I recently had the pleasure of meeting with our new Miami-Dade County Mayor, Carlos Gimenez when he sat down with several of the region’s prominent business leaders to discuss his vision for our local economy. I found that Mayor Gimenez was sincere in his focus to restore the citizens’ trust in county government. He laid out a clear and concise plan to balance the budget, but made it clear that success is contingent on forming true partnerships between the county and cities. He also stressed the importance of gaining the backing of the business community and the important sectors they represent.

I was honored that Mayor Gimenez agreed to make his first public speech at the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce Pillar breakfast on July 29th held at the La Gorce Country Club, where he shared his vision with our Pillar membership and took questions from the large crowd in attendance. During his remarks he acknowledged the many strengths of Miami Beach, noting that the revitalization of our Convention Center alone will have an incredibly positive economic impact for the entire region. In an effort to capture our trust, he plans to allow the cities to oversee more of their own responsibilities and projects such as this. But he stressed that with this new found freedom comes the responsibility of constant scrutiny to confirm whether or not we are proceeding in the most effective manner to maximize the expected benefits of each undertaking.

As the Chairman of your Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, I know that true partnership with Mayor Gimenez means that the successes and setbacks of our city clearly affect the economic vitality of the entire County. It is also clear that successfully renovating and expanding our Convention Center must be our number one priority since it will have the greatest positive impact on our economy. The Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce membership represents the brightest and most distinguished business leaders. It’s your ideas, passion and support that transform our vision into realities and make Miami Beach the sought-out destination it is today. I ask for your trust and partnership as we continue to work on building our city, and also now our extended greater community in partnership with Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

At your service,

Jason Loeb, Sudsies

Chairman, Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce.