Gov. Rick Scott Touts Trade to AIF Board Meeting

Gov. Rick Scott spoke to the Associated Industries of Florida board meeting Monday in the Senate chambers, stressing the need to invest in port dredging projects around the state to open up Florida for greater trade opportunities.

"We should be the shipping capital for the east coast," Scott said.

Scott recently pledged $77 million in state funds to complete the funding required to dredge the Port of Miami the necessary 50 feet to allow it to take in large shipping vessels. With the Panama Canal scheduled to be widened by 2014, Scott urged the need for Florida to be ready to take advantage.

"We've got to get ready for the Panama Canal expansion," Scott said, adding that other ports like Jacksonville and Tampa should also be prepared.

For Scott, free-trade agreements with Panama and Colombia will help Florida become a trading hub for Latin America, along with improvements in the port infrastructure. He said U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and U.S. Rep. David Rivera are helping to push the free-trade agreements in Congress, where they have languished since the end of President George W. Bush's second term.