Civil and Municipal - Jan 22

27 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 DANI A BEACH, FLOR IDA as well as marine-related enterprises. “We make sure when a business or an opportunity comes to our city, that we are business-friendly, and we make sure to accommodate many different types of developments,” says James. With the marine industry listed as one of their top trades, Dania Beach has recognized a need to ready its upcoming workforce to meet the demand. City staff have been looking into providing educational opportunities, apprenticeships, and partnerships to help educate city youth in that career field. “The marine industry is an aging industry and they are well paid, but we have students that know nothing about welding, nothing about skills and trade and those types of thing,” says James. “Those businesses are very prominent here and they bring a lot to our tax base. I know we need to figure out a way to communicate the need within our schools and different programs to be able to bring them to the forefront.” It’s not just big business that Dania Beach is courting. As a city with a small-town heart, hometown shops, restaurants, and small businesses are key to maintaining its charm. “I personally think we need to have a balance of big business and big brand names like Marriott and then also the mom and pop businesses,” James notes. “We have staples like Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor, Grampa’s Bakery and Restaurant and Dairy Belle Ice Cream that have been around for years and years. We want to have that hometown feel, but understand that there are big possibilities where anyone can fit in.” Candido Sosa-Cruz, Dania Beach’s Deputy City Manager