Sep. 27--MIAMI -- The terrorism attacks on New York and Washington and the resulting paralysis of the nation's airline system have dramatically slowed a South Florida economy dependent on tourism, and government and business leaders are scrambling to respond. 

On Wednesday, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce convened an Economic Generation & Recovery Task Force to address the tourism crisis, which has cost jobs and hurt government coffers dependent on sales and bed taxes. 

After the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the chamber set up the task force to draw on the experience the region gained in recovering from other disasters, such as Hurricane Andrew. 

In South Florida, the news is bad. Among the dire assessments are projected tourism losses of $150 million a week in Miami-Dade County and $50 million a week in Broward County, county officials say. Palm Beach County is still evaluating the economic impact, but the tourism business also experienced devastating losses following the attacks. 

To address the region's falling fortunes, the Miami-Dade task force advocates accelerating public works projects to pump money into the local economy and sponsoring trade missions to promote the county as a destination. It also plans a public relations campaign to help lure tourists back to the region and efforts to steer laid-off workers to retraining centers. 

Government leaders say action couldn't come sooner, as Miami International Airport alone, not counting its airlines, is losing $600,000 a day, Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas said. 

"The bottom line right now is that economic confidence is at an all-time low," Penelas told county commissioners this week. "People are worried about what's going to happen next." 

To help address the crisis, Miami-Dade commissioners have approved a $500,000 contribution to a $2 million promotional campaign that will tout the county as a destination. 

David Whittaker, senior vice president of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, said tourism officials have already run advertisements in the New York Times and Washington Post and plan to work with their counterparts in Fort Lauderdale and Key West to lure Latin American travelers. He said that although the region stands to regain some of its lost convention business, the area must hold on to its attractions to bring visitors back. 

The task force's job will be difficult, however, because of the county's heavy dependence on the aviation industry, said J. Antonio Villamil, president of the Washington Economics Group, a Coral Gables-based consulting firm. 

"We need to advocate for state and federal support in the free flow of people relative to our ports and airports," Villamil said. "One very important remedy, security, could impede the free flow of travel. We need security, but we need smart security." 

Meanwhile, the Broward Alliance and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce also are looking at ways to help businesses and government deal with the economic fallout. The groups plan to meet Oct. 12, said Chris Wood, president of the Broward Alliance. 

Broward County commissioners also have approved $500,000 in additional money for a marketing campaign in newspapers and on radio to lure tourists who can drive from other Florida cities. 

Palm Beach County's tourism business also is struggling to recover from an economic slide, said Dennis Grady, president of Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches. 

The period immediately after Sept. 11 was "devastating," Grady said. "It's better today but still not back to the levels that are usual and customary for destinations like ours." 

South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Antonio Fins, Marcia Heroux Pounds and Tom Stieghorst contributed to this report. 

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(c) 2001, South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.