Report says 'green' jobs could energize Florida's economy

Green jobs could put Florida's unemployed back to work, a new report released Tuesday predicted. Investing in "clean" energy could produce 123,756 jobs in Florida, said the report from the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, which was commissioned by the Center for American Progress. "Shifting to clean energy will put more people to work and revitalize our economy at a time when many Americans are hurting," St. Petersburg City Council member Karl Nurse said in a press release. The report, released at a press conference in Largo, counted jobs that could be created by making houses and buildings more energy efficient, expanding mass transit and rail, constructing "smart" grids, and investing in biofuels along with solar and wind power.