Gov. Rick Scott off on first mission trip to Panama

Gov. Rick Scott and an entourage of staffers and business people from Enterprise Florida left this morning on an overnight trade mission to Panama, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The idea is to drum up business for Florida’s ports as a result of the widening of the Panama Canal. Scott recently announced his intention to divert money to the Port of Miami to upgrade it so that it can accommodate larger ships that will be able to pass through the canal. Port executives from around Florida are interested in similar upgrades and a number of those executives accompanied Scott on the trip. Noticeably absent, though, was a representative from Port Canaveral. Scott’s chief economic development hire, Gray Swoope, will not be on the trip. He officially starts on Monday as the new president of Enterprise Florida.