TITLE
RESOLUTION URGING CONGRESS TO APPROVE FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS WITH COLOMBIA, PANAMA AND SOUTH KOREA

BODY

WHEREAS, in Miami-Dade County, trade is the driving forces of our local economy, and Colombia, Panama and South Korea all play important roles in Miami-Dade County trade; and
WHEREAS, Colombia, Panama and South Korea are among Miami-Dade County�s top trading partners, contributing over $5 billion in total trade annually; and
WHEREAS, in 2009, Florida sold more than $3 billion of its products and services to Colombia, about a third of total U.S. exports to Columbia; and
WHEREAS, Colombia is Miami's second largest trading partner, and Colombia has proven to be a trading partner resilient to economic downturn as trade with Colombia has dropped far less than with other countries during the current economic downturn; and
WHEREAS, Florida's top exports to Colombia and Panama include computers, telecommunications, electronics and heavy machinery parts; and
WHEREAS, Colombia is the largest air trading partner for Miami International Airport (MIA) by weight with 192,000 tons of cargo moving through MIA to and from Colombia in 2009 with a value of almost $4.3 million; and
WHEREAS, Colombia is the 11th largest trading partner with the Port of Miami, trading 136,654 tons of cargo through the Port of Miami in fiscal year 2009-10; and
WHEREAS, Colombia is not only a prominent trade partner with the U.S., but has in recent decades emerged as a close military and political ally of the U.S.; and
WHEREAS, Colombia is also the longest standing democracy in South America, is the strongest ally to the U.S. in the region and now serves as a stabilizing influence in the region; and
WHEREAS, a Free Trade Agreement between the U.S. and Colombia will advance our national security by strengthening a key ally; and
WHEREAS, Colombia signed a Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. in June 2007, and it is now pending Congressional approval; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. is by far Panama�s largest trading partner, exporting $4.3 billion worth of goods to Panama in 2009, with mineral fuel, machinery, electrical machinery and aircraft topping the list of exported goods; and
WHEREAS, among the fifty states, Florida is ranked first in exports to Panama; and
WHEREAS, between 2006 and 2008, exports from Florida to Panama increased by more than 71 percent; and
WHEREAS, Panama is Miami-Dade County�s 18th largest trading partner; and
WHEREAS, Panama�s total trade with Miami-Dade County was $1.64 billion in 2008, which was up from $1.04 billion in 2006; and
WHEREAS, maintaining and expanding on our positive trade relationship with Panama is particularly critical in light of the expansion of the Panama Canal, projected to be completed in 2014; and
WHEREAS, the Panama Canal is a critical trans-ocean shipping lane that plays a vital role for moving people and cargo from one side of the globe to the other; and
WHEREAS, the expansion of the Panama Canal is an infrastructure project that will influence trade patterns and affect U.S. port growth for decades to come; and
WHEREAS, the Port of Miami is the closest East Coast port to the Panama Canal and is therefore ideally positioned to advantage of increased trade from the expanded canal; and
WHEREAS, the Port of Miami is working to deepen its channel to take advantage of the expansion of the Panama Canal in order to double the volume of cargo we currently process; and
WHEREAS, Panama signed a Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. in July 2007, and it is now pending Congressional approval; and
WHEREAS, a Free Trade Agreement with South Korea would be the first Free Trade Agreement by the U.S. with a major Asian economy, and the largest trade deal by the U.S. since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993; and
WHEREAS, Enterprise Florida estimates that Florida�s total import and export trade with South Korea was valued at more than $806 million in 2009; and
WHEREAS, South Korea is Miami-Dade County�s 28th largest trading partner; and
WHEREAS, South Korea traded 61,160 tons of cargo through the Port of Miami in 2010 making South Korea the Port of Miami�s 24th largest trading partner; and
WHEREAS, South Korea signed a Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. in June 2007, with a renegotiated version signed in December 2010, and it is now pending Congressional approval; and
WHEREAS, Free Trade Agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea are all now pending approval by the U.S. Congress; and
WHEREAS, approval by the U.S. Congress of Free Trade Agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea would not only further enhance trade with these important allies, but also could serve to accelerate economic recovery, particularly in Miami-Dade County,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the U.S. Congress to approve Free Trade Agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the members of the Miami-Dade County Congressional Delegation.
Section 3. Directs the County's federal lobbyists to advocate for the passage of the legislation set forth in Section 1 above, and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to include this item in the 2011 and 2012 Federal Legislative Packages.