The Elian Gonzalez saga once again has turned the spotlight on Miami, and it hasn't been kind. Throngs in the streets, passionate emotions, civic turmoil, defiance of federal authority and armed federal agents seizing a frightened boy are not the images that reassure vacationers or business executives. But local civic and business leaders have learned to roll with the punches. In the early 1980s, when Miami was walloped with riots, a skyrocketing crime rate, and a massive refugee influx, overnight visitors bottomed out at about 5.4 million. March and April, he said, also have been strong.
Outsiders generally agree.
All you can do is say ouch,'' said Nero. Nevertheless, the tourists are still coming. The Mann family from Youngstown, Ohio, was already at the airport packed for a week's vacation in South Florida when news that Elian had been seized hit the airwaves. They admit to being concerned but decided to come anyway. We've stayed away from the protest areas, and it's a big enough city we could find other things to do,'' said Nancy Mann.