LTC 232-2003 CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Ma nager
Letter to Commission No.
To:
From:
Subject:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez ~ ~.--"~'-~
City Manager
FTAA - HOTELS MEETING
Date: September 29, 2003
As you are aware, the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) conference will be held at the in
Miami from Sunday, November 16, 2003 through Friday, November 21, 2003 at the Inter-
Continental Hotel and the Hyatt Hotel in Downtown Miami.
The 34 democratically elected Heads of State of the Western Hemisphere agreed to create the Free
Trade Area of the Amedcas (FTAA) in order to link all of the hemispheres' economically by
eliminating trade and investment barriers on virtually all goods and services traded by member
countries.
The City of Miami is being considered for the permanent headquarters for the FTAA Secretariat.
The FTAA is important to Miami because it will encompass 800 million customers and a combined
gross domestic product of $14 trillion. It is projected that the Port of Miami will become the largest
port in the world.
The FTAA Conference is expected to draw anywhere from 20,000 to 70,000 demonstrators to the
Miami area. In the past, small groups of demonstrators have resorted to acts of civil disobedience,
vandalism and looting requiring police response. These demonstrators have the potential to impact
the City of Miami Beach. As such, the City's Police Department is preparing a response plan to
such events.
The Police Department will be conducting Community Outreach meetings to inform the City's boards
and committees, businesses, schools, and residents of the FTAA Conference. This includes a
meeting with the Miami Beach Hotel industry on October 1,2003 at 2:00 p.m. at the Miami Beach
Convention Center, Hall C, Room C220. The meeting will be informational in nature covering the
City's operational plan and police response to any occurrences related to the FTAA that develop
within the City. The GMCVB has coordinated this meeting and has invited Chief John Timoney to
make a presentation regarding the preparations in Downtown Miami.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
JMG\CMC\DS\mas
c:
Donald De Lucca, Chief of Police
Donna Shaw, Tourism and Cultural Development Director
Kevin Crowder, Economic Development Director
Max A. Sklar, Tourism and Cultural Development Assistant Director
Michael AIler, Tourism and Conventions Manager / Chief of Protocol
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