A visiting Florida delegation of local government officials led by three different central Florida city Mayors joined the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council for an evening of discussion and celebration on 30 March 2022. 

As part of their whirlwind 5-day visit to the U.A.E., the Business Council hosted a dinner in honor of a delegation of officials and business leaders from the City of Fort Lauderdale, the City of Miramar, and Broward County.  Mayor Dean Trantalis of Fort Lauderdale, Mayor Wayne Messam of Miramar, and Mayor Michael Udine of Broward County led this delegation, which visited Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai earlier in the week.  During their visit to the U.A.E. and at this dinner hosted by the Business Council, the Florida state officials explored avenues to enhance collaboration between the U.A.E. and Florida, particularly in the areas of investment, tourism, city planning, and healthcare. 

The dinner took place immediately following the Business Council’s final event at Expo 2020, which served as a thank you to businesses that have played a role in the success of the U.S. Pavilion over the past 6 months. The Florida representatives partook in these end-of-Expo celebrations, and had the opportunity to network and connect with numerous members of the business community. 

The timely gathering followed the recent U.A.E. visit  of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez. On 24 March, Mayor Suarez signed a MoU alongside H.E. Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary-General of The Executive Council of Dubai. Crown Prince of Dubai H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum witnessed the signing, signaling the U.A.E.’s dedication to deepening ties between the cities of Dubai and Miami. 

In July 2021, Emirates Airline began its first-ever passenger service between Dubai and Miami, opening up new business and leisure opportunities between the U.A.E. and South Florida. Emirates has also been flying to Orlando since 2015, and it previously serviced South Florida through Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from 2016 through 2020. 

In 2021, Florida exported over $1 billion of goods to the U.A.E., making it one of the top 10 states exporting to the Emirates.These exports supported an estimated 6,000 U.S. jobs. The U.A.E. also imported over $180 million of goods from Florida that same year.

The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council has been proud to foster the important trade and commercial relationship between the U.A.E. and Florida over the years through a series of events in Washington, D.C. and the Sunshine State. For more information on this programming, please contact David Greenhalgh at dgreenhalgh@usuaebusiness.org