Sunshine Sentinel

In response to questions related to the governor’s decision to phase out the federal unemployment insurance bonus early, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press secretary referred the Sunshine Sentinel to a study conducted and published by Foundation for Government Accountability which called Florida “America’s Economic Powerhouse.”

"By March 2021, Florida employers had nearly 500,000 open jobs that they were desperately trying to fill — a record high," according to the report. "Despite these openings, there were three times as many Floridians on unemployment as there were prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was largely driven by federal unemployment bonuses and expansions furthered by the Biden administration that paid Floridians more to stay home than they could earn by returning to work. 

"Thankfully, Gov. DeSantis has led Florida through an unprecedented economic recovery — most recently by ending the federal unemployment bonus months ahead of schedule."

In late May of 2021, Florida was sending out over $400 million to claimants of unemployment, according to Fox Business. By the beginning of September, that amount declined by approximately 86%. After DeSantis announced the termination of the federal bonus, work search activity grew by more than 40%. From late May to late August, 1.3 million new workers were hired in the state — "nearly 400,000 of the new hires recorded in the first three weeks after the unemployment bonus elimination."

"The Florida economy has kicked into overdrive," Christina Pushaw Press Secretary for the Office of Ron DeSantis told Sunshine Sentinel. "This is in no small part due to Gov. DeSantis ending the $300 weekly unemployment bonus months ahead of schedule, as the bonus accounted for more than half of Florida’s unemployment spending in late May. As the bonus ended, Floridians quickly began searching for work, creating an economic climate where small businesses could fill open positions and create more jobs."

Pushaw went on to add that DeSantis has announced nearly $15 million in workforce education programs through Florida's Job Growth Grant Fund, an economic development program designed to promote public infrastructure and workforce training across the state. 

Since DeSantis took office in 2019, Florida has seen a nearly 50% increase in enrollment in high quality career and technical education programs and, in 2020, Floridians were awarded 15,000 more industry certificates than in 2019, a figure that is expected to continue growing, Pushaw said.

"Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, Florida’s unemployment rate is decreasing," Secretary Dane Eagle of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity said, according to Tallahassee Reports. "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."

Florida’s economy has grown by more than $60 billion from pre-pandemic levels, has gained almost 1 million jobs since April 2020, and over 500,000 businesses have been created in Florida since January 2021, according to Pushaw.

Sunshine Sentinel previously reported that current growth projections for Florida's economy show that it will soon be the tenth largest economy in the world if it were measured as an independent country.