Consuls see Florida, county sees business

We can at least conclude that word of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home has reached Western Europe.

“I know that President Trump has a house here,” joked William De Baets, the consul general of Belgium, during a cocktail reception Monday at the Hilton Palm Beach Airport.

De Baets and representatives from 20 other foreign consulates toured Palm Beach County last week at the invitation of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and Offiffice of Foreign Missions. They were part of the Experience Florida program that aims to build partnerships and, hopefully for businesses here, entice commerce and foreign investment.

State Department offifficials say the tour, which included stops at the Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. and the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University, is an opportunity to showcase regions within Florida — an international gateway — that foreign diplomats may not be as familiar with.

“We do try to highlight regions outside of the large American cities, “said Jim Eisenhut, assistant to the special agent in charge at the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. “Larger cities like Miami and New York are well-known. But some of the smaller areas have a lot to offffffffffffer as well, so this is an opportunity to get them out in front of an important audience like this.”

Some of the foreign offifficials participating were pretty familiar with the Sunshine State. But one of those, Ricardo Treco, the consul general of the nearby Bahamas, said there is always a difffffffffffferent twist.

In particular, Treco pointed out the island chain just to our east has invested $200 million in an agricultural research facility on Andros Island. As a result, he said he was looking to learn a lot more about Florida agriculture, from citrus production in Central Florida to winter produce in Palm Beach County.

“We are neighbors, and we say that when Florida sneezes, The Bahamas catches a cold,” Treco said.

“But the issue is there is always something new you can learn,” he added.

For Belgium’s De Baets, however, it’s all unfamiliar territory.

The consulate is based in Atlanta and oversees 10 states, including the Sunshine State. And whereas Belgians don’t have much of a presence in Florida, they are heavily invested, he said, in places like Georgia and North Carolina.

Still, De Baets said that should change.

“I think there are opportunities in aerospace, health and biotech,” De Baets said. “Florida has a lot to offffffffffffer. But we just need to get to know the state better.”

That’s exactly what Palm Beach County leaders wanted to hear. County Commissioner Pauline Burdick said just about every one of the countries represented last week has something to bring to the table.

For example, representatives from China were talking up solar energy technology, “which could be a real benefifit to our residents,” said Burdick.

“We have a simple message,” she said. “We’re willing to work with any business based abroad that is interested in us.”

So, yes, they came, they saw. Now, will they buy in?