SESSION WATCH
THE BILL ITSELF

SR 1798

Kingdom of Morocco's Business, Trade, and Cultural Cooperation

VERSION S 1798 Filed · BACK TO THE SUMMARY · OFFICIAL RECORD

underlined language is being added; struck language is being deleted. Line numbers are the Legislature's own — the same ones amendments cite.

Florida Senate - 2026 (NP) SR 1798 By Senator Rodriguez 40-02485A-26 20261798__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution recognizing the importance of the Kingdom
3 of Morocco’s business, trade, and cultural cooperation
4 with the State of Florida and the enduring diplomatic,
5 business, and cultural ties between the Kingdom of
6 Morocco and the United States of America.
8 WHEREAS, diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of
9 Morocco and the United States of America date back more than two
10 centuries to 1777, when Morocco became the first nation to
11 recognize the independence of the United States, later
12 formalized through the 1786 Treaty of Peace and Friendship — one
13 of the oldest unbroken treaties in U.S. diplomatic history, and
14 WHEREAS, the bilateral partnership was further strengthened
15 by the historic proclamation of President Donald J. Trump in
16 December 2020, recognizing the full sovereignty of the Kingdom
17 of Morocco over its Sahara, reaffirming the strategic alliance
18 between the two nations and paving the way for a new era of
19 cooperation in peace, security, and regional development, and
20 WHEREAS, under the visionary leadership of His Majesty King
21 Mohammed VI, the Kingdom of Morocco has launched the Royal
22 Initiative for Atlantic Cooperation, also known as the
23 Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation, an ambitious framework
24 enabling Morocco to deepen political, economic, and cultural
25 ties between Africa and the Americas, and
26 WHEREAS, as a strategic hub within the African continent
27 and a committed member of the African Continental Free Trade
28 Area, the Kingdom of Morocco stands as a vital gateway for
29 enhanced partnership and mutually beneficial trade and
30 investment between Africa and the United States, and
31 WHEREAS, in June 2025, the Kingdom of Morocco inaugurated
32 the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Morocco in Miami,
33 marking a historic milestone in Moroccan-American relations and
34 underscoring Morocco’s commitment to strengthening diplomatic,
35 economic, and cultural ties with the State of Florida and the
36 broader southeastern United States, and
37 WHEREAS, in October 2025, the President of the Casablanca
38 Settat region, Mr. Abdellatif Maâzouz, and Miami-Dade County
39 Mayor Daniella Levine Cava signed a memorandum of understanding
40 establishing a Sister Cities agreement between the region of
41 Casablanca–Settat and Miami-Dade County, to advance cooperation
42 in trade, investment, innovation, sustainability, and cultural
43 exchange, and
44 WHEREAS, in conjunction with this partnership, the
45 Casablanca–Settat Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Services,
46 the American Chamber of Commerce in Florida, and CAMACOL (the
47 Latin Chamber of Commerce of the United States) signed a
48 tripartite memorandum of understanding promoting business
49 collaboration, investment opportunities, and private sector
50 exchanges between Morocco and Florida, and
51 WHEREAS, in November 2023, the City of Hollywood and the
52 City of Laâyoune, Morocco, formalized a Sister City agreement to
53 promote mutual understanding and collaboration in such areas as
54 tourism, culture, education, and sustainable development,
55 strengthening people-to-people connections between Moroccan and
56 Floridian communities, and
57 WHEREAS, the United States–Morocco Free Trade Agreement,
58 signed in 2004 and the only such agreement the United States has
59 concluded with an African country, continues to foster economic
60 and commercial cooperation, making Morocco one of America’s key
61 trade partners in Africa and encouraging bilateral investment
62 and industrial collaboration, and
63 WHEREAS, the Dante B. Fascell Port of Miami-Dade County and
64 the Port of Casablanca signed a Sister Seaports agreement in
65 October 2002 to promote maritime connectivity, logistics
66 cooperation, and exchange of expertise, reinforcing both ports’
67 strategic roles as gateways for transatlantic trade among North
68 America, Africa, and Europe, and
69 WHEREAS, these region-to-region, city-to-city, and port-to
70 port partnerships demonstrate Morocco’s leadership in
71 establishing transatlantic cooperation that supports sustainable
72 maritime, economic, and cultural development, while advancing
73 Florida’s global economic engagement, and
74 WHEREAS, ongoing cultural and diaspora exchanges, supported
75 by the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Morocco in Miami,
76 have continued to enhance mutual understanding and foster closer
77 relations between Moroccan and Floridian communities through
78 joint events celebrating heritage, arts, and intercultural
79 dialogue, and
80 WHEREAS, the State of Florida acknowledges the importance
81 of Morocco as a strategic bridge between Africa, Europe, and the
82 Americas and welcomes deeper cooperation in trade, maritime
83 industries, tourism, green energy, and education, NOW,
84 THEREFORE,
86 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
88 That the Senate recognizes the importance of the Kingdom of
89 Morocco’s business, trade, and cultural cooperation with the
90 State of Florida and the enduring diplomatic, business, and
91 cultural ties between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United
92 States of America.