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FORT LAUDERDALE — The mayors of Fort Lauderdale, Miramar and Broward County traveled to Dubai to community and mingle with uber-rich buyers and high-level dignitaries within the metropolis of gold.
The journey, a weeklong commerce mission in late March aimed toward luring funding and a focus from one of many world’s most elite monetary hubs, was not free.
That truth has kicked up a little bit of a sandstorm again dwelling, with critics speculating on simply how a lot the journey price.
We now have the reply:
Fort Lauderdale spent $35,114.94 to ship Mayor Dean Trantalis and three metropolis officers on the journey. The journey would have price $38,180.04 had Trantalis not written a private test to the town for $3,066 on Might 3 to cowl a part of his airfare.
Miramar spent $20,239.73 to ship Mayor Wayne Messam, Commissioner Maxwell Chambers and 4 metropolis officers to Dubai. A number of officers introduced members of the family alongside and personally paid their manner. The mayor says he saved the town greater than $2,000 by paying for 60% of his journey.
Broward County paid $12,051.62 to despatched Mayor Michael Udine and one in all its financial growth specialists to assist construct relationships within the United Arab Emirates. Udine, whose journey was permitted by his fee colleagues earlier this 12 months, introduced his spouse alongside however didn’t invoice the county for any of her prices.
Collectively, the county and two cities spent near $70,000 — although Fort Lauderdale spent greater than Miramar and the county put collectively.
The genesis of the journey was an official invite from Dubai final fall to Broward County to attend the nation’s Annual Funding Assembly and promote the area. Broward County prolonged an invite to all cities, however solely Miramar and Fort Lauderdale jumped onboard.
Was it value it?
Most undoubtedly, say all three mayors, although they admit we might not see outcomes immediately.
“It takes time to construct relationships,” Trantalis stated. “They need to come right here and see firsthand who we’re earlier than they make investments any cash in our neighborhood. I feel the journey was undoubtedly value it as a result of we made important connections that we might not have made in any other case. And realizing their urge for food for abroad funding I feel it can bear fruit. Nevertheless it’s too quickly to say what that might be and in what areas.”
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In the course of the whirlwind journey, Trantalis met with delegates on the Annual Funding Assembly and likewise attended the World Authorities Summit and Investopia conferences.
“It was a really aggressive schedule attempting to fulfill with as many individuals as potential and make connections,” Trantalis stated. “One of many ministers we met with from the United Arab Emirates is coming right here within the subsequent couple weeks then shifting on to Miami and D.C. and New York. However his first cease is Fort Lauderdale and that will not have occurred if we didn’t make these connections.”
Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the UAE’s minister of state for international commerce, will go to Fort Lauderdale on June 23.
That bit of stories didn’t impress Craig Fisher, a developer from Fort Lauderdale who nonetheless thinks it was a waste of taxpayer cash to ship the mayor and his entourage on a commerce mission almost 8,000 miles away.
“Throughout Covid, all of us functioned fairly properly with Zoom calls,” Fisher stated. “Why can’t metropolis officers and workers do a Zoom name to Dubai? Why did it must be in particular person? I don’t know what worth the individuals of Fort Lauderdale might get from them going all the way in which over there and spending all that cash.”
Resident Robert Walsh, a frequent critic of the fee, guessed early on that the journey around the globe probably price as a lot as $30,000.
“We paid for the resort, airfare and meals,” he stated. “For what? Why go over there and spend our cash on a journey junket? Emails would have been ample. To go over there at that expense, it was too extreme.”
Walsh additionally criticized the Fort Lauderdale officers for flying enterprise class once they might have saved cash by flying coach.
Trantalis dismissed the critics as malcontents “tucked away in their very own small-minded world.”
The mayor says he and his workers went to Dubai to convey enterprise again to the town, to not reside excessive on the hog for per week.
“I don’t know why there’s any scrutiny, to be trustworthy,” he stated. “This was not a lavish enterprise. We lower corners on our bills. We might have stayed at costlier motels. We didn’t lease out a set on the St. Regis and entertain individuals. We met most individuals within the lobbies of the motels. All of us flew enterprise class. It was 13 hours over there and 14 hours plus again.”
Trantalis and his workforce arrived in Dubai at 11:30 p.m. and had their first assembly at 7:30 a.m. the subsequent day.
“We had conferences all day lengthy,” he stated. “After I go on a enterprise journey, now we have to verify we get essentially the most bang for the buck. I informed [staff], don’t consider this as a trip.”
Other than what people at dwelling would possibly suppose, the tour was actually no pleasure journey, stated Scott Wyman, the mayor’s chief of workers and a former authorities reporter for the South Florida Solar Sentinel.
Wyman, Metropolis Supervisor Chris Lagerbloom and Fort Lauderdale Financial Improvement Supervisor Daphnee Sainvil joined Trantalis on the commerce mission.
“I’ve been with the mayor on a number of journeys and he’s very a lot a workaholic when he travels,” Wyman stated. “He has excessive expectations of getting numerous conferences and numerous productiveness from the journey. You’re on the go from morning to late night daily. After I acquired again, I wanted to go on a trip.”
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There was no wining and eating with the Dubai skyline within the background, although a number of conferences had been held over lunch and dinner, Wyman stated.
“Nevertheless it’s removed from a celebration trip,” he stated. “It’s working from morning to late night, assembly with individuals and teams.”
Miramar officers thought of it a no brainer to say sure to the county’s invitation to journey to Dubai, Messam says.
“I might say the journey was very profitable so far as establishing a brand new relationship with the Center East, part of the world that has entry to 2 billion individuals inside a six-hour flight of Dubai,” he stated.
Messam had this message for critics: “Keep in mind, we simply acquired again. However we all know the function we play in commerce and enterprise and we’re spreading that message so we will proceed to develop and recruit corporations in search of to maneuver right here. Miramar was once a hidden gem, however no extra. And we’re spreading that message round this nation and around the globe. For those who check out Miramar, now we have a house for you. That’s the reason Miramar went.”
On Friday, Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy argued the journey to Dubai will repay in the long run.
“I might say that each one enterprise begins with relationships — and relationships are greatest constructed nose to nose,” Levy stated. “Outreach to worldwide enterprise is a big element of financial growth and I feel it’s fully applicable that the county along with Fort Lauderdale and Miramar traveled to Dubai to advertise Broward County and our cities for funding.”
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Dan Lindblade, president and CEO of the Larger Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, echoed that sentiment.
“Normally, outbound commerce mission journeys could be profitable for a neighborhood or area,” he stated. “The town was in search of potential buyers on a few of our capital enchancment initiatives. The [Elon Musk] tunnels, water remedy amenities, huge ticket gadgets for public-private partnerships.”
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And to get the eye of buyers from the opposite aspect of the world, you may’t do it on Zoom, Lindblade stated.
“When you’ve got elected leaders and kings, there’s a sure protocol within the worldwide world that it’s good to relate to,” he stated. “The worldwide world seems to be at elected leaders from the US and holds them in very excessive regard. They take into account it an honor to have them go to their nation. They usually roll out the purple carpet.”
Udine says Broward County sends its mayor on a commerce mission yearly.
“I feel we make numerous good contacts,” he stated of the trek to Dubai. “Our port is working with the Dubai port to see if we will do a sister port settlement. It’s about constructing relationships. I feel there could possibly be some funding popping out of sovereign wealth funds in Dubai. They’re the gateway to Asia. It was only a solution to construct bridges.”
Udine was not shocked to listen to individuals again dwelling had been upset in regards to the taxpayers choosing up the tab for the abroad journey.
“I get it,” he stated. “Critics all the time have issues with this kind of factor. However now we have to construct relationships and that is the way you do it. We’re attempting to herald enterprise and companies in Dubai need to come right here. They’ve conferences in Las Vegas however I might a lot quite go someplace completely different that can differentiate us. The world is changing into smaller.”
Susannah Bryan could be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan
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