Should Spanish be Doral's second official language?

Proposed resolution fails to pass, but issue will be raised again in March

DORAL, Fla. – Doral city commissioners Wednesday declined to pass a resolution to designate Spanish as the city's second-official language.

Mayor Luigi Boria presented the resolution. Commissioners said they unanimously agreed with the mayor that Doral is a multicultural city, but they did not think a resolution was necessary to declare it bilingual.

The resolution will be re-drafted with new language and the issue is expected to come up again in a March 13th meeting.

The resolution was mostly a measure of goodwill. It would not have required businesses or city departments to conduct business or produce signs in Spanish.

According to a recent Census report, Hispanics and Latin American companies account for more than 60% of business in Doral.

At Doral Reception Hall, most employees speak Spanish. The owner of the San Ignacio College's School of Culinary Arts said 99% of its classes are taught in Spanish.

In 2008, CNN Money listed Doral as a top 100 place in the United States to do business, especially for entrepreneurs active in the Latin American Market.

Some Doral residents, however, said they did not think the resolution was necessary. Others said English should be encouraged instead.

"This resolution opens the door for Latin America, but closes the door for everyone else," said resident Claudia Mariaca, whose native language is Spanish.

The Florida legislature designated English as the state's official language in 1998.