DSNDING B737 EXPERIENCED RA WITH LEVEL TFC WHILE APPARENT ZMA CTLR TRAINING WAS IN PROGRESS.

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WHILE APCHING FLL ON THE MRLIN 4 STAR; S OF TRIPL INTXN; ESTABLISHED ON THE VKZ 029 DEG RADIAL; WE RECEIVED FROM ZMA A CLRNC TO DSND AND MAINTAIN 11000 FT. I; THE PNF; READ THE CLRNC BACK. OUR NEXT ALT ASSIGNMENT FROM ZMA WAS AN AMENDED ALT OF FL180. I READ BACK THE CLRNC; LEVEL AT FL180. THE CAPT NOTED TFC AT OUR ALT AND CLOSING ON US (WHITE TCASII SYMBOL). TFC BECAME AMBER TARGET; TA ALERT. TFC BECAME RED TARGET; RA ALERT. CAPT RESPONDED TO THE ALERT AND DSNDED AS DIRECTED BY THE TCASII. SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH OUR ACTIONS; ZMA ISSUED AN IMMEDIATE DSCNT TO 11000 FT FOR TFC. I READ BACK THE CLRNC AND RPTED OUR RA. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE ABOVE; ZMA CTLRS WERE SWITCHED. MALE VOICE TO FEMALE VOICE. I BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS TRAINING GOING ON AND THE MALE WAS RELIEVED BY HIS SUPERIOR; THE FEMALE VOICE. THE SECTOR WAS EXTREMELY BUSY AND THE FEMALE ZMA CTLR DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB OF HANDLING OUR SIT; THE OTHER AIRPLANE INVOLVED; AND ALL THE OTHER ACFT SHE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR. WE THANKED HER AND COMPLIMENTED HER ON A JOB WELL DONE. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WHEN ALTS ARE READ BACK TO CTR; IF THEY ARE NOT CORRECT OR NOT READ BACK AT ALL OR BLOCKED; CTR MUST CHALLENGE US (THE PLTS). IT IS MY SUSPICION THAT ZMA (MALE CTLR) BLOCKED MY XMISSION; MY READBACK OF FL180. WITH NO RESPONSE FROM CTR AFTER MY READBACK; I AM SURE MY READBACKS ARE CORRECT -- JUST A THOUGHT.