Florida unemployment

Bill sponsor Sen. Jason Brodeur says he sought the $100 boost after seeing what other states are doing.

Some people who have lost their jobs during the pandemic are training for a new career at St. Petersburg College. Workers in the hard-hit restaurant and hotel industry are among those signing up.

Gov. Ron DeSantis outlined his plans for the $4.1 billion the state plans to spend from money received from the federal government, including funds to fix the state's troubled unemployment system.

Florida's biggest industry — tourism — is still hurting. But over the past year, the state has gained jobs in warehousing, delivery services, and home construction.

The state Department of Economic Opportunity reported Monday that Florida’s unemployment rate decreased to 4.8% in January, down 0.3 percentage points from a revised December rate.

Part of the reason is that tourists are next expected to flock to Florida in the coming months.

It now stands at 6.1%, below the national rate of 6.7%.

The state’s jobs agency had not posted a timetable about extended unemployment benefits, and no formal announcement had been made about whether Floridians will be covered for the current week because of when the $900 billion federal package was signed.

The state Department of Economic Opportunity on Friday posted a 6.4 percent jobless rate for November, equal to a revised jobless mark for October. The unemployment rate in November 2019, before the pandemic hammered the economy, was 2.8 percent.

Some states carved out single-day poll workers from being denied unemployment benefits. Florida did not.

Lawmakers in Congress are debating a second COVID-19 relief bill, and with that, more funds for the Paycheck Protection Program. In Florida, small businesses have exhausted money from the program and are waiting for more aid.

One state senator says DeSantis is manipulating data and "does not have this virus under control and has no interest in doing so."