The Mayor of Miami Francis Suarez is to join David Burt for a “fireside chat” which will begin next month’s multi-industry forum.

The Bermuda Executive Forum, being staged in Miami by the Bermuda Business Development Agency, is due to take place on October 18.

Mr Suarez’s participation follows from a meeting last December in Miami between the two leaders.

Mayor Suarez, 40, is a former city commissioner who garnered 86 per cent of the electoral vote to win his first mayoral term last November 7.

He invited the Premier to his City Hall office a month later for an informal discussion in which they traded insights on leadership and discussed common agenda priorities, including creating jobs, reducing income disparity and building resiliency against hurricanes and climate change.

“I look forward to welcoming Mayor Suarez to Bermuda’s Miami forum and continuing that discussion with him,” the Premier said.

“Our island enjoys direct travel links to Miami, a gateway city with a growing economy that shares numerous common challenges and opportunities with Bermuda. We play a vital role in Florida through our market’s global business sector, which has helped communities throughout the region cover losses and rebuild after natural catastrophes. I believe there’s a lot to be gained by working together and exploring those mutual synergies, from fintech and tourism to re/insurance.”

Bermuda’s re/insurance carriers were expected to pick up at least 30 per cent of total estimated $100 billion insured losses from the 2017 season’s record-setting hurricanes, Harvey, Irma and Maria. Florida was hardest hit by Irma, the costliest storm in the state’s history, with an estimated $50 billion in damage last September to homes, businesses and agriculture.

The complimentary full-day Bermuda forum at the InterContinental Hotel Miami will be the third cross-sector event produced by the BDA. Previous forums in London in 2017 and New York this spring each drew turnouts of between 250 and 300 executives who heard panel discussions by Bermuda’s top industry and regulatory leaders detailing the island’s advantages to onshore communities and businesses.

In Miami, experts will cover Bermuda’s offerings in re/insurance, asset management, high-net-worth services, family offices, cyber-risk and healthcare liability, captive insurance, plus new fintech and digital assets industries.

“We are very proud to have both Mayor Suarez and Premier Burt participating in our Miami forum,” said the BDA’s interim CEO Sean Moran. “This region is a major gateway to Latin America and has long been an important focus for Bermuda, with historic links and many commonalities.”

For more information, contact the BDA at info@bda.bm or go to http://bda.bm/bermuda-executive-forum-miami/