It's English only for doing county business in Miami

By a 10 percent margin, Miami-area voters (Dade County) backed a referendum to conduct future county business in English only, Monitor correspondent Robert M. Press reports. County documents will no longer be translated into Spanish (unless required by state or federal law) and meetings will be held in English only. But Spanish will officially remain the second language, and schools and private businesses will not be affected by the vote.

Anglo resentment in Dade County against the growing presence and influence of Hispanics, primarily Cubans, has been increasing, and Cuban-American leaders are concerned the vote will further increase the split between the two communities. But supporters of the English-only referendum contend it will force Hispanics to learn English faster.