Rising Fla. Unemployment Ties Record
Sunshine State Jobless Rate 2.2 Percent Above Nat'l Avg.
POSTED: Wednesday, March 10, 2010
UPDATED: 7:10 pm EST March 10, 2010
  |
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Florida has reached an 11.9 percent unemployment rate, tying a record high since the state began keeping track four decades ago.
Copyright 2010 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and ClickOrlando.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
VIDEO: Crist In Orlando
With the unemployment rate climbing, Gov. Charlie Crist was in Orlando Wednesday to sign a legislative bill that will keep the unemployment tax from rising for companies. The Agency for Workforce Innovation said Wednesday unemployment figures for January rose 0.2 points from the revised December rate of 11.7 percent, equaling a record established in May 1975. Many businesses said an unemployment tax increase would force even more layoffs. Crist defended against attacks from Senate race opponent Marco Rubio over the use of federal stimulus money. "If we hadn't had that stimulus money 87,000 of our fellow Floridians would be out of work today. What kind of cold-hearted person doesn't want those people to be employed and work?" Crist said.Alexander Roman is among the 10,000 Central Floridians filing new unemployment claims since January. He lost his job a few weeks ago and has been trying to find something new at Workforce Central Florida."I'm glad they have a place like this. I mean, it's very helpful. The computers, I don't have that. Phone, sometimes I don't have a phone," Roman said.Central Florida's unemployment is at its highest level on record at 12.4 percent, .5 percent higher than the state average.Crystal Dickens has been looking for work since last June. She said the job search has gotten tougher with each passing month."There's al ot of other people out there as well, and some of them may have better credentials than you," Dickens said.Crist is touting a 31 percent increase in home sales compared to last January, but many unemployed said that number does not mean much to them. Florida's figures are 2.2 percentage points above the national average of 9.7 percent. Watch Local 6 News for more on this story. Copyright 2010 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and ClickOrlando.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The views expressed are not those of clickorlando.com, WKMG or its affiliated companies. This is a community moderated forum (Please note the 'Flag' button). By posting your comments you agree to accept our Terms of Use.
blog comments powered by Disqus
Local 6 has uncovered new information about the investigation into the death of a kickboxer after a match at an Orlando hotel.
A teenager is taken to a hospital after he was shot in the face at a Central Florida apartment complex.
As Casey Anthony prepares for her upcoming death penalty trial on first-degree murder charges, a mental health expert has begun examining the 24-year-old.
A Georgia fisherman caught hundreds of gators on video during a feeding frenzy. Experts say these frenzies are rarely seen by humans. (July 28)
A Virginia man has been charged with 2 felonies after he admitted to pouring bleach into his co-workers' coffee and soda. (July 28)
As Casey Anthony prepares for her upcoming death penalty trial on first-degree murder charges, a mental health expert has begun examining the 24-year-old.
A grand jury will review the case after authorities found two dead premature babies in a septic tank in Alabama. The mother says first responders flushed them. (July 28)
A teenager has been charged with poisoning her mother's Kool-Aid, possibly with Lysol.
Next time you're golfing, make sure to wear your sunglasses so your eyes aren't overloaded from these horrendous golf pants.
For two decades, rock stars and VIPs have stopped by Orlando's Hard Rock Cafe. Check out some of the superstars in our slideshow.
How has Oprah Winfrey changed over the years? Click into our slideshow to see the many looks of the talk show legend.
It's something for everyone: A slideshow of wild stories where you have the choice of watching the video clip at your workstation -- or not! 
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
