Gov. Ron DeSantis touted private-sector job creation Friday as Florida’s unemployment rate held steady from May to June.
The 3.4 percent jobless rate for June reflected 349,000 Floridians out of work --- down 4,000 from May --- from a workforce of 10.3 million, according to numbers released by the state Department of Economic Opportunity.
After the monthly numbers were posted, DeSantis issued a statement crediting the state’s “low taxes and reasonable regulations” for “fueling a strong private-sector job growth rate.”
DeSantis pointed to year-to-year gains in the categories of education and health services; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; construction; trade, transportation and utilities; and financial activities.
The state’s unemployment rate remains below the national rate, which ticked up from 3.6 percent in May to 3.7 percent in June. Among the state’s metropolitan statistical areas, the Crestview-Fort Walton-Destin region had the lowest jobless rate at 2.9 percent in June, while the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford area was at 3.2 percent.
The state’s overall rate is seasonally adjusted, while the regional rates are not. The highest rates were found in the metropolitan statistical areas for Homosassa Springs and The Villages, each at 5.2 percent.
The Panama City area, which continues to recover from Hurricane Michael, was at 3.9 percent. The storm-battered region started the year with a 6 percent unemployment rate.
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