Orlando's top tourist attractions are bucking the state's persistent economic slump with a multibillion-dollar building boom.

New and expanded venues are popping up at Disney, Universal and a host of other theme parks, laying claim to some 50 million tourists who visit Central Florida annually.

"What recession?" asks Erik Yates, who runs the website BehindTheThrills.com. "The whole corridor from Melbourne to Orlando and Tampa -- there's nothing but new construction going on."

DALLAS -- For a conservative Texan seeking national office, it could hardly get better than this:

While Florida failed to approve an E-Verify bill this year, all of its neighboring states and even Congress are moving forward with immigration laws.

Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi have passed tough E-Verify laws requiring employers to use the federal database to check the legal status of newly hired workers.

"Florida is a peninsula surrounded by water and states with mandatory E-Verify laws," said George Fuller, a Florida-based immigration activist.

In his maiden speech to the U.S. Senate, Sen. Marco Rubio on Tuesday called for America's "shining city on the hill" to remain a bright beacon for the world.

The son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio invoked his personal journey in describing the "American Miracle" of liberty, security and prosperity.

Opening his remarks with a brief list of financial success stories, including immigrant-spawned companies Nordstrom, Mattel and e-Bay, Rubio applauded the innovation and ingenuity resulting from "American exceptionalism."