With holiday and seasonal hiring in full swing, Floridas unemployment dropped to 10 percent in November, down from 10.3 percent in October, the Department of Economic Opportunity reported Friday.
The latest rate is the lowest for the Sunshine State in 31 months and the DEO notes the number represents a 2 percentage point drop since Gov. Rick Scott took office.
We have put ourselves in a position that we are different than a lot of the country, Scott said during a media conference in his office Friday.
Not having an income tax is a benefit. People (know) that were focused on reducing the business tax. Weve already done it once, were focused on continuing to do that.
On top of the fact we have our great beaches and great weather, were very focused on higher ed, he added. And its helpful that states like Illinois, New York and Connecticut are raising their taxes, its really separating us."
Senate President Mike Haridopolos said the Legislature will continue to work on improving the state's business environment.
With the onset of the 2012 legislative session just around the corner, it will continue to be the mission of the Florida Senate to offer predictability and stability to our states business owners and entrepreneurs to ensure the continued improvement of Floridas job market, Haridopolos stated in a release.
The DEO noted that for every government job cut, nine private-sector jobs have been created.
Since January, the state has gained 120,200 jobs, with 8,500 added in November. The numbers are seasonally adjusted.
The biggest gains were in transportation, utilities, private education, health services, leisure and hospitality.Government, telecommunications and construction continued to show the largest declines.
Overall, 926,000 Floridians were eligible for unemployment in November, down from 931,000 in October.
The November mark is the lowest since May 2009, when it last stood at 10 percent.
DEO Executive Director Doug Darling credited the growth to Scott making Florida more business-friendly and focused on growth.
"Well continue working with our economic and work force development partners in implementing necessary changes to continue this positive momentum, Darling stated in a release.
Republican Party of Florida Chairman Lenny Curry said the Friday announcement showed the state is moving in the right direction.
Today we learned that with the addition of 8,500 new jobs in November, Floridas unemployment rate has dropped to 10 percent," he said in a statement. "This is the lowest rate we have seen in two and a half years, and is especially encouraging news as we head into the holiday season. The numbers dont lie, Governor Rick Scott is delivering economic recovery to Florida. I trust that both the governor and the Republican Legislature will continue to move Florida in the right direction and get Floridians back to work.
In the next legislative session, lawmakers will take up Scott's proposed $66.4 billion budget that includes $950 million aimed at private business, while letting 2,800 state workers go and eliminating another 1,700 currently vacant state positions.
The state continues to remain above the national average of 8.6 percent, which was reported two weeks ago.
The state announcement comes a day after the U.S. Labor Department announced that the number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped to its lowest level since May 2008.
U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, stated in a release that the federal government should follow Florida's example in reducing regulations that small businesses and job-seekers confront, along with expanding domestic energy production and reforming the tax code.
"An avalanche of new regulations, threats of tax hikes, and growing uncertainty from the federal government have held back Florida businesses that are trying to grow and hire new workers," Rooney stated in a release.
There are 32 Florida counties with double-digit unemployment rates in October, down from 34 in September. (For a state breakdown see here.)
In nonseasonally adjusted numbers, Monroe County has the lowest unemployment in the state at 6.4 percent, which is actually up 0.1 percent from October, followed by Liberty County, 6.6 percent, Okaloosa County, 7.2 percent, Walton County, 7.3 percent and Wakulla County, 7.6 percent.
Many of the counties with the lowest unemployment rates are those with relatively high proportions of government employment, the DEO release stated.
At the other end, the agriculturally dominated Hendry County has the highest employment at 15.1 percent, down from 16.1 percent in October. Others at the top end of the unemployment list are: Flagler County, 14 percent; Hernando County at 13.1 percent; Hamilton County, 12.4 percent; and St. Lucie County, 12.3 percent.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or (772) 215-9889.
