TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s latest jobs report is adding economic pressure to an already volatile midterm landscape, giving Democrats new ammunition on affordability while Republicans lean harder into tax relief.
The state’s unemployment rate rose to 4.7% in March, up from 3.6% a year earlier, with 523,000 Floridians out of work. That puts Florida above the national jobless rate.
The state did add jobs month-to-month, but employment remains down 22,400 jobs over the year. Eight of Florida’s 10 major industries also lost ground.
Democrats argue the numbers reinforce their broader message that state leaders are not focused enough on everyday costs.
“We're here in special session, and there is not one mention of the unaffordability crisis of our state,” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said earlier this week. “People are leaving our state. We're number one state for unaffordability.”
Senate Minority Leader Lori Berman, D-Boca Raton, made a similar argument as lawmakers debated redistricting, passing a new congressional map on Wednesday.
“We shouldn't be spending our time on this,” Berman said. “We should be spending our time on what matters to Floridians about the affordability crisis.”
Republicans, meanwhile, are trying to counter those attacks by emphasizing tax relief.
State
Sen. Scott calls Florida's latest jobs report 'concerning'
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday continued pushing for property tax cuts to be placed on the November ballot, saying lawmakers would need to return for a special session before August to meet the deadline.
“People want relief,” DeSantis said.
He argued property taxes are one area where government can directly respond to rising costs.
“You've got — continue to have grocery prices that are high. Gasoline, I saw was $4.20, $4.30,” DeSantis said. “So how can we give relief to people? The one thing that the government controls, and this is local, so we got to go through the Constitution, is the property tax.”
Any property tax proposal would need approval from the Legislature before it could go before voters. At the moment, there is not consensus between the House and Senate on what that plan should look like.
The economic debate is also playing out nationally.
On CNN, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott acknowledged higher gas prices are painful but defended them as part of a broader security tradeoff.
“It's terrible that we have higher gas prices, but the trade off is we're going to live in freedom and democracy, and we don't have somebody that's a lunatic that's going to drop a nuclear weapon on her, on us,” Scott said.
Scott later posted the new jobs report online with a word of caution.
“This is concerning,” said the Republican and former governor. “Florida’s jobs numbers continue to get worse.”
Polling suggests affordability remains one of the biggest concerns for Florida voters. Emerson found 45% of Florida voters say they are worse off financially than they were a year ago, including a majority of independents. Other recent surveys have also shown housing costs, insurance, taxes and day-to-day expenses ranking high among voter concerns.
The issue comes into sharper focus as President Donald Trump visits The Villages on Friday, where his message is expected to center on tax cuts and economic growth.
For Republicans, the challenge is convincing voters relief is coming. For Democrats, the challenge is tying Florida’s economic anxiety to GOP control in Tallahassee and Washington. Either way, the question heading into the midterms is simple: are voters feeling what they are hearing?
