JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As the conflict in Israel unfolds, Florida leaders are lending their voice in support of the Jewish State and highlighting the many steps Florida has taken in recent years to strengthen ties with country.
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For Florida lawmakers like State Representative Randy Fine( R-Palm Bay), who is Jewish, the attack carried out against Israel this weekend, which has claimed an estimated 700 Israeli lives, is personal.
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“The world changed two days ago. You know, it fundamentally changed in the way it changed after 9/11,” Fine said.
Fine emphasized the close ties between Florida and the Jewish State.
It’s a relationship that has been growing deeper in recent years.
“We’re two groups of people who believe in freedom, safety, intelligence, education, technology,” Fine said.
In 2019, Fine was among a coalition of lawmakers who joined Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida cabinet on a trade mission to Israel.
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On that trip, Israeli and Florida leaders exchanged ideas regarding agriculture, school safety, technology and more.
“A lot of technology exchanges. A lot of exchanges between our universities and theirs,” Fine said.
As of 2022 annual bilateral trade between Florida and Israel topped $650 million according to Enterprise Florida.
Enterprise Florida also reports Israel is the 19th largest investor in the Sunshine State, with Israeli-owned companies supporting more than 2,500 Florida jobs.
Fine said the support goes beyond the economy though.
He pointed out after the Surfside Condominium Collapse in 2021, Israeli search and rescue teams helped comb through the rubble.
“To help save Floridians,” Fine said.
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Fine also highlighted recent legislation passed this year, aimed at combating antisemitic displays that plagued the state last winter.
Additionally, legislation passed in 2019 required antisemitism on college campuses to be treated the same as racism.
“It’s about the importance of Florida recognizing that a reasonable percentage of our population is Jewish, and that Jews need to be protected here in the State of Florida,” Fine said.
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Fine warned if anti-Israel demonstrations get out of hand in the midst of the conflict, those new protections could be put into action.
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