On the second day of his five-day trade mission to Italy, Gov. Ron DeSantis met with the Italian Prime Minister and three top yacht makers before announcing the opening of a new international trade office, hoping to better Florida's relationship with the Mediterranean country.
The governor's international mission, which includes stops in Rome, Viareggio, Florence, Turin, and Milan alongside 85 Florida leaders, was announced last week as part of an economic expedition to strengthen Italian ties. Italy is among Florida's top twenty trade partners internationally, accounting for $4.4 billion in annual bilateral trade, the governor's office says.
"It was great to discuss relations between Florida and Italy with the Prime Minister today in Rome. We hope that Florida and Italy’s relationship continues to grow, and we welcome greater investment from Italian companies in our state,” DeSantis said Tuesday. “We appreciate the Prime Minister hosting our trade delegation this week, and we are appreciative of her efforts to advance the interests of her country and her people.”
The Florida Governor's visit with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni followed his meet-up with "three of the world's top yacht makers" at their shipyards in Viareggio, he posted on social media Tuesday morning.
"Today in Viareggio, Italy, we met with three of the world’s top yacht makers at their shipyards—Sanlorenzo, Benetti, and Overmarine—who each have footprints in Florida," he said, encouraging future investments in Floridian ports before adding that his team also met with Fincantieri to grow their port interests in Miami and Jacksonville.
Florida has the best economy in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report, with an annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of nearly $1.3 trillion compared to Italy's $2.01 trillion GDP. DeSantis' office noted these semi-comparable numbers, lauding the two peninsulas for their common "bonds, values, industry, and trade" while noting the over 1.2 million Italian Americans residing in Florida.
SelectFlorida, a partnership of various businesses and officials, will also be opening a new international trade development office in Italy in 2025, DeSantis' office announced Tuesday. Considering SelectFlorida already has 18 international offices in 16 countries, the new Italian office will help provide information and assistance to Italian companies eager to do business in and with Florida.
"Florida is greatly expanding its Italian presence, and we are pleased to announce our newest international trade office will be in Italy,” DeSantis said. “Our brick-and-mortar presence here will continue the work of this trade mission in bringing more businesses, investment, and trade to Florida.”
This is all on his second day of the five-day Italian trip, which is set to end on Friday. On Monday, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Tallahassee agreed to partner with Sapienza Universita di Roma's Faculty of Engineering to pave the way for future educational opportunities between the two peninsular powerhouses.
Florida delegates joining DeSantis include Florida Commerce Secretary J. Alex Kelly, Space Florida President and CEO Rob Long, Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue, Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd, President Richard McCullough from Florida State University, President Richard Corcoran from New College of Florida, and President Rhea Law of the University of South Florida, among others.
