Miami Reinventing Itself, Again

I was not born in Miami, but I always think of it as my hometown. 

Miami embraced me when I arrived as a 10-year-old Cuban refugee, alone and penniless.

Miami is where I went to school, where I learned English, where I became familiar with the American way of life, and where I started on a road of self-reinvention to where I am today.

Which is probably why one of the things I like most about Miami is its ability to reinvent itself, just like the many of us who restarted our lives there.

• I saw it reinvent itself in the 1990s into the world capital of Art Deco and, in the process, attracting the movie and fashion industries.
• I saw it rebuild itself after the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
• And I’m thrilled to see it reinvent itself yet again, now as a hotbed of entrepreneurship and innovation for the Americas.

Not just a nice place to visit

You’d think a city so blessed by incredible natural beauty would be content in being one of the top travel destinations in the world.

Not Miami.

This is a city that knows to look ahead, largely thanks to business and civic leaders who know from personal experience that your world can turn in an instant.  I’m talking about people like Manny Medina and Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, among the many others who are spearheading initiatives to help Miami become an important player in the digital economy.

Manny, for example, is a business leader, visionary, and [full disclosure], a good friend. He is the driving force behind the e-Merge Americas conference, where I gave a keynote address this morning at his request.  For the second year in a row, e-Merge brought thousands of innovators and entrepreneurs to the Miami Beach Convention Center to explore ways to propel the Americas into the digital economy with Miami serving as the gateway.

The idea is to help Miami evolve into a hotbed of innovation and entrepreneurship … which also happens to be a beautiful place to visit – or live.

Making it a nicer place to stay

And then there’s Miami-Dade’s initiative to make the 34 city metro-area an even better place to for its combined 2.7 million residents with improvements in areas like public safety, public transportation and traffic. 

In fact, just this morning at the eMerge Americas conference, we announced that Miami-Dade County has signed on as the newest Spotlight Community as part of AT&T’s Smart Cities pilot program.

In a nutshell, our Smart Cities framework uses Internet of Things (IoT) technology to bring solutions that enhance things like public safety, improve public transportation, reduce traffic congestion and preserve natural resources.

Miami Dade is the 6th location to become part of the Smart Cities pilot, following Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Chapel Hill and Montgomery County, Maryland.

Reinventing itself as a smart city

I want to pause for a second and reflect on what this announcement means.

It means Miami-Dade is reinventing itself again by embracing technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship, to play a role in the software economy, making sure these important trends will propel it forward.

If I may draw a parallel:  Back in the 50s and 60s the expansion of America’s highway system disrupted our way of life.  Cities that welcomed the highway, prospered. Those that did not were left out of a booming economy.

Technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation are the highways of the software economy.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and his team deserve recognition for their vision and leadership in bringing the communities of Miami-Dade County into 21st Century.

On a personal note, having been raised in Miami, and having been embraced by Miami at probably the most difficult time in my life, I could not be prouder to see it transform itself yet again so that it’s forever known not only for its beauty, but also for its climate of innovation and entrepreneurship.

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For more information on our IoT solutions for Smart Cities, visit: www.att.com/iot