Founded on April 10, 1973, the Association of Municipalities of the Foz do Rio Itajaí Region – AMFRI, formed by the municipalities of Balneário Camboriú, Balneário Piçarras, Bombinhas, Camboriú, Ilhota, Itajaí, Itapema, Luiz Alves, Navegantes, Penha and Porto Belo, operates in cooperation with similar entities, state, federal, private or mixed economy. With the aim of promoting the establishment of intermunicipal and intergovernmental cooperation and expanding and strengthening the administrative, economic and social capacity of the municipalities that comprise it, AMFRI has been a support arm for the region's city halls.

Providing high-level technical advice in the various areas of municipal public administration, such as: engineering and architecture, special projects, legal advice, accounting, economic movement, social assistance and tourism, AMFRI has promoted the improvement of the quality of public services, the a significantly lower cost through the associative model.

The associative model, adopted in the Association of Municipalities of the Foz do Rio Itajaí Region, promotes the integration of the interests and actions of municipalities, mainly through technical discussion and development of actions within the scope of collegiate bodies of municipal secretaries, supported by the support of political articulation made possible at the level of the General Assembly of Mayors.