Bonita Springs Mayor’s Cup ends day with new Mexican sister city

Two mayors stood side by side, each ready to make a short penalty kick into a well-guarded goal.

Juan Carrillo Soberanis, el presidente municipal of the Mexican city of Isla Mujeres, took the first attempt. He took the finesse approach, aiming for the top-left corner of the goal.

The shot went wide.

As the slightly disappointed applause fell, Bonita Springs Mayor Peter Simmons stepped up. The ball was drilled straight in the middle of the net as the young goalie dove to the right, missing the save.

The two leaders were at the 12th annual Bonita Springs Mayor’s Cup, one of the largest soccer events in the city. Twelve teams, some traveling from Sarasota or Naples, were at the city soccer fields near the Bonita Springs YMCA on Sunday vying for the large trophy.

Hundreds turned out to watch the event and cheer on favorite men’s, women’s and youth teams. Many were from the city’s Hispanic community, which makes up 22 percent of Bonita Springs’ population.

The two mayors also celebrated a new partnership — the two communities became sister cities in a ceremony Saturday night

“We share a lot of similarities,” Soberanis said. “Isla Mujeres and Bonita Springs are about cities of development. Our main industries our tourism. We’re working for our preservation of nature.”

White Americans make up about 15 percent of the tourist island’s population.

“It’s almost a mirror image of the people that live here,” Simmons said.

Isla Mujeres is a 4-mile-long island about eight miles off the coast of Cancun. A 15-minute ferry ride takes visitors to the Caribbean paradise.

One family from Isla Mujeres kick-started the entire idea of a city partnership. Members of the community slowly heard about the idea and offered support.

“This is a celebration,” Juan Romero said. “It’s like a dream come true. It’s like bringing home to where we are now. To see the mayor and el presidente together, that’s important.”

Simmons said the new relationship is important for a sometimes-overlooked portion of the community.

“This is acceptance where there has never been acceptance before,” he said.

Because of the cities’ similarities, officials will be speaking about how they best implement ways to spur economic growth in their respective tourist havens.

A direct flight from Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers to the Cancun International Airport is one of the economic development ideas in the works.

“Tourism interchange from here and there would be great,” Soberanis said. Cancun "has flights to Miami, we have flights to Fort Lauderdale, but this area would be great for us to have flights here. A lot of people from Isla Mujeres would come to this area for vacation and shopping. It’d be great for both sides.”

Soberanis could only spend a few days in Florida — he is on the campaign for re-election — but offered Simmons a trip to Mexico later this year.

“I’d love to go,” he said.