Source: http://worldcityweb.com/home/MIA/publications/magazine/43/804/

Regionalism: Beyond Lip Service

by Ian McCluskey

It’s time to put South Florida first

Politicians are sometimes most engaging when they are out of politics. Without the glare of the political spotlight, they can tell us what they really think.

Case in point: at a recent event titled 2007 & Beyond: Predicting the Future of the South Florida Economy, hosted by real estate firm CB Richard Ellis, former Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas made some refreshingly blunt remarks about the lack of commitment by elected officials to the concept of regionalism.

Politicians in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties talk a good game about promoting South Florida as a whole, said Penelas, but “everyone goes back to their respective county offices and does nothing about it.” While the politicians are busy spouting platitudes, he added, “The residents of South Florida are actually living regionalism every day. And it’s time the politicians caught up.”

Beacon Council president Frank Nero, also a panelist, in response, announced his agency, the Broward Alliance and the Business Development Board of Palm Beach were going on a mission to Canada in September, the first joint effort between the three organizations.

Encouraging news. But more needs to be done. And it starts by realizing that the three counties of South Florida share a common economic destiny and a unique vocation as an international trade gateway.

As we reported in last month’s issue, the Miami Customs District, spanning ports Pierce to Key West, registered record two-way trade of $72 billion in 2006 and a $7.2 billion trade surplus, the second largest in the nation.

Rather than promoting a united South Florida front, county officials get competitive. Is it a big deal that some international cargo traffic is migrating from the Port of Miami to Port Everglades? Rather than seeing a zero-sum game, South Florida should focus on promoting both ports (and the Port of Palm Beach) to shipping lines and logistics firms across the globe.

We are but three counties. Up North, notorious state rivals join forces in the form of the Port Authority of New York &?New Jersey. Why can’t we do the same?

Here’s a radical suggestion: Instead of holding a separate State of the Ports events each year in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, why don’t we stage a South Florida State of the Ports? Lets get serious about taking a regional and strategic approach to economic development.
Contact: imccluskey@worldcityweb.com