Pubdate: Mon, 11 Jul 2005 Source: Financial Times (UK) Section: Comment & Analysis Copyright: The Financial Times Limited 2005 Contact: http://www.ft.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/154 Author: Andrew Ward MIAMI NICE DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME RING Miami's reputation for drug-trafficking, gun crime and corruption will be revived next year when a film version of the 1980s TV drama Miami Vice hits the big screen. In reality, the city has undergone big changes since Detectives Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs bowed out 16 years ago. Crime has been on the decline since 1993 and dropped by 9 per cent last year. Meanwhile, population, employment and wealth have all increasing as ever more people and businesses are drawn to the city's tropical climate and cosmopolitan culture. Economic growth has helped the city's finances recover from the brink of bankruptcy in 1996 to an A+ credit rating. But some fear Miami could be heading for another financial crisis in the form of an over-heating property market, with house prices up 85 per cent since 2001. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth