Florida jobless rate flat even though state lost jobs
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Florida lost 5,000 jobs in February while the state's overall unemployment rate remains unchanged.
State officials announced Friday that the jobless rate remained 5 percent last month. That's higher than the overall national unemployment rate of 4.7 percent.
After leading the nation in job growth in January, however, Florida lost jobs. Still Florida's overall job growth rate in the past year has been among the highest in the nation.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott lauded the job numbers during a visit to a Bradenton-based retailer Bealls. Scott focused on the rate over the last two months not the latest numbers.
Scott also used the visit to criticize House Republicans for voting to shutter the state's economic development agency.
Monroe County had the state's lowest unemployment rate at 3.1 percent.