After 10 Glorious Years, Sunshine State News and I Are Passing the Baton

Gov. Rick Scott's office released a statement Friday on Florida's 12 percent unemployment rate for December, calling the number "unacceptable." "Todays report of a 12 percent unemployment rate for Florida in December means that more than 1.1 million Floridians are jobless. This is not acceptable. The numbers reaffirm my commitment to getting Florida back to work, and prove that we must put job creation first by making Florida the best place to do business, Scott said.

Gov. Rick Scott named Jack Miles, a former senior director at CIGNA, to lead the states Department of Management Services on Friday. Pointing to his new appointee saving more than $80 million in less than two years at CIGNA, Scott insisted that Miles would be able to cut costs and provide returns on investments in his new role. Miles also worked as a vice president at Computer Associates and for American International Group.

Florida's unemployment rate didn't budge in December 2010, remaining at 12 percent, the same as the previous month, according to the seasonally adjusted numbers released Friday by the state Agency for Workforce Innovation. There were 1.1 million people out of work out of a total labor force of 9.2 million in Florida, representing a nonagricultural employment drop of 17,900 jobs from November, but an increase of 43,500 jobs from December 2009. That means December 2010 was the sixth month in a row the state witnessed a year-over-year increase in jobs.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that 221,744 Medicare beneficiaries in Florida have received prescription-drug cost relief through the Affordable Care Act. Nationally, 3 million eligible beneficiaries who fell into the drug coverage gap known as the donut hole during 2010 have been mailed a one-time, tax-free $250 rebate check.