Miami has long been described as the gateway to the Americas. But new trade analysis suggests that description may actually understate the region’s role in global commerce.

IMPACTIFI recently joined members of South Florida’s international business community, including representatives from the consular corps, the International Trade Consortium, PortMiami, and other trade stakeholders, for a deeper look at how goods actually move through the Miami Customs District.

The insights presented by Alice Ancona, Chief Operating Officer of World Trade Center Miami, reveal something important: Miami does not simply participate in international trade. It operates as an exchange point within Western Hemisphere supply chains.

According to Ancona’s analysis of U.S. Census trade data, the Miami Customs District exported $84.5 billion in goods in 2025 while importing $64 billion, producing a $20.5 billion trade surplus. Florida overall, by comparison, recorded a $36.8 billion trade deficit during the same period.

But perhaps the more interesting number is $25 billion.

That was the value of foreign goods reexported through Miami in 2025, highlighting an economy built not only around what South Florida produces, but around its ability to move products through airports, ports, foreign trade zones, warehouses, customs infrastructure and international distribution networks.

Aerospace offers a particularly compelling example. While aircraft engine trade nationally is heavily weighted toward parts, nearly 60 percent of Miami’s engine trade involves finished engines. On the import side, whole engines account for 72 percent, reflecting South Florida’s role in maintenance, overhaul, leasing and engine exchange activity.

For companies evaluating Miami as a platform for international expansion, these numbers matter.

Miami’s competitive advantage is not geography alone. It is the combination of infrastructure, logistics capabilities, international relationships, consular networks and commercial expertise that allows businesses to connect markets throughout the Americas and beyond.

For IMPACTIFI, that reinforces an important part of our market expansion thesis: choosing where to enter a market should not simply be about finding a location. It should be about understanding the ecosystem that can help a company move, connect, and grow.

Special thanks to Alice Ancona and World Trade Center Miami for providing the trade analysis and insights behind this conversation. Her full analysis positions Miami not simply as a gateway, but as connective infrastructure within the international economy.

Read Alice Ancona’s full analysis at World Trade Center Miami