Florida's unemployment rate in September improved slightly

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida's unemployment rate in September improved slightly.

State labor officials announced Friday that Florida's rate dropped to 10.6 percent, compared to 10.7 percent the previous three months.

Gov. Rick Scott is in Brazil on the first day of a trade mission and plans to comment on the small improvement later in the day.

The unemployment picture improved in Palm Beach County, Okeechobee County and the Treasure Coast.

Florida's unemployment rate had stagnated at 10.7 percent -- well above the national average of 9.1 percent. Florida was one of nine states in August that reported double-digit unemployment.

Nearly one million Floridians who remain jobless were looking for some good news in Friday's report.

The U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for weekly unemployment benefits had fallen to a six-month low based on its last four-week average.