Florida is unique in many respects, frequently at the cutting edge — sometimes for the best, sometimes not.

Floridians are an unusual lot, boasting one of the more diverse populations in the nation with proud and equally diverse heritages and strong cultural and economic ties throughout the world, particularly within the Americas.

International trade is a significant factor in Florida’s economic growth and prosperity, and of increasing importance moving forward.

Trade relationships within the region are vibrant and expanding. Gov. Rick Scott’s trade missions to Chile, Colombia, Brazil and Panama underscore that point.

Curiously, however, when Florida’s Legislature had more revenue at its disposal than at any time in recent memory, legislative leadership defunded Florida International Volunteer Corps, an agile and very lean not-for-profit launched in 1982 under then-Gov. Bob Graham that is memorialized in statute.

As a casualty of the 2013 state legislative session, it’s now struggling to survive.

Better known in the region by its acronym “FAVACA” than by its official name, the Florida Association for Volunteer Action in the Caribbean and the Americas facilitates sustainable relationships among private- and public-sector interests, and educational institutions to respond to “in-country” requests for short-term technical assistance.

It received appropriations at varying levels over the course of the past three decades. Given the state’s overall budget the relatively small annual investment of several hundred thousand dollars paid substantial dividends and was leveraged to secure federal and host country funds, foundation grants, corporate and individual contributions, sometimes from the international community.

A significant portion of this funding was spent in Florida.

Jimmy Buffet’s Singing for Change Foundation is one of FAVACA’s principal strategic partners.

Gov. Jeb Bush frequently referenced FAVACA while promoting Miami as a potential hub for a proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas given the not-for-profit’s visibility and favorable reputation in the region.

Governors Lawton Chiles and Bush called upon FAVACA to help facilitate their respective Florida/Haiti Initiatives.

Florida’s first lady, Ann Scott, visited FAVACA’s women’s empowerment project in Bogotá during the governor’s trade mission to Colombia last December. FAVACA leveraged U.S. State Department funds to support that project and establish a professional exchange program that later brought Colombian officials to Florida, a common aspect of FAVACA’s engagement.

SOUTHCOM collaborated with FAVACA to sustain certain Humanitarian Assistance Program objectives.

The Washington-based Migration Policy Institute recognized the state of Florida for its unique approach to “smart development” in a USAID funded report, noting FAVACA’s role in delivering demand-driven, short-term technical assistance and training, and facilitating engagement by diaspora groups and individuals generally to improve the quality of life.

Simply put, there’s nothing quite like it anywhere else.

A convergence of compelling circumstances in the Caribbean and Central America that impacted Florida during the early 1980s and recognition that Floridians could play a meaningful role in shaping the stability and prosperity of the region prompted Gov. Graham to establish FAVACA.