Department of Economic Opportunity

Rural areas are preparing for a much needed makeover to their infrastructure thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday.

Agencies that serve low-income Floridians couldn't access their funds, were on the verge of laying off staff

The Department of Economic Opportunity needs budget authorization to keep federal funds flowing to the Community Action Agencies

Two more state agency heads are stepping down from their posts as Gov. Ron DeSantis starts a new term.

The changes apply to people in counties that are under a Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster declaration.

The unemployment rate of 2.7% is unchanged from July. It means an estimated 293,000 Floridians were out of work last month.

The Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) says of the jobs initially lost during the pandemic, nearly 80% have been recovered. In addition, the agency's Deputy Secretary Adrienne Johnston says there are more people in the labor force now than in February of last year. But Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) says issues remain with the state's unemployment assistance system.

Florida’s jobless rate dipped 0.2 percentage points in December amid what state officials said is growing economic confidence as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

The state posted a 6.5 percent unemployment rate for October, which is down .7 percent over the prior month.

First-time unemployment claims continue to drop in Florida as the leisure and hospitality industries sluggishly revive during the coronavirus pandemic.