Florida's exports off to roaring start as it looks to top record - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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Ruiz, founder of electronic componentsdistributor , said exportsz for his company increased 40 percenrt to about $1.6 millionm last year and the home-based businessz is doing even slightly better so far this year. "Exports are greagt -- the dollar is weak and we're taking advantagse of it," Ruiz said adding that the economy in his primaryhexport market, Spain, is doinhg very well, which also has proved Ruiz isn't the only one taking as new data from New Hampshire-based research and consultingh company shows Florida's exports in February increasefd 19.4 percent over the same period a year ago. the state exported more than $3.
6 billion in goodws during the month, up from slightly more than the $3 billionb in February 2006, according to Infometrica, which compiled state export data. Of that $3.6 billion, $2.84r billion, or about 79 percent, consisteed of exported manufactured goods and theremaininbg $924.2 million consisted of nonmanufactured goods, including agriculturalk and mining products. For the first two months of the Florida's export growth is 17.1 percent higher than for the same periofin 2006. That's even faster than the 9.9 percent nationakl export growth rate for Januaryand February.
Apart from the weak free trade agreements also are havin g apositive impact, said Sherman Miller, foundeer and president of cable television/satellite broadband equipmentg distributor in Sanford. He citese a bilateral trade pact betweem the United Statesand Chile, as well as the Centrapl American Free Trade Agreement, as being helpful to the 46 percent rise in exportws his company has experienced sincs the beginning of Multicom's fiscal year Aug. 1. In that seveb months, his company's exports surpassed $4 compared with $2.
75 million for the same period theyear "The economic health and growth of Lati n American countries has been a big factor, runnin g at about 5 percent annually," said Manny Mencia, senior vice presidentf of international business development for Orlando-base , a business and government partnership that directs the state'ds economic development efforts. "There is also no doubtf about it that the weak dollar makes you more competitiv e acrossthe board." Mencia expect s the Central American Free Trade Agreement -- also knowj as DR-CAFTA because it includesx The Dominican Republic as well as five Central American countrieds -- to make a bigger impact as the year wears on.
Approvefd nearly two years ago, DR-CAFTA got off to a slow startt because some participatingcountries hadn't signed the agreement. The Dominican Republiv finally signedlast month, leaving Costwa Rica as the lone holdout. Mencia does sound some notess of caution, though, about how long the boom will continuw inLatin America, which accounts for more than 60 percent of Florida' s exports. "Commodity prices are under pressure and there are some emerginhgpolitical issues." Those political issuezs include the leftward tilt of a number of countries, includin g Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua, which are usingg economic formulas that historically haven't led to Mencia said.
That doesn'f mean there's no such thing as a "responsiblew left," which combines a social agendaz with economic policies that foster business development, Mencia said. He cites Brazil as just such an example, as well as Chilwe and Peru. Latin America "remains a bellwethet region for us," Mencia said. "When it does Florida does well. When it does so does Florida."