Fort Walton Beach Council agenda — 08-12-08 workshop agenda — reading text

CITY OF FORT WALTON BEACH City Council Workshop Meeting Agenda - August 12, 2008 - 5: 30 P.M. City Council Chambers 107 Miracle Strip Parkway, SE Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548 CALL TO ORDER PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Anderson APPROVAL OF AGENDA GENERAL PUBLIC 1. General Public on items of City business. ( No Backup) WORKSHOP AGENDA 2. Discussion regarding the progress of the Sister City relationship with Kristinehamn, Sweden. Erik Stenberg will be making a presentation. ( Mayor Anderson) ( See Backup) 3. Discussion regarding the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce Resolution opposing offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. ( Mayor Anderson) ( See Backup) 4. Other business (for discussion purposes). ADJOURN Any person who decides to appeal any decision made with respect to any matter at this meeting will need a record of the proceedings, and for such purpose may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. (FS286. 0105). The City of Fort Walton Beach adheres to the American with Disabilities Act and will make reasonable modifications for access to this meeting upon request. Please can City Clerk Helen Spencer at 850 -833 -9509 to make a request. For Hearing Impaired dial the City Hall TDD # 850- 833 -9925 or 1- 800 -955 -8771 ( TDD) or 1- 800 -955 -8770 ( Voice). Requests must be received at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting in order to allow the City time to provide requested service.  CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP August 129 2008 Workshop Agenda General Public Agenda Item Number: WA- 1  CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP August 12, 2008 Workshop Agenda Discussion regarding the progress of the Sister City relationship with Kristinehamn, Sweden Mayor Anderson) Agenda Item Number: WA- 2  City of Fort Walton Beach America' s Most Beautiful Beaches 107 Miracle Strip Parkway, SW * P. 4. Box 4009 * Fort Walton Beach, F132549 850) 833 -9510 * Fax ( 850) 833 -9640 * www.fwb.org TDD ( 850) 833 -9925 Mike Anderson Mayor July 11, 2008 fwbmayor@fi,vb. orgorg Ake Thornesjo, Mayor Uroxen Kungsgaten 30 1. Kommunkontoret 681 84 Kristinehamn Sweden Dear Mayor Thornesjo, I would like to thank you personally, and the people of Kristinehamn, for your gracious hospitality during my recent visit to your beautiful community. I thoroughly enjoyed my short time there. I am looking forward to the development of therelationship between Kristinehamn and Fort Walton Beach. It is with pleasure that I invite you to the Women' s Tennis Tournament in Fort Walton Beach, which will take place March 1 - 8, 2009. ' 1 would also like to invite you to attend a Business Summit, which will take place on March 3, 2009. Again, please accept my sincere thanks for making me feel so welcome during my stay. Med vanliga halsningar, Mike Anderson Mayor VALKOMNA TILL AMERIKA Joyce Shanahan From: Mike Anderson Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2008 1: 40 PM To: Viktor Ginner Cc: ' Erik Stenberg /Christi Hooper'; ' Ted Corcoran'; ' John Azzaretto'; ' Larry Sassano'; ' Andrea Moore'; ' Kay Rasmussen'; Joyce Shanahan Subject: RE: Kristinehamn - Fort Walton Beach Attachments: 08 -17 sister city.pdf; Welcome to the Fort Walton Beach Emerald Coast. pdf 08 -17 sister Welcome to the city. pdf ( 92 KB) Fort Walton Bea... Mr Ginner, The purpose of our visit to Kristinehamn was to explore the possibility of establishing a partnership and eventual formal sister city relationship between Kristinehamn, Varmland, and Fort Walton Beach, Florida. The purpose of this relationship would be to enhance and promote the economic and business, cultural, and educational exchange between our two compatible jurisdictions. The first step in establishing this collaboration was the formal linking of two pre- existing women' s tennis tournaments in each area. The tennis event in Sweden, the " Rolls -Royce Women' s Cup Kristinehamn" ( June 21 -28) hosted a Florida delegation with representatives from the City of Fort Walton Beach, the State of Florida, and the regional business and educational community. During the opening ceremony of the tennis tournament, we ceremonially took the first step toward creating the partnership between the two jurisdictions. A graphic representation of this partnership appeared on the tournament' s official uniforms, which displayed the logos for this tournament, of Fort Walton Beach and Kristinehamn, and for the upcoming tennis tournament in Fort Walton Beach. As a concurrent event, the Region of Varmland and the Varmland Chamber of Commerce hosted the two -day business seminar on various business topics involving the exchange with Northwest Florida. This gave the visiting delegation an opportunity to explore the business and economic potential of regional businesses, and to create an awareness of international trade opportunities and business collaborations. The respective tennis tournaments have already created a positive economic impact in their own venues, and we expect the synergy created by linking the two events and by using them as a springboard to broaden the relationship between the two areas will increase their economic impact. The next event in this relationship will take place in Fort Walton Beach at the $ 25, 000 AVT Tennis Tournament in March 2009. During this time, we anticipate officials from the City of Kristinehamn and the Region of Varmland will sponsor a visiting delegation, which will include a number of companies interested in launching their US businesses, with Fort Walton Beach as a gateway. To address your question on similarities between our communities, I have included links to the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce (www.fwbchamber.org), and the City of Fort Walton Beach ( www.fwb. org). In addition, I have attached a copy of a brochure prepared by our Economic Development Council that was distributed at the business seminar outlining some of the demographics of our area. I' ve also attached a copy of the resolution the City of Fort Walton Beach unanimously passed in support of our commitment to exploring the sister city relationship with Kristinehamn. If you have any questions and need additional information, please don' t hesitate to ask. I look forward to continuing the dialogue with the citizens of Kristinehamn and Varmland. Med vanliga halsninger, Mike Anderson Mayor, Fort Walton Beach Original Message - - - -- From: Viktor Ginner [ mailto: viktor.,. . ner@nwt. se] Sent: Friday, July 18, 2008 6: 50 AM To: Mike Anderson Subject: Kristinehamn - Fort Walton Beach Hello Mike Anderson! My name is Viktor Ginner. I' m writing for the newspaper Nya Wermlands- tidningen. I heard that you' ve invited the mayor of Kristinehamn to a tennis tournament and a business summit in Fort Walton Beach. I was thinking of writing something about that, and was just just curious of what you hope to get out from the friendship between Kristinehamn and Fort Walton Beach. Also, I' ve understood that Kristinehamn and Fort Walton Beach are quite similar in a number of ways - approximately the same size of population, near water etc. Are there more similarities that you think could be to an advantage in the relationship between the two towns? Best regards Viktor Ginner  RSUMUTM 2008 -17 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA, STATM FORMAL SUPPORT FOR THE CREATM OF SISTER -Chit' REELATi014SHIP IAATH KRISTINE#IAMN, SWEDEN. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA: Each year, the City of Fort Wa#on Beach # mss the $ 251000 AVT Women's Challenger professional tennis tournament at the Fort Walton Beach Tennis Center. This tournament brings approximately 100 players froth 30 ' different countries to the area to P - to the went. Kr#Wnehamn, VamMand ( Sweden), -hometown of the Fort Wa#on Tennis Center Director, Erik Stenberg, hosts a sirndar tennis tournament each year. 2. The # nkkV of these two pre-Misting iworr cn's tennis is the step in fornna #zing a m4ation" between the two cities. The creation of a broader isle ionship belweei the two ores-can promote ft City of r Fort Walton Beach on an international stageto increase business oppoft" ities, promote intemational tourism, increase economic development and promote cultural and educational exchanges. 3. The City -Council of ft City of Fort Walton Beach hereby offers its support and will assistto create a Sister -City relationship with the City of Krisfinehamn, Sweden, to help the two municipalities enhance and promote economic, business, cultural and educational relationships between the two comparable Cities. 4. This resolution shall take effect upon passage by Council and signature of the Mayor. Date: Mike Anderson, Mayor Attest: Approved as to fbfm and legal sufficiency: all s MTM Helen S • r _ Toni L. Cralf, « • A 11  Introduction to The Fort Walton Beach Emerald Coast r-- Beaches and Business r--, June 2008 Provided by The City of Fort Walton Beach, The Greater Fort Walton Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, The Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County, and The University of West Florida Emerald Coast Campus.  Welcome to Fort Walton Beach' s Emerald Coast Beaches and Business Table of Contents