Florida FTAA’s founding vision

In 2001, the State of Florida, working with legislative, business and local government leaders, developed the vision to build on Florida’s dynamic trading relationships throughout the Western Hemisphere by creating a unique public-private partnership to spearhead the state’s campaign to attract the Permanent Secretariat of the Free Trade Area of the Americas to Florida.

Florida FTAA was created to carry out this vision due to the economic promise it held for the state. Respected economist J. Antonio Villamil, Ph.D. and Enterprise Florida, Inc., the state’s economic development partnership, estimated in 2003 that winning the FTAA headquarters in Florida would mean 89,259 new jobs and a $3.2 billion annual payroll increase for Florida businesses. Florida’s Gross State Product annually would grow by $13.5 billion and state and local governments would see an annual increase in fiscal revenues, totaling $157 million.

Florida FTAA as the gateway of opportunity

Since its founding, the Florida FTAA team has had the pleasure of meeting with Heads of State and senior political leadership from throughout the hemisphere. Florida FTAA’s aggressive effort to unite the hemisphere around trade has strengthened the state’s economic reputation as the “Gateway of the Americas,” opening opportunities for Florida businesses to tap into a growing community of regional partnerships.

Our gateway message emphasizes Florida’s airports, seaports, educational institutions, fiber optic network, financial institutions, tourist attractions, and our unique cultural connectivity to our neighbors to the South.

Florida FTAA’s accomplishments to date

Aside from leading to endorsements for Miami to house the FTAA headquarters, Florida FTAA has played the role of the central body that coordinates activities and co-hosts conferences related to the Western Hemisphere, joining with partners that include the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise Florida; Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (CAMACOL); the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce; the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; the World Trade Center Miami; the Beacon Council; Florida International Bankers Association (FIBA); the Intl. Trade Consortium (ITC); and the University of Miami Center for Hemispheric Policy. 

In addition, Florida FTAA recognizes that building a larger hemispheric free trade agreement requires the success of key regional pacts. Florida FTAA was key to DR-CAFTA delegation support, which received 70% approval of the state’s Congressional delegation. Additional advocacy efforts include support for FTAs with Peru, Panama, and Colombia.   

Florida FTAA adapts to current trade realities

While Florida’s role in advancing hemispheric free trade has been key to the successes to date, it is clear that the formal FTAA process is at an impasse. The reasons behind this impasse are several, and include:

• unresolved global trade disputes in areas such as agriculture and intellectual property,
• competing visions for hemispheric economic integration (Mercosur),
• and political factors at home and abroad.

Among the value-added projects Florida FTAA has focused on in the last year are the creation of an international commercial arbitration center in Florida, the relocation of global commodity groups to Florida, and regional cooperation on climate change and renewable energy.

Florida FTAA becomes Gateway Florida

In an effort to expand Florida FTAA’s mandate beyond trade and to better reflect Governor Crist’s priorities for Florida’s economic development and quality of life, on Friday November 16, 2007, Florida FTAA’s Board of Trustees unanimously agreed to a resolution changing the name of the organization to “Gateway Florida, Inc”.   

Additionally, the board agreed to broaden the mission of the newly named organization to reflect those items detailed in the About Us homepage.