COMMUNITY & PEOPLE
Cities of Sanford, Florida and Rionegro, Colombia
Both Mayors and Staff Delegation from the City of Sanford and Rionegro, Colombia
SIGN A SISTERSISTER-CITY AGREEMENT BY NICOLET SEVERE
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n November 20 and 21, 2021 the Consulate of Colombia and Consul Maria Bustamante hosted The First Services Fair of Colombia at the Wyndham International Drive Hotel in Orlando.
Although both cities are in different hemispheres, Sanford and Rionegro have much in common. Each has an international airport offering services to nearby towns, and each is concerned about environmental issues and interested in expanding goodwill cooperation. This agreement is the first of 200 sister-city agreements promoted by the Colombian Embassy in the United States to expand relations, cultural and commercial exchanges, and support. Luisa Maria Lord, a Colombian American and vice president of Lord & Lord Consulting, an
international consulting company located in Sanford, was the liaison for this agreement, and coordinated other meetings during the visit. Her firm sponsored the booth where Tom Tomerlin, Economic Development Director for the City of Sanford, and Nicolet Severe, President of the Sanford Chamber of Commerce, promoted Sanford during the two-day event. On Tuesday, November 23, the City of Sanford welcomed the Colombian delegation from Rionegro. The delegation received a procla-
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mation from Mayor Art Woodruff, enjoyed lunch at the Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café, and toured the Orlando Sanford International Airport, where they were greeted by Tom Nolan, the CEO and president of the Sanford Airport Authority. Mayors Art Woodruff and Rodrigo Hernandez Alzate signed a sister city agreement to promote exchanges between Sanford, Florida and Rionegro, Antioquia, Colombia. n
JACK MILLER
On Sunday, November 21, the cities of Sanford, Florida and Rionegro, Antioquia, Colombia signed a sister-city agreement. As part of the ceremony, Sanford City Manager Norton Bonaparte received a key to the City of Rionegro from Mayor Rodrigo Hernandez Alzate as a symbol of openness between officials from both administrations to promote cooperation. Mayor Alzate said at the ceremony: “This is a historical moment, a union between Colombia and the United States.”
