2022 marks the best year ever for Italian merchandise exports to Florida, the fourth biggest market in the USA.  Italy reached a significant 3,470.9 million dollars in value of goods exported to the Sunshine State, with a vigorous growth of +26.6% compared to the previous year.

According to data recently released by Enterprise Florida based on sources from the U.S. Department of Commerce, among the Italian products that record the most noteworthy growth the first one is Yachts and Boats, with a total value of 522.9 million dollars and a +37.5% compared to 2021.

The Motor cars and vehicles sector ranks second with a total value of 301.1 million dollars although with a slight decrease of -3.7%, followed in third position by Products from Petrol.

In fourth position, we find another iconic Italian product: Wine, with an impressive $197.9 millions and +5.5% growth compared to 2021.

Furniture, is up by as much as 24.1% over the previous year, followed by Ceramic tiles in sixth position, with growth of +8.7% and a total value of $ 110.4 millions.

Another important growth was recorded in the Cosmetics sector: +54.3% compared to the previous year.

Jewelry another strong “Made in Italy” exporting industry reached $64.8 millions in 2022, with a reduction of -5.8% in comparison with 2021

Among food and beverage products, in addition to wine, exports of mineral waters (+61.6%) olive oil (+28.9%), and pasta (+48.5%) recorded significant growth.

Tommaso Cardana

President

Per il 2023, la Florida Chamber Foundation (FCF) prevede un altro anno positivo di crescita demografica ed economica per il Sunshine State, come rivelato durante il suo 2023 Florida Economic Outlook & Jobs Solution Summit.

“Siamo entusiasti perché il 2023 sarà un altro anno di crescita demografica per la Florida, con una forte migrazione di ricchezza, più posti di lavoro e crescita economica”, ha dichiarato il presidente della Camera di Commercio della Florida e della FCF, Mark Wilson.

Il 2023 sarà un altro anno di forte crescita occupazionale: le imprese della Florida hanno creato 699.800 posti di lavoro dal 2019. La Florida è stata infatti uno dei primi quattro Stati a recuperare completamente i posti di lavoro ai livelli pre-Covid, con addirittura 487.400 posti di lavoro in più rispetto al periodo pre-pandemia. Nonostante la minaccia di una recessione nazionale, si stima che la Florida creerà più di 250.000 posti di lavoro nel 2023, continuando a mantenere la sua leadership come motore della crescita del mercato occupazionale.

La crescita della popolazione rimarrà forte. Dopo un anno, il 2022, in cui la Florida ha aggiunto più di 416.000 residenti, la FCF prevede una crescita di circa 350.000 nuovi residenti nel 2023, mentre i tassi di interesse aumentano, i timori di recessione si rafforzano e la scarsa fiducia dei consumatori a livello nazionale frena la migrazione interna. Attualmente la Florida aggiunge circa 1.000 nuovi residenti netti al giorno, di cui circa la metà proviene da un altro Stato e la metà da un altro Paese.

La disponibilità di forza lavoro e il tasso di partecipazione continueranno però a destare preoccupazione: Il tasso di disoccupazione in Florida continuerà ad essere inferiore alla media nazionale del 3,5% – attualmente la Florida è al 2,7%. Continueranno ad esserci più posti di lavoro vacanti che persone in cerca di lavoro. Infatti, attualmente per ogni 100 posti di lavoro aperti in Florida, ci sono solo 62 persone in cerca di occupazione.

L’economia della Florida è più preparata a gestire gli alti e bassi dell’economia nazionale rispetto alla maggior parte degli Stati. Mentre l’economia statunitense entrava in recessione, il PIL della Florida ha continuato a crescere. Ora che l’economia nazionale è uscita dalla recessione, ci si aspetta una forte crescita del PIL della Florida nel 2023.

L’inflazione sarà una preoccupazione significativa per i consumatori e le imprese nonostante le diminuzioni previste a fronte del calo del costo dell’energia dovuto alla minore domanda e dell’aumento dei tassi di interesse da parte della Federal Reserve.

Anche il mercato immobiliare tornerà ai livelli precedenti alla pandemia, ma senza una forte erosione dei prezzi: La Florida Chamber Foundation prevede circa 280.000-290.000 vendite (simili ai livelli pre-pandemici) in Florida, e che la Florida terminerà il 2023 con un prezzo di vendita mediano di 380.000 dollari, circa il 5% in meno rispetto al 2022.

La Florida continuerà a guidare la migrazione dei redditi. Gli ultimi dati disponibili dell’IRS mostrano 23,7 miliardi di dollari di migrazione annuale netta del reddito e la FCF prevede che questa cifra continuerà a crescere, considerate le opportunità economiche, le normative meno onerose, le eccellenti opportunità di istruzione, l’assenza di imposte statali sul reddito e una migliore qualità della vita che la Florida ha da offrire.

Fonte: Florida Chambers of Commerce

Il rapporto pubblicato nel dicembre 2022 dalla The Economist Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU), “Worldwide Cost of Living 2022” (WCOL) rivela come l’inflazione globale abbia colpito nell’ultimo anno le 172 maggiori città del mondo, con una crescita media dei prezzi dell’8,1% rispetto all’anno precedente.

Secondo il rapporto della EIU, New York e Singapore si aggiudicano a pari merito il primato come città più costose del mondo. La Grande Mela raggiunge quindi la metropoli del Sud Est Asiatico, sul podio negli ultimi otto anni. Entrambe le città nel 2022 hanno sorpassato la capofila del precedente report 2021, Tel Aviv.

L’indice WCOL mostra inoltre l’impatto di un dollaro forte con conseguente crescita dei tassi di interesse e la scelta di investimenti più sicuri da parte degli investitori. Tutte le 22 città statunitensi prese in esame dal report scalano le posizioni che avevano raggiunto nei rapporti precedenti. Tra le dieci città che scalano più posizioni, ovvero dove la crescita del costo della vita ha avuto un incremento notevole, sei sono americane (Atlanta, Charlotte, Indianapolis, San Diego, Portland e Boston). Tre importanti città degli Stati Uniti scalano le classifiche e si attestano tra le dieci città al mondo con il costo della vita più alto: New York (1° posizione), Los Angeles (4° posizione) e San Francisco (6° posizione).

A livello globale, l’aumento più rapido dei prezzi è stato registrato per la benzina (come nel 2021), che ha subito un’impennata del 22% in termini di valuta locale. Anche i prezzi delle utenze come l’elettricità, i generi alimentari e i beni di prima necessità per la casa sono aumentati rapidamente. Per contro, i prezzi di beni e servizi ricreativi sono stati contenuti in un certo senso riflettendo una domanda più debole, in quanto i consumatori potrebbero concentrare le loro spese, in tempi di crisi e incertezze, su beni considerati essenziali.

Fonte:

The Economist – Economic Intelligence Unit  – https://www.eiu.com/n/new-york-and-singapore-rank-as-the-worlds-most-expensive-cities/

The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Southeast, in the context of the Italian Business Community Night, will recognize with the Pillar Award, its longstanding members, to acknowledge the great support dedication and commitment to all of those who have contributed to our mission of strengthening trade and business relationships between Italy and the United States.

This year the Chamber will recognize

25 years membership anniversary:

• Arty, Cohn & Feuer, L.C. 

15 years membership anniversary:

• Ad Maiora
• Man-Super!
• MSC USA
• Nestle Waters of North America Inc.
• Roca-Gonzalez PA

According to the New York Post, the number of people moving to Florida during the first months of 2022 is even higher than during the same period in 2021, when record numbers had already been reached. In particular, the Miami metropolitan area is a big beneficiary of migration, very often qualified, involving skilled workers and entrepreneurs especially in the financial and new technology sectors.

            Looking at the swap in driver’s licenses, which are the main identity document in the U.S., there were thousands of transfers in the first 4 months of 2022 alone, specifically:

• New York to Florida – 61,728 license swaps (+12% compared to 2021 and +55% compared to 2019);
• New Jersey – Florida – 10,580 license swaps (up 9% from 2021);
• Connecticut – Florida – 4,119 license swaps (+4% over 2021);
• California – Florida – 9,645 license swaps (up 18% from 2021);
• Pennsylvania to Florida – 8,412 license swaps;
• Illinois – Florida – 8,149 license swaps.

            This internal migration is driven by a number of factors that have been amplified by the pandemic, most notably the expansion of remote work, which has allowed many professionals who have relocated to Florida to be able to take advantage of a lower cost of living, lower taxation, and year-round outdoor living.

            This dynamic has also been enhanced by a major campaign to reposition Miami as a technology hub, particularly in the areas of blockchain, start-ups, cryptocurrency, and in the financial field. Not surprisingly, large companies such as Blockchain.com and the hedge fund Citadel have moved their headquarters to Miami.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, financial firms that have opened offices in Miami over the past 18 months represent around 2 trillion in assets. In addition, Miami is home to the so-called “10 unicorns,” or start-ups valued at more than $1 billion.

            The city is experiencing great expansion in the area of funding new start-ups, in fact, venture capital funding in the Miami metropolitan area has doubled the figure since 2021, and has reached more than $4.6 billion. Overall, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2020 alone there were more than 106,000 applications for opening new companies in Miami-Dade County, which is an increase of more than 24% over 2019, which was the record figure at the time. This figure was even surpassed with a new record of over 135,000 new applications in 2021.

            This trend is expected to continue in the coming years as Miami is making major investments to position itself at the level of other world economic and business capitals, including hosting events such as the Formula 1 Grand Prix or the 2026 Soccer World Cup.

CLICK HERE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE EVENTS OF THE FVG WEEK

July 8^th, 2022,

Dear IACCSE Member

The Italy-America Chamber of Commerce – Southeast, would like to inform you that the elections for the renewal of the Board of Directors will take place during the following weeks.

For this purpose, the Compliance Committee, under the direction of the IACCSE Board, will implement and oversee the candidacy and election procedures for the Directors elections, as provided for in the Bylaws of the IACCSE.

The IACCSE Bylaws provide for a three-year term for all eleven (11) directors of the IACCSE Board. Accordingly, the IACCSE Board has determined that the 2022 elections will take place in July – August, 2022.

Therefore, the expiration of the term for the new Board will be July 2025.

The procedure for this year’s elections is as follows:

Step 1: Members seeking a position as a Director on the IACCSE Board MUST complete page one (“Eligibility Information”) of the enclosed “Candidate Statement ” and return it, no later than 5:00 p.m. (EST) on July 26^th, 2022 VIA e-mail at info@iacc-miami.com (subject: Att. Compliance Committee). Statements received after the deadline are null and void. In addition, each candidate may, but shall not be required to, complete page two (the Annex “A”) describing the candidate’s qualification and objectives. The Annex A, if any, must be submitted concurrently with the Eligibility Information. Annexes A that are not submitted concurrently will not be circulated by the IACCSE.  Candidates are solely responsible for ensuring that their Statement arrives timely.  E-mail early to avoid any last-minute technical difficulties. Any questions must be submitted in writing and addressed to IACCSE, Attention: Compliance Committee (info@iacc-miami.com).  No communication by IACCSE staff or any person not a member of the Compliance Committee may alter the election procedures.

To be qualified to run for the IACCSE Board, a person:

1. must be the contact person of one or more Voting Members for more than 13 consecutive months before the elections.
2. must be over the age of twenty-one (21) as of the date of the mailing of this notice; and
3. Be otherwise in good standing with his/her member dues and in compliance with Article 4 of the Bylaws (member conduct).

Step 2: The Compliance Committee will hold a meeting between July 26^th and July 28^th to review all timely Statements and approve all qualified candidates to run for the Board. An approval of candidacy notice will be forwarded via email to the eligible candidates shortly thereafter.

If you feel that you are qualified to contribute to the growth of the Chamber and to help the Chamber to pursue its mission to promote trade relations between Italy and United States of America, we strongly encourage you to apply. Please note that being a board member means not only to attend the monthly meetings, but also to be proactive in introducing new potential members to the Chamber, referring potential sponsors for Chambers’ signature events and put at the service of the Chamber, if needed, one’s own professional expertise. The IACCSE is a no-profit organization that rely on the commitment of its members to continue to grow and to pursue its mission.

Step 3: The voting process will begin on July 29^th, 2022 when the official ballot with the qualified candidates (and their Statements) will be e-mailed to all Voting Members. Each Voting Member will vote online through a THIRD-PARTY secure system that ensure secrecy. Neither the IACCSE nor any candidate can access ANY voting information.  Members must vote by 5:00 p.m. (EST) on August 29^th, 2022.^[1]

Please note that neither candidates nor members may campaign by referring to other candidates unless the other candidate has approved such reference in writing by notifying the IACCSE.  If any candidate or member violates this rule, the candidate will automatically be disqualified, and member sanctions may apply.

At the present time, we encourage all qualified candidates to please fill out all sections of the enclosed Statement and timely return it by the above July 26^th deadline.

Sincerely yours,

IACCSE Compliance Committee

Mr. Luca Cancellieri CPA

Mrs. Ilaria Cacopardo, Esq.

Mr. Giorgio Polacco, Esq.

[1].   The IACCSE reserves the right to extend this deadline for exceptional circumstances.  

DOWNLOAD HERE THE CANDIDATE STATEMENT

In 2021, the trend of US-Italy trade registered a strong increase (+19.4%) after the decline of -14.4% in 2020, and +2.1% compared to 2019. Italy has therefore succeeded to gain a position among the commercial partners of the USA, passing from the 15^th to 14^th place, and a position also compared to European countries, passing from 7^th to 6^th place after Germany, United Kingdom, Holland, Ireland, and Switzerland.

In this context, in 2021 exports from Italy to the USA recorded strong growth (+23.4%) compared to the decline of -13.6% in 2020, higher than the world and European average, and gained a position, settling as the 12^thsupplier country of the United States, and also gaining market share (2.2%), compared to 2.1% in 2020. 2021 data also marks a significant growth compared to pre-pandemic levels (+6, 5% vs. 2019).

The United States maintains its position as the 3rd destination market for our exports. In comparison of the trade balances with its main competitors, in 2021 Italy recorded trade balance surpluses for $ 39.3 billion with the United States. The total amount of Italian exports to the USA in 2021 accounted for 61 billion dollars. Italian leading sectors were in export towards the United States were Mechanics (+27.2%), Fashion and Accessories (+58%) and Food and Beverages (+18.2%).

For what concerns the performance of the other US import sectors from Italy in 2021, with the exception of the Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals (-0.3%) and Transportation (-2.5%), all sectors of the Made in Italy recorded growth compared to the previous year, such as Semi-finished products and components (+43.9%) and Furniture and Construction materials (+32%).

Source: Italian Trade Agency