"Our relationship with Latin America is what gives us the edge. ..." — Manny Mencia, Sr. Vice President, International Trade & Business Development, Enterprise Florida Inc.

[Photo: iStockphoto]

International Trade

• Total merchandise trade (exports plus imports) of $126.2 billion in 2010, an increase of 23% over 2009
• 28% of total U.S. trade with Latin America and the Caribbean, more than any other state
• Highest trade surplus among all U.S. states
• 2nd largest Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) network in the nation, where tariff-free value can be added to foreign goods before they are shipped on to other countries

Exports/Imports

• 3rd largest exporter of high-tech products among U.S. states with sales exceeding $15.1 billion in 2010
• A leader in knowledge-based exports — accounting, legal, medical, consulting, engineering and other services— at $29.9 billion in 2010
• $55.2 billion in Florida-origin exports — goods produced or with significant value added in Florida — account for 20% of all U.S. exports to Latin America and the Caribbean in 2010
• More than $12 billion worth of imports in 2010 from China and Japan alone

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

• 9th among all U.S. states in total holdings by majority foreign-owned firms
• 6th in FDI employment

FDI Country Rankings
Investment				Employment
1.	Japan	$4.16 billion		1.	United Kingdom	45,000 jobs
2.	Germany	$4.13 billion		2.	Canada	24,300 jobs
3.	United Kingdom	$3.88 billion		3.	Germany	22,600 jobs
4.	Australia	$3.56 billion		4.	Japan	21,100 jobs
5.	Canada	$3.36 billion		5.	Netherlands	20,700 jobs

Florida’s Top 5 Merchandise Trading Partners
1.	Brazil	$15.9 billion
2.	Colombia	$7.6 billion
3.	China	$7.4 billion
4.	Japan	$6.0 billion
5.	Switzerland	$5.5 billion

Connectivity

Roads

• 12,066-mile state highway system, plus 110,000 miles of other public roads

Rail

• 2,796 miles of main route rail lines connect major business centers and airports nodes

Airports

• 21 commercial airports offer non-stop scheduled service to more than 120 domestic and international destinations
• More direct flights to Latin American and Caribbean destinations than all other U.S. airports combined

Seaports

• At least one deepwater port within 90 miles of every Florida business
• Increases in container capacity, cranes and berths at many ports to accommodate post-Panamax ships

Spaceports

• 2 of the 8 commercially licensed spaceports in the United States

Telecommunications

• One of the world's top 5 telecom hubs
• Network Access Point (NAP) in Miami, a major switching station for Internet traffic coming into and out of Latin America
• High-speed networks, such as Florida LambdaRail and LA Grid, facilitate R&D efforts