After three months of decreasing in the spring, the unemployment rate in Florida increased in July and August as the Sunshine State continues to lag behind the rest of the nation in terms of economic recovery
The Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI) announced Friday that the unemployment rate rose yet again to 11.7 percent, an increase from July when it stood at 11.5 percent. Out of the 9,229,000 workers in the pool in Florida, 1,084,000 remain unemployed.
The national rate also increased to 9.5 percent -- but 55 of Floridas 67 counties have higher unemployment rates.
Hendry County in the southern part of the state led Florida with 20.6 percent unemployment. Flagler County, nestled between Jacksonville and Daytona Beach on the Atlantic coast, placed second with 16.4 percent unemployment. Indian River, St. Lucie and Hernando counties rounded out the five counties with the largest unemployment rate in the state, all of which had rates of 15 percent or more.
Despite the oil spill in the Gulf that plagued Florida this summer, some of the counties with the lowest unemployment were nestled in the Panhandle. Liberty County had the smallest unemployment rate at 7.5 percent, followed by Walton, Okaloosa, Lafayette and Monroe counties.
"There are still positive indicators of recovery," said Cynthia Lorenzo, the director of AWI. "This is the second consecutive month with an increase in the number of jobs from the previous year.
Historically, mixed signals from economic indicators during the bottom of a recession are common until the economy recovers, insisted Lorenzo. Fluctuations in rates of unemployment and job growth are typical examples.
Politicians quickly responded to the announcement.
"Today's unemployment news is a sober reminder that too many Floridians are still unable to find work and provide for their families, said U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, the Democratic nominee in the U.S. Senate race, who blamed the economy on Republican policies including the tax cuts backed by President George W. Bush in 2001 and 2003. The recession has hit Florida hard and too many families are struggling to get by.
Sen. John Thrasher of Jacksonville, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, insisted that the continuing unemployment showed a need for cutting taxes.
With the news of Florida employment figures continuing to drop, it is absolutely crucial that we remain focused on tax cuts, reducing government regulation and incentivizing businesses so that we can see a rise in employment, said Thrasher, who added he would introduce measures in the next session that can help Floridas economy get back on track. Independent small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and we have to focus on ways to bring businesses back into the black so they can employ Floridians and grow our work force.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
