The Beacon Council has commissioned a study on commercial insurance costs and availability similar to what the group published last year on affordable housing. The goal is to have the study ready ahead of the next legislative session.

Ramudo, the travel agency owner, just hopes that state and local officials will come up with some answers soon.

"When companies analyze the cost of real estate, cost of employment, cost of insurance, hurricane threats, they probably think twice, " about coming here, she said. "A solution needs to be found for the benefit of all of us." A NATIONWIDE LOOK AT CONFIDENCE Across the nation, confidence among big business leaders about their operations continues to be strong, despite waning optimism about the economy, according to the semiannual Grant Thorton Business Optimism Index. This marks the fourth time in a row the optimism index fell. Some of the study findings:

* On the national economy: Just 30 percent said they thought the economy would improve, compared to 43 percent in June 2005.

* On their own businesses: A vast majority - 87 percent - remain optimistic about their own business, which has changed little since November 2005.

* On hiring: 50 percent plan to increase staff; compared to 55 percent last June. NOTE: Harris Interactive phone survey of more than 300 companies with annual revenue of $50 million to $2 billion. The margin of error was plus or minus 5.7 percent.

CHECKING UP ON MIAMI-DADE BUSINESS
Highlights of the 2006 Beacon Council Local Business, Local Jobs Survey:
* Three most important issues: Level of public safety, impact of hurricanes, cost of labor.
* Issues that received lowest satisfaction ratings: Housing affordability and quality, transportation infrastructure quality and impact of hurricanes.
* Hiring: Similar to last year's results, 70 percent said they plan to hire additional employees this year.
* Business retention: 84 percent said they plan to keep their businesses here, slightly less than last year (86 percent).
* Expansion: 32 percent said they would expand their businesses, again, just a bit lower than the 2005 figure (38 percent).
SOURCE: The Beacon Council