What were DeSantis and 84 Others Doing in Italy? Who Paid for the Trip?

Photo of Governor Ron DeSantis for illustrative purposes only. Photo by Ron DeSantis, Facebook

Last week, Governor Ron DeSantis led a delegation of 85 total representatives on an international trade and business development mission in Italy. DeSantis’ official website provides some details on who went and multiple updates on what was accomplished during the five-day trip.

DeSantis’ website first announced the mission just three days beforehand on November 8. The trip took place from November 11-15 in Rome, Viareggio, Florence, Turin, and Milan, Italy. DeSantis stated that it was Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni herself who had invited the delegation to visit. 

The other representatives were people “from various Florida industries, including higher education, transportation and logistics, aerospace and aviation, military and defense, hospitals, life sciences, and manufacturing”. More specifically, the representatives included:

• 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
• 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
• Representatives from the University of Central Florida
• Representatives from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
• Representatives from Florida International University
• Representatives from Florida Polytechnic University

The goal of the mission was “to create numerous economic growth opportunities for the state, as Italy is among Florida’s top twenty trade partners internationally, accounting for $4.4 billion in annual bilateral trade”.

By the end of the second day of the trip, DeSantis had met with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, announced that SelectFlorida’s nineteenth and newest international trade development office is set to open in Italy in 2025, and “visited with local leaders and representatives from three of the world's top shipyards: Sanlorenzo, Benetti, and Overmarine”.

FloridaCommerce Secretary J. Alex Kelly said, “Today was focused on Florida’s nation-leading yacht building industry—500 ship builders in total—who build more yachts than the rest of the nation combined…Viareggio is the epicenter of the world yacht building industry and Florida is the epicenter of the yacht building industry outside of Italy”.

By the end of the third day, DeSantis had toured the Ferrari facility of Maranello, Italy, and overseen “the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Florida International University (FIU), Insightec, Inc. (a Florida-based company), and the Neurological Institute of Besta to share research on innovative treatments for brain diseases”. 

He was also able to meet with Attilio Fontana, the President of the Lombardy region of Italy, and they “agreed to work towards an MOU and for Florida to host a reciprocal trade mission for Italian businesses from the region”.

By the end of the fourth day, DeSantis and JAXPORT representatives had “met with MSC—the world’s largest shipping line—which expressed strong interest in establishing a direct connection between Italy, the Mediterranean, and Jacksonville”.

In addition, DeSantis “visited Italian companies MAPEI, a leader in construction products, and Pininfarina, a renowned design firm” to solidify “Florida as the best place to expand operations” and underscore “the potential for the companies to provide additional workforce training opportunities and specialized apprenticeships in the state”.

Meanwhile, “First Lady Casey DeSantis—who has championed Florida Cancer Connect and the Cancer Connect Collaborative—joined representatives from major Florida healthcare institutions…for a visit to the European Institute of Oncology” to build “relationships between the institutions present and…future sharing of technologies, treatments, and practices for treating cancer”.

By the end of the fifth and final day, DeSantis had overseen “an MOU signing between Medical Microinstruments Inc., the University of South Florida, and Tampa General Hospital” as an “agreement to work together to introduce cutting-edge, microrobotic surgical technology for reconstructive oncology and the care of cancer patients in Florida”.

He also “met with Leonardo Helicopters to discuss their full buildout at Florida’s Whiting Aviation Park” to encourage the company “to explore potential partnerships with Florida universities and technology companies to drive innovation and expand opportunities in the aerospace industry”.

Overall, DeSantis was able to talk about yachts, look at Ferraris, and experience Italy at the same time as he was making efforts to enhance Florida's international trade. The only question left is: who paid for it all?

According to other news sources, the trip was funded through SelectFlorida, “the state’s official international trade and investment promotion agency”. DeSantis’ initial press release also stated that the initiative was “coordinated by SelectFlorida, Florida's international commerce organization, in collaboration with FloridaCommerce”.

SelectFlorida describes itself as a public-private partnership that operates “as a model Direct Support Organization (DSO) for the Florida Department of Commerce (FloridaCommerce)”.

Uncovering Florida reached out to SelectFlorida through the FloridaCommerce Press Office for confirmation and will update accordingly.
​
Article by Ema Tibbetts