TALLAHASSEE – The number of unemployment claims in Florida dipped last week after an increase following Hurricane Milton.
The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 8,108 initial unemployment claims were filed in Florida during the week that ended Oct. 26, down from a revised count of 10,800 during the week that ended Oct. 19.
The total for the week that ended Oct. 19 was the highest since 11,341 claims were filed during the week that ended Oct. 15, 2022, after Hurricane Ian hit the state.
Milton made landfall Oct. 9 as a Category 3 storm in Sarasota County before crossing the state.
Florida also had a temporary increase in claims after Hurricane Helene, which made landfall Sept. 26 in Taylor County after causing extensive damage in coastal communities as it moved through the Gulf of Mexico.
After averaging 6,351 weekly claims earlier in the year, the total jumped to 9,556 during the week that ended Oct. 5, following Helene. A week later, the number dipped to 6,299.
The state has had a 3.3 percent unemployment rate from April through September.
The Florida Department of Commerce will release an October report on Nov. 15. Nationally, an estimated 216,000 claims were filed last week, down from 228,000 during the previous week.
