Politics

Florida’s new unemployment claims go up for the first time in weeks

Published

6 hours ago

February 13, 2025

May Greene

Florida cut against the grain of the national trend, which saw weekly unemployment claims decline.

Florida’s new unemployment claims have increased for the first time in about a month.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reports there were 6,486 new jobless filings for the week ending Feb. 8 in Florida. That’s up from the 5,962 claims for the week ending Feb. 1, or an increase of 524 claims.

The latest Florida report is reversed from a relatively upbeat January that mostly saw declines in first-time unemployment filings. The final three full weeks of January each saw new claims drop.

The newest Florida report was also not in line with the national trend. First-time jobless claims decreased last week across the country. There were 231,006 new filings nationwide for the week ending Feb. 8. That’s down by 10,095 from the previous week, or a 4.2% drop.

DOL officials said that decline was larger than expected. DOL officials had expected a drop in new claims of 1,761, or a 0.7% drop.

National unemployment claim filings also declined year-over-year. There were only 223,985 new jobless filings in the comparable week in 2024.

Florida’s unemployment picture remains relatively solid, despite the slight uptick in first-time claims in the past week. The latest general unemployment rate is 3.4%, just a small uptick from the 3.3% rate seen in Florida through the Spring and Summer months.

Florida’s general unemployment rate has remained under the national jobless figure for 50 straight months. As of January, the national jobless rate was 4%.

Florida, meanwhile, continues to add jobs to the workforce, according to FloridaCommerce. December saw 17,900 private-sector jobs added compared to November. The number of private-sector jobs compared to a year ago has increased by 122,800. That increase outpaced the national private-sector job growth rate of 1.3% in the same time span.

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Politics

Florida is the top destination for snowbirds to flock during Winter

Published

7 minutes ago

February 13, 2025

May Greene

In news that will surprise no one recently cut off by a driver with a Canadian or New York license plate, Florida dominates a new list of best places for snowbirds to stay during colder months of the year.

That’s according to an analysis by FinanceBuzz, a financial management website. When listing the top 25 warm locales where Americans and Canadians like to spend their Winter months, Florida has nine cities in that elite bunch and accounts for the entire top 5.

Sebring was ranked the top locale for snowbirds in the U.S. FinanceBuzz analysts looked at 180 different cities using about two dozen factors to compile their rankings. Some of those elements include livability, affordability, temperature and climate, and culture and recreation.

The analysts compiled a scoring system to weigh those elements. Sebring racked up a 74.7 score, tops in the country.

“Sebring earned the highest overall livability score of any snowbird city. A low violent crime rate and very high walkability are major contributing factors in that regard, along with the fact that 44.3% of the population is over the age of 60, the fourth-highest rate overall,” the FinanceBuzz report said.

Sebring was the most affordable snowbird city in Florida, with a cost of living 17% lower than the national average. Average mortgage costs are just under $1,300 per month, among the lowest in the top 25.

The remaining top 5 cities included Sebastian, The Villages, Homosassa Springs and Naples. Punta Gorda, located in Southwest Florida, came in 10th.

The Villages outside of Orlando has the highest concentration of senior snowbirds, the analysis found.

“The Villages has the highest percentage of people ages over 60 in the U.S. as well as the most golf courses per capita,” the FinanceBuzz report said.

“While Florida tends to be among the first places people think of when it comes to snowbirds, Sunshine State cities only make up a little more than 50% of the top 10, according to our analysis. Looking at the full top 25 reveals even more diversity of choice, as only four additional Florida cities crack that list.”

Georgia had the second-most cities in the top 25, with four towns making the list. Texas and Alabama had three cities each in the top 25.

Other Florida cities in the top 25 included Panama City at 15th, Cape Coral at 18th, Port St. Lucie at 21st and Sarasota at 25th.

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Politics

Canadian national indicted for drone pics of Cape Canaveral

Published

38 minutes ago

February 13, 2025

May Greene

The suspect allegedly photographed Space Launch complexes, a payload processing facility, a submarine wharf and munitions bunkers.

The Middle District of Florida is taking action against a 71-year-old Canadian citizen who allegedly used unmanned aircraft to take pictures of Cape Canaveral Space Force Base.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Xiao Guang Pan is charged with “three counts of using an unmanned aircraft to photograph vital defense installations and equipment without authorization.”

If found guilty, Pan could serve up to a year on each count.

Over the course of three days in January, Pan is accused of photographing “vital defense installations and equipment,” including aerial photographs of Space Launch complexes, a payload processing facility, a submarine wharf and munitions bunkers.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Varadan is handling the prosecution.

The investigation is being led by Homeland Security Investigations, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the FBI, while the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Air Marshals Service, the NASA Office of Inspector General and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office are supplementing those efforts.

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Politics

Marco Rubio says Ukraine minerals could help defray U.S. war funding costs

Published

1 hour ago

February 13, 2025

May Greene

The United States could partner with the country once peace is secured.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet with Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy Friday in an attempt to wind down ongoing hostilities with Russia. And Donald Trump’s chief diplomat says the U.S. will be positioned to recoup at least some of the money spent backing Kyiv’s cause.

“The U.S. is going to have a stake in Ukraine’s long-term independence, and that should be anchored in an ongoing economic interest,” Rubio said on the “Clay and Buck” Show.

Rubio added that the stake could include “the ability to partner with Ukraine, a joint venture or something like that for their mineral rights, you know, all the natural resources they have.”

He also said “some of that money will go back to pay back the U.S. taxpayer for the billions of dollars that’s been spent there.”

The spend has been substantial. But the benefits could dwarf that.

Through the end of the last fiscal year, Ukraine response funding neared $183 billion. The Trump administration has proposed a deal worth $500 billion, which is under review by the Ukrainian government.

The potential accord comes as peace could be at hand.

Trump said this week that he had a “lengthy and highly productive phone call” with an eye toward moves “to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine” with Zelenskyy’s Russian counterpart, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Rubio, along with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, will “lead the negotiations” that Trump believes “will be successful.”

Expect a lot of parties to have a say.

Rubio said Thursday the team is “going to be talking to Ukraine and we’re going to be talking to all of our allies and partners in Europe and around the world regarding this as well.”

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