Miami has raised most of the $12 million needed to run a round of trade talks this month that is expected to draw tens of thousands of protesters, according to officials planning the week-long event.
The bulk of the money will fund police salaries and overtime in securing downtown Miami in the face of what law enforcement leaders predict will be massive street protests and possible nuisance tactics, including blocking major roadways.
Congress recently approved $8.5 million to cover security costs for the Nov. 17-21 event, where trade ministers from 34 countries will gather to negotiate the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas treaty.
The treaty would fold every nation in the Western Hemisphere but Cuba into the world's largest trading zone by eliminating tariffs and other import penalties. And Miami is lobbying hard to land the international headquarters that would administer the FTAA agreement.
But fund-raising emerged as a possible weak spot for Miami amid complaints that South Florida companies weren't supporting the effort. Meanwhile, Atlanta -- home to Coca-Cola, Home Depot, CNN and other Fortune 500 icons -- raised $2 million within a year of announcing its bid for the FTAA headquarters and now is close to $3 million it can spend purely on its lobbying effort, a spokeswoman said.
Miami organizers expect to announce soon cash donations totaling about $1.7 million for the trade meeting, beating their goal of $1.5 million, said Joe Lacher, head of fundraising for Florida FTAA, the group funded by public and private dollars to both organize the meeting and win the permanent headquarters.
''I feel very good about this,'' said Lacher, head of BellSouth's Florida division. ``I never saw complacency.''
Lacher declined to name individual donors, saying some companies had heavy presences in both Georgia and Florida and worried about upsetting officials in Atlanta.
One of the major backers of Miami's efforts is the Miami Herald Publishing Co., which has contributed cash and free ad space to both the trade meeting budget and the campaign to win the headquarters, according to Florida FTAA and Herald officials.
Florida FTAA says it has secured $1 million in state funds, and expects to raise about $1 million from local governments and FTAA events, bringing the total pot to about $12 million.
The big fund-raising windfall came this week when the U.S. Senate approved an $87 billion spending bill for Iraq, which President Bush said he will sign. Tacked onto the legislation was the $8.5 million for Miami's security costs.
Local officials said it is too early to tally all police costs for the FTAA meeting. Miami-Dade County, Hialeah, Coral Gables, Miami Beach and state police officers will be helping the Miami Police Department with security, and total manpower costs will depend on the number and tactics of protesters, said Johnny Winton, head of the Miami City Commission.
''As far as we're concerned, the whole tab should be footed by the feds,'' Winton said. But Jorge Arrizurieta, the Florida FTAA official who lobbied Congress for the federal dollars, suggested the $8.5 million grant was firm.
''What we're getting from the federal government is what we're getting from the federal government,'' he said. ``We feel it's a generous amount.''
Nonsecurity costs for the FTAA meeting will total $3.6 million, according to an Oct. 27 memo by Florida FTAA Chairman Chuck Cobb. That will pay for the various forums linked to the event, as well as dinners, parties, sedans from the airport and other VIP trappings for the visiting trade officials.
Miami officials are hoping the event will give them an edge over rival headquarters candidates which include, besides Atlanta: Puebla, Mexico; Panama City, Panama; Port of Spain, Trinidad, and Houston.
The Texas city announced Wednesday it was preparing the paperwork to officially compete for the FTAA secretariat.
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