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/13526115.htm

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1. Adversely affected: Business, Research, Tourism, Travel, Healthcare

For example, a reduction in the number of non-immigrant visas granted each year has significantly reduced the number of business people who can travel back and forth to Miami to do business, Villamil said.

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Increased visa restrictions also have hampered universities and research. There has been a 10 percent drop in the number of foreign students studying in the state's colleges and universities from 2001-04, according to the TaxWatch report. TaxWatch estimates indicated that translates into an estimated $100 million lost to the state's economy.

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Another trouble spot: tourism and travel. The report cited state data that $1 out of every $7 spent by foreign tourists to the U.S. was spent in Florida. But convention and visitor bureaus, airports and entertainment attractions said the numbers of foreign visitors from Latin American and Caribbean countries are down substantially because of the new visa policies.

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The state's healthcare industry also is reeling from the exclusionary visa rules, the report says. South Florida doctors and clinics have ``cultivated a highly lucrative business meeting the healthcare needs of cash-paying patients who seek the highest standard of medical care.''

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The list of federal acts causing these problems are the U.S.A. Patriot Act, Maritime Transportation Act, Bioterrorism Act, Aviation and Transportation Security Act, Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act. (Emphasis added)