Gov. DeSantis announces Italy trade mission

Image via AP.

Florida’s Governor is headed overseas next week.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Office announced that he and other state officials would be in Italy from Nov. 11 through Nov. 15. They will visit Rome, Viareggio, Florence, Turin and Milan.

The delegation will be similar to one the Governor took to Israel back in 2019, with 85 people in the party spanning a panoply of industries to build ties between the country and the state, and expand a trade relationship that led to $4.4 billion in bilateral exchange last year.

“Italy and Florida share a special relationship as peninsular entities with many shared industries, and I was grateful that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni invited our Florida delegation to visit,” DeSantis said. “This mission will strengthen ties between our state and their nation and bring new and increased opportunities and investments to Florida.”

Represented will be the “higher education, transportation and logistics, aerospace and aviation, military and defense, hospitals, life sciences, and manufacturing” sectors, per the Governor’s Office.

Joining DeSantis will be FloridaCommerce 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 and Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd.

President Richard McCullough from Florida State University, President Richard Corcoran from New College of Florida, President Rhea Law of the University of South Florida, and representatives from the University of Central Florida, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida International University and Florida Polytechnic University will also be on hand.

“Opportunities for mutual cooperation and growth are plentiful because Italy is Florida’s 14th largest trade partner internationally, and both boast strong military defense, aerospace, marine, life sciences, and health technology industries,” Kelly remarked.