It's here, South Florida — Super Bowl Roman Numeral 41, the biggest sporting event in the world, unless you include other parts of the world. Tens of thousands of visitors are coming to South Florida for the big game, and we hope they all enjoy - to quote our new tourism slogan - "Hospitality, But Without The Hospital."

But to make that dream a reality, we, the citizens of South Florida, must be on our best behavior.

Q. What do you mean, "on our best behavior"?

A. I mean that, no matter how festive we are feeling, we should not shoot our guns into the air.

Q. What if Fidel dies?

A. That is different.

It's very important that our visitors feel welcome, because they're bringing tremendous economic benefits to our community in the form of money. According to the South Florida host committee's official Web site, the economic impact of the Super Bowl here will be "more than $350 million." What does that mean, in layperson's terms? It means the host committee has been smoking crack.

No, seriously, it means that we, as a community, are about to receive a "financial shot in the arm" totaling more than $350 million, which will be spent as follows:

•The maitre d' at Joe's Stone Crab: $182 million;

•Lavish parties that you cannot get into: $123 million;

•Strippers: $42 million;

•Prince: $3 million;

•Slightly increased attendance at Monkey Jungle caused by Super Bowl visitors who have mistaken it for a nightclub: $93.

So, OK, perhaps you, personally, will not benefit financially from the Super Bowl. But this is not just about money. This is about our image, as a community. Too many people still think of Miami as the crazy, violent place that was depicted in the old TV crime show "Miami Vice." But Miami has come a long way since then, as reflected in the newer TV crime show "CSI Miami," not to mention the movie version of "Miami Vice."

That's why this week we all need to be "goodwill ambassadors" for South Florida. Let's welcome our Super Bowl visitors with open arms. Let's kiss them on the lips while inserting a little goodwill tongue. Above all, let's keep them out of trouble. Remember that many of this year's Super Bowl visitors are coming from the Midwest, which is often called "the nation's heartland," because it is covered with sleet.