Mayor Regalado: Help Miami thrive | Miami Herald

The city of Miami is one of Florida’s crown jewels. From the vibrant streets of Little Havana to the Walls at Wynwood and our iconic downtown skyline, there is no place quite like our city.

When I took office as mayor, our nation was experiencing a terrible economic crisis. For the past seven years, I have done everything possible to facilitate Miami’s growth and stability and make certain that the city is strong. While we have had great success, we cannot become complacent. As we saw just last year when we faced the Zika virus, adversity may strike at any time. This is why we have to work hard to continue to attract tourists, build business and strengthen the local economy. That is why I support Gov. Scott in fully funding Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida.

I have seen firsthand the positive economic impact these organizations have on our communities. Since 2011, Miami-Dade County has added more than 167,000 jobs. Thanks to the hard work of Enterprise Florida, companies in Miami-Dade County have created thousands of jobs and brought millions of dollars in capital investments to our communities.

During this same time, Florida has seen record tourism every year with more than 112.8 million tourists coming to our great state in 2016 — 15.8 million of whom visited Miami, according to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In Miami, we know the importance of being competitive in bringing new people to see our beautiful city and building business to make Miami even stronger on an international stage. The numbers are clear. We must continue to support Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida and make strategic investments in tourism and economic development to secure a bright future for our city and our state.