But with the economy rebounding strongly from the Great Recession — and even in the face of rapidly growing competition from the Internet challenging traditional malls — at least some players are thinking there are still opportunities to be had in that retail arena.

Some are thinking big in Florida — very big.

Triple Five, the international developer behind the Mall of America, has unveiled what it hopes will become a $4 billion mega center and amusement park in Miami.

The aptly named “American Dream” would be a 200-acre shopping center with attached carnival rides that would blend two of the state’s strongest economic sectors: retail and tourism along the Florida Turnpike and Interstate 75 near Miami Lakes.

The mall — purportedly to feature sea lions, submarines and a ski slope — would be larger than the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, which is 4.2 million square feet with 520 stores and 50 restaurants.

American Dream could continue the Sunshine State’s run of proposing and building enclosed shopping centers at a time when malls and retailers are shuttering their stores in them faster than ever across the country.

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