Florida is one of the world’s leaders in international trade. Over the last decade, the total value of Florida’s merchandise trade has almost doubled, reaching $110 billion in value. Over half of this figure ($60.7 billion worth) can be attributed to trade with Latin America and the Caribbean.

In addition, in 2007 South Florida trade increased by almost 10% to nearly $80 billion. And in 2006, 7 out of Florida’s top 10 trading partners were our neighbors in the hemisphere, and out of the top 10 Florida-origin export destinations, 9 were located in the Americas." 

Strong trade relationships mean continued economic growth and job creation for Florida. Over the past five years, Florida’s job growth has consistently outpaced that of the nation. The state accounted for about 14% of new jobs in the U.S. last year. International commerce accounted for roughly 915,000 jobs last year, and if we continue to establish trade agreements with our hemispheric partners, that number will continue to grow.

Gateway Florida, continuing the work of Florida FTAA, Inc., is working diligently with Enterprise Florida, Inc. , World Trade Center Miami , the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce , and other local partners to promote public awareness of these and the many other benefits trade offers our state, nation, and hemisphere and encourage the passage of pending agreements with Colombia and Panama. Click here for details on pending agreements or here for information related to the United States’ existing agreements with our partners in the hemisphere.

Moreover, we continue to believe that Florida, as the Gateway of the Americas, should be home to the Permanent Secretariat of a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) in whatever form or shape it may take. To this end, we have encouraged trade and foreign policy luminaries, including former U.S. Trade Representative and Under-Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, to consolidate existing trade agreements of free market democracies into a partnership to promote not just trade, but also development in the region and cooperation on a variety of issues from security, to energy and poverty alleviation. For more details on this effort, view our section on “Alliance for Hemispheric Prosperity.”