Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Jamaica did just under US$1 billion (J$66 billion) in trade with South Florida in 2005 and the city of Lauderhill has plans to capitalise on the potential of developing additional commerce, sports and educational activities with the island.

During a ceremony at the Air Jamaica Cup invitational cricket match at the new multi-purpose stadium to mark the twinning of the city of Lauderhill and the historical town of Falmouth, Trelawny, last Saturday, Lauder-hill's Vice Mayor, Dale Holness, revealed that Jamaica was South Florida's 25th largest trading partner in the world.

"We (City of Lauderhill) will be able to provide a gateway to endless economic developments, including international cricket tournaments, national netball competitions, state football competitions and interna-tional soccer games," he said.

Lauderhill, sometimes called 'Jamaica Hill', boasts the largest Jamaican population in Florida, a fact the Vice Mayor said he would use in ensuring the area become the hub for trade to Jamaica.

For the Jamaican-born official, the initiative of twinning or a sister city agreement means city-to-city relationship, but he plans to embark upon nation-to-nation, people-to-people activities. "This won't be about government. this will about the benefits to be received by the people," he stated.

Balanced trade

According to Vice Mayor Holness, the existing trade of US$500 million in goods and services that are sold to Jamaica and the US$496 million sold from Jamaica to Florida was balanced trade, and this was what he wanted to build on.

Already, he and the team that he brought to Jamaica, including the Mayor of Lauderhill, Richard Kaplan, are involved in the construction of a stadium, which will house a cricket field and will have the capacity to accommodate 20,000 people.

"It will be the only stadium with a cricket field in the United States," he told The Gleaner.

The development, which will take in 400,000 square feet of commercial space, will also house a cultural arts centre, library, hotel, entertainment complex, shops, offices and residences, with an adjoining complex tagged 'Carishoca', geared specifically at exposing the region's culture in the setting of a Caribbean town centre.

The project, which is being funded by the County Government of Broward, will showcase art forms and architecture and is being designed by Jamaican-born Florida-based architect, Victor Haye.