JUNE 2009
MAYOR’S COLUMN Mitigation Mail-in Vote underway BY MAYOR JUAN CARLOS BERMUDEZ As you all may know, the ballot language for the vote to eliminate mitigation payments by Doral, Palmetto Bay and Miami Lakes will be a “mail-in “vote. This essentially means that beginning June 5th, 2009 the ballot will be mailed to all of the registered voters in the City of Doral asking them if they will vote to eliminate the mitigation requirement that presently is found in our charter. A “YES” vote will serve to eliminate this onerous payment after the seven-year mark. This means that beginning next year these payments would cease.
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Bride-to-Be national prizewinner Joins grandmother for Jamaican trip
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ondé Nast’s premier destination bridal website Brides.com (www.brides.com) is awarding Knoxville, Tennessee resident Judith Edwards and her soon-to-be-married granddaughter Elizabeth Martin, of Doral, with the grand prize in its Mothers & Daughters Contest. As contest winners, Ms. Judith Edwards and Elizabeth will receive a luxurious trip to the Beaches Resort in Jamaica, which recently launched a “Mom & Me” travel package for Mother’s Day. Elizabeth plans to wed in 2010. Brides’ editors selected Elizabeth’s heartwarming entry about her grandmother after reviewing over 500 submis-
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BRIDE, page 6
New trade alliance opens co-op effort at Free Zone
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Elizabeth Martin of Doral with grandmother, Judith Edwards, winners of Brides ‘Mom & Me’ grand prize.
Doral Middle in national competition T
here’s good reason for Doral Middle School to get excited. What Nevis I. Binett calls her “awesome group” took top honors for their projects during a statewide competition held by the Family, Career & Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). The seventh and eighth grade students comprise the “Blue Dolphins,” a team that developed individual project presentations judged at the FCCLA State Leadership Conference in Orlando March 27.
MAYOR’S COLUMN, page 4
DORAL DEALS
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“Blue Dolphins” of Doral Middle School win Florida honors, compete for national recognition in July.
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COMPETITION, page 6
he newly created “Alliance to Promote International Trade” began its cooperative effort with Doral-based and other internationally-oriented organization May 15 during the Florida Foreign Trade Association (FFTA) meeting at the Miami Free Zone. The Alliance offers agencies and organizations an opportunity to unify individual efforts, and share the exposure and benefits from all alliancerelated events while providing a platform for members and their clients to present services and products to prospective customers. During the meeting, 17 representatives from 14 different local chambers discussed: • Review and approval of the contents of the strategic alliance. • The Alliance signing ceremony between FFTA, the Peruvian-American Chamber of Commerce of Florida, the Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce and the DominicanAmerican National Chamber of Commerce. • Re-introduction of a table top exhibition event, “International Trading After Hours Business Expo: A Taste of Peru”, to be held on Tuesday, July 28, at the Miami Free Zone, beginning at 5 p.m. “The development of such an alliance with partner organizations to jointly promote and market key programs and events will drive international trade, as an effective means of bringing economic recovery and welfare to our local business community,” commented Rafael Puga, FFTA President.