Miami-Dade Mayor Levine Cava returns from visit to a couple of South American countries
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava made an unannounced swing through South America in recent days, visiting a Jewish rights group and meeting with local government officials.
Levine Cava included the visits as part of a vacation to the region, spokesperson Loren Parra said, with no county staff or expense attached to the trip. Parra also said Levine Cava was not provided free accommodations.
The official stops included:
- A July 26 meeting with Carolina Cosse, mayor of Montevideo in Uruguay.
- An Aug. 1 meeting in Argentina with Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, mayor of Buenos Aires. His official title is chief of government.
- Another Aug. 1 meeting with the Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas, a Jewish rights group in Buenos Aires. The nonprofit’s website features a photo of Levine Cava, who is Miami-Dade’s first Jewish mayor, and her husband, Dr. Robert Cava, along with local mayors in the Buenos Aires area.
Levine Cava began her vacation July 22, leaving the county’s chief operating officer, Jimmy Morales, to perform the functions of mayor until her return earlier this week, according to a July 22 memo.
In a statement, Levine Cava said she joined her husband in visiting his relatives in Uruguay and Argentina, and that his family made some introductions to the local officials.
“It was an inspiring and uplifting trip and renewed my love and appreciation for the region,” she said.
She occasionally lived in South America as a child, when her father’s career as a paper-company executive included extended visits to mills abroad.
Levine Cava has traveled out of the country twice this year on official county trips.
In March, she led a delegation of business executives and government officials to Israel in a trip funded by the county. In May, Levine Cava traveled to Qatar with county and city officials, a trip funded by the Qatari government.