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Florida ranked fifth nationwide in goods exported in 2012 with $65.5 billion worth of products, according to a new global trade report, and it wasn't only oranges that juiced the output.
In addition to being the No. 1 orange exporter among all states, Florida is the top exporter for some decidedly non-fruity categories, according to the report from the Business Roundtable. Those categories include: pesticides and fertilizers, with $2.7 billion; miscellaneous wood products, with $152 million; and cement products, with $84.1 million. The state ranked second nationwide in the service industry machinery category, with $861 million worth of products exported, and second in ships and boats, with $760 million.
The Business Roundtable is a trade association of CEOs who lead U.S.-based companies. “With 95% of the world's population outside of the United States, and more than one in five American jobs supported by trade, U.S. international trade and investment agreements have a major role to play in maximizing economic growth in Florida and all 50 states,” says Business Roundtable President John Engler in a statement.
Some other notable nuggets from the Business Roundtable trade report on Florida include:
• The state, in addition to being the No. 1 orange exporter, is the second ranked exporter for melons, strawberries, vegetables and citrus fruits, excluding oranges;
• Florida's trade-related employment grew eight times faster than total employment from 2004 to 2011;
• The share of Florida jobs tied to global trade more than doubled from 1992 to 2011, from 10.9% to 22.5%;
• Florida's good exports have grown three times faster than state GDP since 2002;
• A large majority, 96%, of Florida firms that export are small and medium-sized businesses, with fewer than 500 employees;
• The amount of goods Florida exports to free trade agreement partners is up 118% since 2002. In 2012, $21.9 billion of Florida's goods exports, 33% in total, were sold to free trade agreement partners.
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