In Southwest Florida, at an event at Hertz’s new corporate headquarters, Gov. Rick Scott announced the state unemployment rate remained at 5 percent in December even as there were 21,000 jobs created.
In October, the unemployment rate stood in Florida at 5.1 percent as it continued to drop in the later months of 2015. In August, the state unemployment rate stood at 5.3 percent, dipping down to 5.2 percent in September, 5.1 percent in November to reaching 5 percent in November and December.
“Florida is growing,” Scott said on Friday. “Businesses in our state have created well over a million jobs in just over five years. This impressive milestone joins the news that our state is welcoming a record number of tourists, our crime rate is at a 44-year low and we have record high state revenues.”
Scott used the occasion to pitch his two top legislative priorities: a $1 billion tax cut package, mostly to manufacturers and reducing the commercial lease tax from 6 percent to 5 percent, and calling for additional funds for Enterprise Florida to recruit businesses to the Sunshine State.
“We must continue this momentum into 2016 by cutting $1 billion in taxes and further diversifying our economy with the creation of the $250 million Florida Enterprise Fund," Scott said.
Cissy Proctor, the new executive director of the state Department of Economic Opportunity, also pushed Scott’s legislative agenda.
“Business in Florida is thriving, and the state continued its strong record of private-sector job creation to close out 2015,” Proctor said. “Investments like Gov. Scott’s proposed $1 billion tax cut will continue to grow jobs across the Sunshine State, providing more opportunities for Floridians to support themselves and their families.”
The state unemployment rate is at the national average which stood at 5 percent from October through December. Since Scott took office at the start of 2011, the unemployment rate in Florida has fallen around 6 percent.
In the past year, the professional and business services industry led the way with 51,100 new jobs. Florida has seen record-high tourism numbers so far this year and the leisure and hospitality industry has seen 43,800 new jobs in the past twelve months. The education and health services industry saw 44,700 new jobs created in Florida over the last year while the trade, transportation, and utilities sector has seen 39,600 new jobs over the last year. Government jobs have fallen with 5,800 fewer in Florida over the past year.
Monroe County continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 3.2 percent, dipping from 3.3 percent in November, with St. Johns County on the First Coast as the next lowest at 3.5 percent. Alachua and Wakulla counties are the next lowest with unemployment rates of 4 percent each.
Hendry County continues to have the highest unemployment rate in the state at 7.3 percent but the unemployment rate had been in the double digits over the summer at 12.2 percent back in August, 11.4 percent in September and 8.3 percent in November. The next highest was Citrus County at 6.6 percent followed by Putnam County at 6.4 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
