General Motors tops the donor list of corporations, many of them multinational, that are sponsoring a round of trade talks Miami hosts next week, where diplomats and executives from across the Western Hemisphere will debate policy by day and mingle at lavish parties by night.
The Cadillac-maker's $250,000 cash donation is the largest on a tally of 49 private-sector gifts totaling $1.6 million -- less than half of the $3.6 million tab for the week-long gathering for the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas treaty.
Miami is competing with eight other cities for the headquarters of the trade zone, which would run from Alaska to Argentina, creating the world's trading market. State and local leaders see the upcoming Miami talks as an audition, and have been pushing local businesses for financial support.
Organizers of the trade talks have not provided financial details of the effort, including a breakdown of donations, but Miami-Dade County on Monday released budget documents requested by The Herald.
The documents show nearly $800,000 budgeted for food and drinks, including almost $175,000 for Vizcaya, where organizers will fete trade ministers at an evening reception. Charles Cobb, the former ambassador heading the effort, said other logistics related to the trade talks are included in the $800,000 food-and-beverages category.
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