Connections Merida and Sarasota

Sarasota has an established relationship with Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, directly across the Gulf of Mexico. The two cities have conducted numerous exchanges and desire to increase travel and economic links among the regions.



At present there is no direct air or sea connection between the two regions. A connecting flight to Houston or Miami is required and there is no sea connection.


A direct connection between Yucatan and the Sarasota / Manatee / Tampa / Clearwater metro area could be very successful. The State of Yucatan including Merida has over 2 million people, and Cancun is nearby. Tampa / Clearwater / Sarasota / Manatee metros have nearly 4 million people.

Population
____Metro Area_

__
2,097,000____Yucatan including Merida


3,142,663___  Tampa Clearwater Metro 
   821,473___  Sarasota Manatee Metro 

3,964,136
___ 
Sarasota / Manatee / Tampa / Clearwater 

Yucatán, the Mexican state, is known for its Gulf of Mexico beaches and Mayan ruins. Famed Chichén Itzá encompasses a massive pyramid, ball court and stone temples. Other Mayan sites include Ek Balam, noted for well preserved sculptures, and Uxmal, with its intricate carved facades. Yucatán’s capital and largest city, Mérida, has a Spanish colonial history reflected in buildings such as 16th-century Mérida Cathedral.

Population: 2.097 million (2015)

GDP: US$ 9,191,180.625 th

Sarasota metropolitan area is a metropolitan area located in Southwest Florida. The metropolitan area is defined by the Office of Management and Budget as the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton metropolitan statistical area as a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) consisting of Manatee County and Sarasota County.[1] The largest cities in the MSA are North Port and Sarasota (both in Sarasota County) and Bradenton (in Manatee County). At the 2010 Census, the MSA had a population of 702,281. The Census Bureau estimates that its population was 821,573 in 2018.

Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical AreaEdit

The population of the Tampa Bay MSA is estimated at 3,142,663 people as of 2018.
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Action Plan

Sarasota Sister Cities Economic Development will contact air and sea providers in an effort to find a carrier who would establish service.