Exports from Florida increased by 3 percent in March from February, according to the Orlando Business Journal.

"The March trade data -- the most recent available -- are important because strong growth in exports leads to an expansion in overall corporate sales, improves profitability, accelerates capital expenditures and results in the creation of jobs," the Business Journal reported.

Exports from Florida also were 9 percent higher than the same point a year earlier, with manufactured goods accounting for 77 percent of all exports.

The state’s exports outpaced the nation’s 3.7 percent increase in exports during March, with the first quarter 7.7 percent ahead of the same period in 2011.