National security policy creates economic termites in Fla. basement

[seafan]

Posted on Sun, Jan. 01, 2006

National security policy creates economic termites in Fla. basement
By Mary Ellen Klas


As Americans increasingly lose patience with the U.S. involvement in Iraq, tolerance also is wearing thin in Florida for domestic security policies that some say inhibit international trade, tourism and global exchange among students, researchers and business leaders.

In an unusually candid document, Florida TaxWatch last week released a report, ``Termites in Florida's Basement: The Economic Impact of National Security Policy on Florida's Economy.''

The business-backed research group chronicled how changes in immigration and national security policies since Sept. 11, 2001, have put a chilling effect on business development, tourism and even foreign student enrollment in Florida.

Expect it to be the beginning of a newfound push in the new year by Miami-Dade and state business leaders to get federal officials to ease up on restrictive visa policies. They will urge Congress to better fund offices around the world to eliminate delays in visa applications, and to put pressure on the agency to streamline its operations, said Tony Villamil, chairman of Enterprise Florida's Global Commerce Committee, the international branch of the state's economic development arm.

''We're the gateway to the Americas and if we put impediment to the flow of people, that has an impact on everybody,'' he said.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/1352611...