Florida Senate - 2012                                     SB 702
       
       
       
       By Senator Smith
       
       
       
       
       29-00425A-12                                           2012702__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Seaport Employment Training
    3         Grant Program; reviving, reenacting, and amending s.
    4         288.386, F.S.; requiring the Department of Economic
    5         Opportunity under certain circumstances to establish
    6         and administer the Florida-Caribbean Basin Trade
    7         Initiative within the program; providing the purpose
    8         of, and the department’s responsibilities for, the
    9         initiative; providing for coordination and alliances
   10         with certain organizations and funding programs;
   11         requiring the department to develop performance
   12         measures for the initiative; providing an effective
   13         date.
   14  
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Notwithstanding the repeal of section 288.386,
   18  Florida Statutes, by section 52 of chapter 2011-213, Laws of
   19  Florida, section 288.386, Florida Statutes, is revived,
   20  reenacted, and amended to read:
   21         288.386 Florida-Caribbean Basin Trade Initiative.—
   22         (1) Contingent upon a specific appropriation, the
   23  department shall, within the Seaport Employment Training Grant
   24  Program, (STEP) shall establish and administer the Florida
   25  Caribbean Basin Trade Initiative for the purpose of assisting
   26  small and medium-sized businesses to become involved in
   27  international activities and helping them to identify markets
   28  with product demand, identify strategic alliances in those
   29  markets, and obtain the financing to effectuate trade
   30  opportunities in the Caribbean Basin. The initiative must focus
   31  assistance to businesses located in urban communities. The
   32  initiative shall offer export readiness, assistance and referral
   33  services, internships, seminars, workshops, conferences, and e
   34  commerce plus mentoring and matchmaking services, but shall
   35  coordinate with and not duplicate those services provided by
   36  Enterprise Florida, Inc.
   37         (2) To enhance initiative effectiveness and leverage
   38  resources, the department STEP shall coordinate initiative
   39  activities with Enterprise Florida, Inc., United States Export
   40  Assistance Centers, the Florida Export Finance Corporation,
   41  Florida Trade Data Center, Small Business Development Centers,
   42  and any other organizations that the department STEP deems
   43  appropriate. The coordination may encompass export assistance
   44  and referral services, export financing, job-training programs,
   45  educational programs, market research and development, market
   46  promotion, trade missions, e-commerce, and mentoring and
   47  matchmaking services relative to the expansion of trade between
   48  this state Florida and the Caribbean Basin. The initiative shall
   49  also form alliances with multilateral, international, and
   50  domestic funding programs from this state Florida, the United
   51  States, and the Caribbean Basin to coordinate systems and
   52  programs for fundamental assistance in facilitating trade and
   53  investment.
   54         (3) STEP shall administer the Florida-Caribbean Basin Trade
   55  Initiative pursuant to a performance-based contract with the
   56  Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development. The
   57  department Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development
   58  shall develop performance measures, standards, and sanctions for
   59  the initiative, which. Performance measures must include, but
   60  are not limited to, the number of businesses assisted,; the
   61  number of urban businesses assisted,; and the increase in value
   62  of exports to the Caribbean which is attributable to the
   63  initiative.
   64         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.