Located at the geographic and commercial crossroads of the Americas, Florida has emerged as a key global trade hub. With its well-developed international trade infrastructure, multilingual workforce, and unbeatable bottom-line business advantages, the state is a logical gateway for companies wishing to access global markets.

Global Center for Trade: Over the last decade, the total value of Florida's merchandise trade has almost doubled, reaching $130.5 billion in value and making the state one of the world’s leaders in international trade. Whether shipping goods made locally in Florida (“Florida-origin exports”), elsewhere in the United States, or in another country, Florida companies act as key suppliers to buyers in dozens of countries worldwide. Likewise, non-U.S. companies have found Florida to be an excellent gateway for selling their goods in the vast United States market.

Exporting Power: Florida is an exporting powerhouse, with an annual volume of $84.6 billion in combined exports of goods and services. Florida ranked 5th in the U.S. in 2008 in the exporting of goods produced or with significant value added in the state. Enterprise Florida and its network of economic development partners around the state provide valuable exporting assistance services to Florida-based companies looking to expand their markets internationally.

Strong Services Exports: With its extensive global ties, linguistically diverse population, and a more service-intensive economy than the rest of the United States, Florida has a natural advantage in the exporting of knowledge-intensive services. In addition to being a leader in exporting physical products, Florida is also a major global exporter of tradable professional, high value-added services, including accounting, communications, consulting, education, engineering, financial, legal, medical, transportation, and many others. The global competitiveness of Florida-based service providers is reflected in the fact that Florida exports to other countries services valued at an estimated US$25-30 billion annually.

International Financial Cluster: Miami is second only to New York as a U.S. center for international banking. Over 70 foreign and domestic banks active in international trade and finance have offices in Florida, including six of the ten largest banks in the world. The International Banking Community in Florida provides tremendous value to companies doing international business, particularly with Latin America.

Robust Trade Infrastructure: The enormous volume of international trade is facilitated by Florida’s extensive infrastructure supporting international commerce, including the ready availability of trade financing, international legal and insurance services, freight forwarding and logistics, distribution & warehousing, as well as high value-added manufacturing for re-export, inside Florida’s free trade zones. No wonder then that so many multinational companies, both from the U.S. and those from other countries, use Florida as a platform for accessing global markets (map).

Learn more International Business Facts About Florida (PDF).

View in-depth statistics and reports about Florida’s international trade patterns and partners in our Knowledge Center.Learn more about Enterprise Florida's export assistance services.