Florida needs a well rounded and competitive workforce to produce goods and services that will ensure a robust economic future for the state. For any immigration reform to succeed, it must accommodate the needs of Florida employers seeking to hire workers required to meet the demands of their customers while respecting the rule of law. Florida must provide a dynamic environment to meet the increasing trends of the free movement of capital and labor in the global economy, as well as plan for the gaps left by an aging labor force and a potential skills shortage to meet future growth. Appropriately managed immigration can meet labor market demands without disproportionately impacting native‐born citizen’s occupational opportunities and wages.
State officials can create positive change by working with Florida’s federal delegation to pursue a national immigration policy that achieves increased intergovernmental coordination, addresses the cost burden at the state and local levels, and replaces illegal immigration with legal immigration.