by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
“We can call you all ‘brothers’ from now on,” said Beto Richa, mayor of Curitiba, Brazil, through an interpreter as he addressed about 200 people at a ceremony Friday where he and Mayor John Peyton signed a “Sister Cities” agreement.
During the ceremony, Richa commented on the similarities between the two cities including population (Curitiba has a population of 1.8 million people with about 3 million in the immediate region), as well as proximity to a seaport and an extensive highway system. He also said he believes the agreement will lead to a close relationship between his city and Jacksonville, “culturally, educationally and most important, commercially.”
Peyton also praised the agreement, which made Curitiba Jacksonville’s 7th “Sister City.” He first visited the Brazilian city 14 months ago, a trip that began the process that led to Friday’s official agreement.
“Curitiba’s rich history, thriving economy and strong position in the global marketplace will help elevate our presence in the international trade industry. Our city’s partnership with Curitiba, one of the wealthiest cities in Brazil, is essential to our growing import and export business here in Jacksonville,” said Peyton.
Joshua Rodriggs is the Jacksonville Port Authority manager for Latin America and president of the Brazil-Jacksonville Alliance. Rodriggs accompanied Peyton on the mission to Curitiba and said he formed the alliance eight months ago because, “Even though Brazil is the No. 1 trading partner with Florida, we needed to establish a formal relationship. What we’re doing here today is building a bridge to increase trade and business.”
Adding to the international reach of Friday’s ceremony, the event was broadcast live over the Internet by the Brazil-Jacksonville Alliance at www.braziljacksonville.com. The live web video was also sent to students at Ponte Vedra High School International Academy and First Coast High School. Both schools offer students the opportunity to study a program in Brazil’s native language, Portuguese.
In addition to Curitiba, Jacksonville has six other Sister Cities: Bahia Blanca, Argentina (the city’s first in 1967); Masan, Korea; Murmansk, Russia; Nantes, France; Port Elizabeth, South Africa; and Yingkou, China. Jacksonville has also developed “friendship agreements” with three other cities in China: Shaoxing, Suzhou and Ningbo.
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