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America’s Public Enemy Number One is dead and Florida’s leaders are celebrating. But they’re also reflecting on the security changes brought on by the September 11th attacks. As Whitney Ray tells us, even though Osama bin Laden is dead the changes brought on after September 11th, 2001 are here to stay.

Hours after two planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, Florida’s state capitol was shut down. The president’s brother Jeb Bush was Florida’s governor at the time. There were concerns about his safety.

“Clearly if there was a target in the state it would be the capitol,” said Bush on that day.

Florida’s current governor Rick Scott was on a business trip in New York that day.

“I heard some crash, but I didn’t know anything was going on,” said Scott.

10 years after the worst terrorist attack in US history, Scott and millions more are celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden, the man who took credit for the 9/11 attacks.

“People I worked with had friends that died. Friends of my kids has parents who died,” said Scott.

US Senator Bill Nelson shares Scott’s sentiment.

“It’s been incredible, the intelligents operation gathering information,” said Nelson.

President Barack Obama was praised on the Senate floor Monday, for bringing down bin Laden.

“I also want to applaud our Commander in Chief Barack Obama. Job well done,” said Senate President Mike Haridopolos.

Obama picked up where former President George Bush left off, fueling the war on terror and searching for bin Laden. The Patriot Act is still in effect and security screening at airports have been intensified.

But the attacks not only changed national security, they changed state security as well. These barriers were paid for by the Department of Homeland Security to keep terrorists from driving up to the capitol and inside metal detectors and police officers have been added.

But even in death, bin Laden continues to spread fear. The US is on alert from the state department to watch out for terrorists mourning their lost leader. Governor Rick Scott says local and state law enforcement officers are on heightened alert just in case bin Laden’s death motivates terrorism.