ZSU CTLR EXPERIENCED OPERROR AT FL360 WHEN MISJUDGING SPACING DISTANCE REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN LEGAL SEPARATION.

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THE FOLLOWING EVENT OCCURRED AT XA03Z IN JAN/06. IT WAS THE ALLEGED LOSS OF RADAR SEPARATION OF 2 ACFT. MONITORS AT ZMA DETECTED 2; SIMILAR PERFORMANCE ACFT; AN A319 AND A B737; HAD LESS THAN 5 MI OF SEPARATION. CTLR ACTION WAS TAKEN TO MAINTAIN SEPARATION; REDUCING THE TRAILING ACFT'S VELOCITY AND INCREASING THAT OF THE LEAD ACFT. THE SESSION HAD BEEN BUSY THROUGHOUT; AND IT IS GENERALLY A COMPLEX SECTOR WITH ACFT IN TRANSITION FLT 90% OF THE TIME. ACFT ENTER FROM THE NE; SWBOUND NEEDING TO DSND; WHILE NWBOUND ACFT OUT OF SAN JUAN ARE ON THE CLB. ACFT ALSO ENTER FROM ZMA OUT THE NW; SEBOUND; NEEDING DSCNT INTO SAN JUAN. AT THE TIME OF THE APPARENT INCIDENT; I HAD SEVERAL ACFT IN EACH OF THESE PHASES OF FLT. FROM THE MOMENT THE FIRST OF THE 2 ACFT INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT ENTERED THE AIRSPACE AND EXITED; OVER 25 ACFT WERE HANDLED. AT THE MOMENT I WAS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR D-SIDE RESPONSIBILITIES; NON-RADAR SEPARATION AND COORD. THE SECTOR IS A HANDFUL EVEN FOR THE MOST EXPERIENCED. AT THE TIME I CLRED THE LEAD ACFT TO THE SAME ALT AS THE TRAILING ACFT; I HAD ENOUGH SPACING TO ACCOMMODATE BOTH. CONSTANT AND RAPID SCANNING WAS REQUIRED DUE TO ALL THE TRANSITIONING FLTS. THE PROX OF BOTH ACFT WAS OBSERVED WHEN PREPARING TO START THE FLASH FOR HDOF TO ZMA. AT THIS TIME; I PROCEEDED TO ISSUE SPD RESTRS; STILL HAVING LEGAL SEPARATION. COORD WITH MIAMI WAS EXECUTED AND APPROVED REGARDING THE SPD RESTRS. AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT I HAD BEEN IN POS FOR 1 HR 20 MINS. THERE WERE SEVERAL PUSHES OF HVY TFC. SOME ACFT REQUIRED ROUTING CHANGES AND DEST CHANGES. STILL OTHERS NEEDED TO BE COORD WITH ADJACENT SECTORS; AND IT ALL HAD TO BE DONE BY ME; AS THERE WAS NO D-SIDE OR COORD AT THE SECTOR. SEASONAL TFC HAS BEEN HIGH; AND STAFFING HAS BEEN LOW; WHICH EQUATES TO LONGER; MORE DIFFICULT SESSIONS EACH TIME ON POS. FATIGUE SETS IN; AS BEEN THE NORM TO WORK UNDER THESE CONDITIONS FOR THE LAST 4 WKS. OVERTIME HAS ONLY BEEN USED UNDER THE MOST EXTREME SITUATIONS; SO STAFFING HAS CONTINUED TO SUFFER. SOME CTLRS HAVE STAYED TO WORK CREDIT VIEWING THE COMBINING OF SECTORS AS UNSAFE; AND NOT WANTING TO SEE CO-WORKERS SUFFER BECAUSE MGMNT IS NOT WILLING TO STAFF THE FACILITY ADEQUATELY FOR THE TFC BEING WORKED. I AM EXPOSED TO THE HEAVIER WKEND AFTERNOON TFC. IT IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR ME TO LEAVE WORK MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY FATIGUED. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED; AND WHY APPARENTLY IT ALL OCCURRED. SECTOR COMPLEXITY; FLOW OF TFC; LACK OF AND IMPROPER STAFFING; AS WELL AS FATIGUE ARE FACTORS IN THIS EVENT AND OTHERS LIKE IT.