(Crystal Proenza is associate editor of Real EstateFlorida.)

MIAMI-Even though Miami-Dade County continues to be hit hard byrising unemployment and the real estate crisis, speakers at lastnight's Beacon Council 2008 Annual Meeting remained hopeful andspirited. The economic development partnership assured 400 gatheredmembers of the business community that continued collaborationbetween the county's business organizations, along with a renewedMiami marketing initiative, will guide the region through thissurging storm.

"Miami is now seeing international investment at a level it hasnever been before," keynote speaker Bruce Mosler, CEO of Cushman& Wakefield, told attendees at the Biltmore in Coral Gables."South Florida's connections to Latin America make it one of themost vibrant markets in the world," he said. "As real estatecorrects, as buyer and seller come to meet and cap rates adjust, wewill see huge opportunity."