SelectFlorida (FloridaCommerce)

SelectFlorida Trade Grants, STEP & FTZ Guide (2026–2027)

Max Cap: Up to $15k ($250k sales floor + PR clause) Match Rate: 75%

Baseline Eligibility Floor: Minimum $250,000 in prior-year annual gross sales; 3–500 full-time employees in Florida; ≥ 51% U.S. content; and mandatory agreement to state PR/testimonial attribution and multi-year export impact surveys.

Calculate My Florida STEP Grant & Cash Float → Start My Custom FL 6-Step Export Plan → Official SelectFlorida Portal ↗ FL SBDC Confidential Trade Specialists ↗

2026–2027 Reimbursable Caps & Sub-Limits

Target Sector Trade Show Grants: up to $7,500–$10,000 reimbursement for overseas pavilion booth space.
Gold Key / Matchmaking Grant: covers up to 100% of U.S. Commercial Service Gold Key ($3,250) or SelectFlorida trade mission matchmaking fees.
Export Marketing Plan ($4,500 value) and Website Localization ($8,000 cap) tracks for qualified Florida manufacturers and exportable service firms.

Florida Audit Traps (Read Before Spending)

$250,000 Prior-Sales Floor: Early-stage or pre-revenue exporters below $250k in annual gross revenue (or fewer than 3 employees) are screened out of core SelectFlorida trade grants.
Mandatory PR / Testimonial Clause: Funded SelectFlorida grant agreements include consent for state economic-development success stories, press releases, and multi-year revenue surveys (true Tier 4 footprint).
Designated Service Sectors: Non-manufacturing service and SaaS firms qualify only in designated high-value exportable technical, IT, aviation/marine, and engineering sectors.

SAM.gov Anti-Spam Privacy Tip (FL): Even though SelectFlorida requires state impact reporting and PR consent on funded grants, still opt out of SAM.gov public search display during UEI registration so your federal entity record isn't scraped nationwide. Want zero-PR export planning? Florida SBDC International Trade Specialists operate under federal statutory confidentiality (15 U.S.C. § 648(a)).

Industry Eligibility & Duty-Deferral Gateways

How Florida Industries Stack SelectFlorida Grants, SUSTA & Foreign-Trade Zones

Florida serves as the primary U.S. commercial gateway to Latin America, the Caribbean, and Atlantic maritime corridors—led by aviation/MRO, marine & yachting hardware, MedTech, defense simulation, subtropical AgTech, and enterprise technology.

Eligible Expenses Across Aviation/Marine, MedTech, AgTech, SaaS & Engineering

Aviation/Avionics, Marine/Yachting & MedTech Manufacturers: Subsidizes overseas booths (METSTRADE Amsterdam, Farnborough, Arab Health, Medica, FIDAE), 100% of $3,250 Gold Key distributor vetting, and CE/ANVISA compliance testing.
Subtropical AgTech & Florida Produce/Seafood Exporters: Precision greenhouse/citrus hardware makers use SelectFlorida for overseas localization and trade missions, while physical Florida citrus, specialty produce, seafood, and timber exporters stack SUSTA 50% CostShare on separate non-overlapping invoices.
Designated IT/SaaS, Simulation & Engineering Firms (≥ 51% U.S. Labor): Qualified Florida software, simulation, architectural, and marine/civil engineering firms with $250k+ revenue tap Website Localization ($8,000 cap) and Gold Key matchmaking across LATAM and Europe.

Florida Foreign-Trade Zones (Americas Re-Export & Duty Elimination)

Florida companies importing European or Asian avionics, pharmaceuticals, marine electronics, or industrial parts to kit, inspect, and re-export to Latin America and the Caribbean can eliminate U.S. customs duties entirely inside 4 major FTZ hubs:

FTZ #25 — Port Everglades (Broward County) Caribbean & South American Container Hub

FTZ #281 — Miami-Dade County (PortMiami & MIA) Americas Air Pharma, Avionics & Re-Export

FTZ #64 — JAXPORT (Jacksonville) Atlantic Ro-Ro, Industrial & Cold Storage

FTZ #42 — Greater Orlando Aviation Authority Central FL Defense, Simulation & MedTech

Florida Export Grant & FTZ FAQs

What are the SelectFlorida Trade & STEP grant caps for 2026–2027?

SelectFlorida (FloridaCommerce) offers modular export grants up to approximately $15,000 in annual combined support (75% baseline STEP match), including Target Sector Trade Show Grants ($7,500–$10,000 for overseas booth space), Gold Key / Matchmaking Grants covering up to 100% of U.S. Commercial Service Gold Key ($3,250), Export Marketing Plans ($4,500 value), and Website Localization ($8,000 cap).

What is Florida's $250,000 annual revenue floor and 3-employee rule?

Unlike many states that fund smaller startups after 1 year in business, core SelectFlorida trade grants require a minimum of $250,000 in prior-year annual gross sales, between 3 and 500 full-time employees, at least 2 years of Florida operations on select tracks, and ≥ 51% U.S. value-add.

Does accepting a SelectFlorida export grant require PR or testimonial consent?

Yes. SelectFlorida grant agreements carry a true Privacy Tier 4 footprint, including consent for state economic-development success stories, press releases, and multi-year export revenue impact surveys. Stealth exporters who cannot accept public PR attribution can still access confidential 1-on-1 Florida SBDC advising under 15 U.S.C. § 648(a) without publicity.

Which Florida service, software, maritime, aviation, and AgTech sectors qualify?

Florida manufacturers across aviation/avionics, marine & yacht equipment, MedTech, defense simulation, and AgTech hardware qualify directly, while service and software exporters qualify in designated high-value exportable technical, IT/SaaS, architectural, and engineering sectors. Physical Florida citrus, produce, seafood, and forestry exporters can also stack SUSTA 50% CostShare on non-overlapping invoices.

Next Steps for Florida Exporters

Run Free Florida Export Calculators

Pre-Filled for Florida (Up to $15k · 75% Match) Open Florida STEP Grant & Cash-Float Calculator → Model SelectFlorida booth grants, $3,250 Gold Key coverage, $8,000 localization caps, and upfront cash-flow float. PortMiami, Everglades & JAXPORT Privacy CBP 19 CFR § 103.31 Ocean Manifest Confidentiality Letter → Block competitors from scraping your Caribbean & South American ocean Bills of Lading across all Florida ports ($0 fee). BRL / COP / MXN / EUR Margin Shield Cross-Border FX, DDP & Withholding Tax Calculator → Model Brazilian/Colombian withholding tax gross-ups (15%–25%) and eliminate 2.8% bank FX wire spreads. Americas & Transshipment Screening Consolidated Screening List & 50% Ownership Check → Screen foreign freight forwarders, aviation buyers, and distributors against OFAC/BIS 50% ownership rules.