved ordinance number 22-01. And the board was created to build mutually beneficial relationships between Miramar and its international sister cities, and to make recommendations to the City Commission concerning said cities. We'll touch upon the building international relationships, and this has been done cooperatively cooperatively between our elected officials, city administration, and our department. It was our first time, and we were an exhibitor and we showcased the city of Miramar. In February of 2020, we participated in an export sales mission to Ghana. Miramar Business developed six potential clients for construction materials. The Commissioner Dave Vice Mayor Davis gave a presentation promoting the city of Miramar, and there was a discussion about creating a potential sister city with Accra, Ghana, and later a discussion on Ho Ghana. April 2021, we participated in an export sales mission to Dubai. We strengthened the relationship with the Alan B. Levan, Nova Southeastern University, Broward Center of Innovation. We connected the Dubai Chamber with the Miramar Pembroke Pines Regional Chamber of Commerce. We participated on a panel discussion, and more specifically, it was Mayor Messen who participated on a panel discussion where he promoted the city of Miramar. This trade mission changed the way that we presented the city and the city's business moving forward. And after this trade mission, we held a webinar for importers about the world logistics passport. And this is a global initiative designed to smooth the flow of global trade. In October 2021, we participated again at the Florida International Trade and Cultural Expo. This was our first time taking a sponsorship role. Mayor Messon promoted promoted the City of Miramar through his welcome remarks at the opening event, and this expanded our outreach. We created an awareness of the city, our services, and our programs.
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