Hugh Simon, the undersecretary for international affairs for the State of Florida, explains how his state has become a global actor on the world's economic stage. Similarly, two other U.S. states New York and Texas also boast having economies of global importance. What you may find surprising is that there is yet another U.S. state whose economy is a giant on the world stage my home state of Florida. If Florida were measured as a stand-alone nation, the peninsula would have the 15th largest GNP in the world. Although Florida's trade relations are organized within the constraints of national laws, most of the promotion, facilitation a nd networking activities underpinning that trade is home grown.
Tourism remains a powerful economic force, but trade has become the state's engine of growth.
These agreements cover areas ranging from trade and investment promotion to cultural and educational exchange. The state provides political backing and directs participants toward private and public funding sources, but the main energy for implementing these agreements comes from private citizens and organizations. Promoting exchange Florida has signed and put into action several non-binding agreements with national governments on education and culture. One recent example is Florida's cultural agreement with Mexico that generated such activities as elementary school classes in both countries communicating which each other via the Internet. A strong surge in commerce between Mexico and Florida, stimulated by a trade mission in 1999, has accompanied these cultural exchanges.