Fresh off positive election results this week, including defeating two constitutional amendments on abortion and marijuana he campaigned heavily against, Gov. Ron DeSantis is heading to Italy on a trade mission.
The trip is designed to boost economic development in Florida and trade with the European country. DeSantis, several heads of state agencies, university leaders and 85 members of varied Florida industries will leave Monday and return Friday.
“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 in a statement.
“This mission will strengthen ties between our state and their nation and bring new and increased opportunities and investments to Florida.”
DeSantis is of Italian heritage and had a phone call with Meloni, the conservative Italian leader, in January 2023, months before he jumped into the race for the GOP nomination for President.
According to Select Florida, the group organizing the mission, Florida did $4.5 billion in trade with Italy in 2023, the 14th-most among countries.
The trip comes as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to form his new administration ahead of his inauguration in January. He has pledged to install a 10%-20% tariff on most foreign goods, with the tariffs being higher for some countries, such as China.
DeSantis’ itinerary will take him to Rome, Viareggio (a seaside city in Tuscany), Florence, Turin, and Milan.
Florida Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly also said in a statement that “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.”
In addition to Kelly, Space Florida President and CEO Rob Long, Florida Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue, Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida, Secretary of State Cord Byrd, Florida State University President Richard McCullough, New College of Florida President Richard Corcoran and University of South Florida President Rhea Law will make the trip as well.
Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.