Takeaways From Tallahassee — Return To Work (Video)

Return to work

When the pandemic hit, unemployment went through the roof.

The state had been flying high (or low, really), with employment rates hovering in the 3% to 4% range, a level below “full employment” — economist jargon meaning anyone willing and able to work has a job.

But things changed in March 2020, when unemployment jumped to nearly 5%. And then jumped again. And again.

At its peak in May 2020, the jobless rate stood at 14.2%, with more than 1.3 million Floridians out of work. The state’s jobless rate hadn’t hit double-digits since the Great Recession, which saw a 10.9% unemployment rate at its height.

The post-Great Recession recovery was a slow trudge. Not so with the pandemic, according to new and increasingly bright data from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

According to data released Friday, the state has recouped the vast majority — 76.8% — of the jobs lost when the coronavirus hit, and the unemployment rate has come back down to Earth.

DEO’s numbers, based on data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, DEO’s numbers show Florida’s unemployment fell to 5.0% in August, a 0.1 percentage point drop from July and a 2.9 percentage point drop year-to-date.

The new report also shows the state added 19,400 private-sector jobs over the month, extending the streak of job gains to 16 months. In all, DEO says, Florida has gained 990,400 jobs since April 2020.

Meanwhile, another 65,000 Floridians joined the labor force last month, making for 373,000 new additions over the past five months.

DEO credits the growth in jobs and workers to the state’s “Return to Work” initiative and notes that online jobs postings currently sit at 520,000 — a smidgen more than the 503,000 Floridians the department lists as being out of work.

“Under the leadership of Gov. DeSantis, Florida’s unemployment rate is decreasing,” DEO Secretary Dane Eagle said. “This positive sign shows that Floridians are returning to work, and Florida’s economy continues to provide opportunities for meaningful employment. I look forward to working with Floridians to continue these economic successes.”

Regional reports show Jacksonville’s unemployment rate of 4.3% is the lowest among Florida’s major metros. Tampa and Pensacola are also beating the statewide average with an August unemployment rate of 4.5%. West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Southwest Florida are also below the 5.0% mark.

And Orlando, the core of Florida’s hard-hit tourism industry, had an unemployment rate of 5.0% — a decrease of more than half from a year ago.

The lone laggard was Miami, which posted a 6.7% jobless rate, down from 9.1% year-over-year.

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Coming up, the usual assortment of tidbits, leftovers and not-ready-for-prime-time moments by Peter Schorsch, Drew Wilson, Renzo Downey, Jason Delgado and the staff of Florida Politics.

Take 5

The “Takeaway 5” — the Top 5 stories from the week that was:

DeSantis announces legislation canceling standardized tests — Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced plans to end annual standardized testing in schools, a move long backed by educators and the Governor’s latest top priority. DeSantis is eying legislation that would replace the Florida Standards Assessment with progress monitoring for the 2022-23 school year. “The FSA is, quite frankly, outdated,” DeSantis said. Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran similarly called the system “antiquated.” Despite concerns from critics, the DeSantis administration attests that accountability for teachers and schools will remain. Periodic progress monitoring would also allow teachers to correct course during the year.

State backs city employees against vaccine mandates — DeSantis and other state leaders rallied against vaccine mandates this week after Gainesville moved closer to firing unvaccinated employees. DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, and others expressed their support for city employees’ lawsuit against Gainesville. DeSantis has imposed a $5,000 fine for cities and counties requiring vaccines for public employees “for every single violation.” One city worker speaking at the rally made a false statement about vaccines. Despite standing beside the worker as the worker said it, DeSantis later denied hearing the misinformation.

Biden administration caps Regeneron therapy — The federal government is shifting how it distributes Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody therapy, and DeSantis is complaining that Florida will get half what it was initially. Florida currently uses a large share of the drug, but the Governor says that’s because he’s made it a priority. “There’s going to be a huge disruption, and Florida is going to suffer as a result of this,” he said. DeSantis had a phone call with leadership from GlaxoSmithKline PLC about buying some of its antibody therapy, sotrovimab. Trials show it reduces the risk of hospitalization or death in high-risk adults by 85%, compared to the 70% for Regeneron’s REGN-COV2. But sotrovimab can’t yet be given as a shot, making it slower.

Lawsuits against DeSantis administration mature — A federal judge rejected a preliminary injunction against DeSantis’ executive order preventing mask mandates in public schools in a lawsuit brought by the parents of children with disabilities. The parents argue that the order violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and the Florida Educational Equity Act. In a separate case, eight news organizations joined Democratic Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith in a lawsuit to demand the Department of Health release COVID-19 data. This week, the agency released county-level COVID-19 death data, which Smith said was not a coincidence. “The state has a history and a pattern of only releasing public records after they’ve been sued.”

COVID-19 kills 50,000 Floridians — Florida became the fourth state to cross 50,000 COVID-19 deaths, crossing a grim milestone 18 months into the pandemic. The last 10,000 deaths came in about a month. “I think it’s been a really tough year and a half,” DeSantis said Thursday. And he acknowledged that the delta variant wave had killed more younger people than earlier waves. “You had more people, law enforcement, fire. You had folks affecting families in ways that we’re not used to, so I think it’s been really, really rough.” With 229 deaths per 100,000 people, Florida has a higher death rate than California and Texas. New York, driven by a high concentration of fatalities in New York City, has a higher death rate than Florida.

Missing Children’s Day

The Gov., Cabinet and the FDLE Commissioner came together in Tallahassee this week to mark Florida Missing Children’s Day, an annual event held to remember Florida’s missing children and recognize the state’s child protection and abduction prevention efforts.

The event included an awards ceremony, too.

“Florida’s children are the future of our state and society, and we must work to protect them. On Missing Children’s Day, we raise awareness about children whose fates are unknown and whose parents hope for the best despite suffering unimaginable grief,” DeSantis said.

“I know that every day our law enforcement officers put themselves in danger to protect Florida’s children and seek to reunite those who are missing alongside Florida’s child advocates. We thank them for their work.”

All three Cabinet members provided somber reflections empathizing with the parents of missing children. Attorney General Moody, CFO Patronis and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried also thanked law enforcement for doing their best to find missing children and bring them back home.

Florida law enforcement agencies received more than 24,000 missing child reports last year, resulting in 34 Amber Alerts — the things that make your phone blare like an air raid siren when you least expect it. FDLE said a little over half of those alerts were blasted statewide.

The jump scares produce results: The 296 Amber Alerts that have gone out since the program launched have directly aided in the rescue of 77 children.

“The continued vigilance of Florida’s citizens is one of the best tools we have for protecting our children. From sharing active AMBER and Missing Child Alerts on social media to signing up to receive email or phone notifications about new alerts, to the actions of everyday heroes like today’s award winners, I am grateful for the efforts of our fellow Floridians who help to safeguard our children and work to safely bring them home,” FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen said.

The recipients of the 2021 Florida Missing Children’s Day Awards:

— John and Revé Walsh Award: Judy Thigpin

— Citizen of the Year: Robert Riley of Hillsborough County

— Combating Human Trafficking Award: Florida Highway Patrol Trooper John Ethan Ellerbee

— Local Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award: Volusia County Sheriff’s Deputy Royce James

— State Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award: FHP Trooper Darren Morgan and Cpl. David Flores

— Jimmy Ryce K-9 Trailing Team of the Year: Flagler County Sheriff’s Sgt. Frederick Gimbel and K-9 Holmes

— Law Enforcement Task Force of the Year: Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Task Force

— Commissioner’s Award: Tallahassee Police Department Investigators Elizabeth Bascom, Paul Osborn and Mark Ray; Department of Homeland Security Special Agent Eric Eick; Assistant State Attorney Lorena Vollrath-Bueno and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Spaven

— Evelyn D. Williams Memorial Award: Coral Springs Police Detective Jason Carter

— Bus Operator of the Year: Naesha Williams-Mathis of Leon County

More information on the award winners and a listing of current Amber Alerts are available on FDLE’s website.