Tampabay.com
NOVEMBER 21, 2008

Florida unemployment hits 15-year high

Unemployment in Florida hit 7 percent in October. That's a jump of four-tenths of a percentage point over September and represents the highest jobless rate since December 1993. Florida's unemployment rate is also half of a percentage point higher than the national rate of 6.5 percent, and it is 2.7 percentage points higher than the same month of a year ago.

The new jobless numbers from the state Agency for Workforce Innovation will only compound the problems for Gov. Charlie Crist and the Legislature, who are expected to soon react to news from the state Revenue Estimating Conference on an upwardly adjusted budget shortfall that could reach $2.3-billion in the current fiscal year.

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