When the 2007 edition of the Cyberstates report, a state-by-state detailing of the tech industry, came out today, I’ll bet Florida economic boosters winced when they read this quip by AeA president William T. Archey regarding the Sunshine State’s robust job growth in this sector:

“It’s diffused and there’s no identity to go along with it — you don’t think of Florida as a high-tech state,” Archey said. “I keep thinking the Florida Chamber of Commerce needs to get its act together and start promoting this.”

The joke is that Florida has, indeed, tried to promote itself as a tech-friendly mecca. Using NASA’s presence at Cape Canaveral as a base, the state launched the Florida High-Tech Corridor initiative more than a decade ago, specifically to get the word out. The hope was to spur economic diversification beyond the traditional pillars of tourism and agriculture — at least perceptionally.

That the head of a prominent technology association hasn’t gotten the message means some folks in Tallahassee are heading back to the drawing board.