Last week the Consul General of Italy - Cristiano Musillo and the President of the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Southeast - Tommaso Cardana, visited Tampa to meet with the city's business community. During the visit at the historic Italian Club – founded in 1894 - it was discussed with the Italian-American business community on how to foster a linkage with the Chamber and eventually establishing a IACCSE Tampa Bay Chapter.

Tampa is the third most populous city in Florida and its economy is founded on a diverse base that includes tourism, agriculture, construction, finance, health care, government, technology, and international trade. The Italian community is noticeably expanding within the Tampa Bay area, whose economy yielded over $146 billion in gross domestic product last year.

The three-day visit was coordinated by Mario Plazza, Vince J Pardo and Kenneth Ferlita, who all serve as directors of the Tampa Sister Cities.