Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and Edouard Philippe, Mayor of Le Havre and former French Prime Minister, have reaffirmed their sister city agreement. This partnership was first established in 1992 and has been a great success, with many cultural exchanges between the two cities over the years. The two mayors met to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this agreement and discussed ways to continue strengthening ties between the two cities. Some of the topics they discussed include trade, tourism, culture, education, and business relations.
A large delegation from Le Havre accompanied the mayor for the Sister Cities anniversary celebration and reaffirmation. This delegation included a group of legal professionals, including several judges, educators, and businesspeople. The group was given a tour of Tampa with some key presentations of USF CAMLS, Tampa International Airport, Port Tampa Bay, the University of South Florida, Historic Ybor City, and the Tampa Museum of Art.
Both mayors are committed to working together to ensure this successful relationship continues for many years.
“We need the Euro-Atlantic relationship to be tighter than ever,” said Le Havre Mayor Edouard Philippe. “We need to reinforce it between governments, between people and between sister cities. That’s why I wanted to reaffirm Tampa and Le Havre’s friendship. Tampa and Le Havre must further their traditional links of cooperation and cultural exchanges. I am also determined to develop new links, for example between lawyers. And I want to create strong trade relations between Tampa and Le Havre, notably in the field of port activities.”
“By reaffirming our Sister City Declaration with Le Havre, Tampa is fostering new ways to celebrate and learn about other cultures,” Mayor Jane Castor said. “The more we strengthen our economic and cultural ties throughout the world, the more prosperous a community we can be.”
Additionally, the legal professionals met with their counterparts in Tampa’s legal communities and exchanged presentations on the legal systems in both countries. The visit culminated in the signing of an MOU between the Hillsborough County Bar Association and the Le Havre Lawyers Association. Many of the lawyers were hosted by a number of Tampa citizens who opened their homes.
“One of the visiting attorneys confided that he made stronger connections to our city by staying with a Tampa citizen instead of at a hotel. He remarked that he was impressed by the Halloween decorations on Davis Islands and the creativity and community spirit of the homeowners,” Tampa Sister Cities President Alfred Goldberg said. “This is what Sister Cities is all about. Citizen to Citizen diplomacy and cultural exchange.”
About Tampa Sister Cities
Tampa Sister Cities Committee, Inc. is a member of Sister Cities International, formed during President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s administration. The purpose of Sister Cities was, and still is, to involve people and organizations at all levels of our society in personal diplomacy.
Tampa Sister Cities Committee, Inc. was incorporated on July 12, 1967, as a non-profit corporation and defined in its articles of incorporation as a membership organization to foster better international understanding and cooperation through Sister City relationships.
The strength of an active and solid relationship between cities in the U.S. and abroad rests within a local committee and its volunteers willing to commit time, talent, and resources to develop and implement mutual exchange projects and programs with partners in another country.
Citizens of Tampa who desire to become directly involved with another culture and want to share their culture by linking with a community in another country can join the Tampa Sister Cities Committee, Inc. and participate in the many affiliations’ activities.
For more information about Tampa Sister Cities or to become involved, visit our website at https://tampasistercities.org/.
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