Florida loses 78,000 jobs -- worst in U.S.

Florida led the nation in job losses over the past year. But the unemployment rate actually fell slightly from May to June. sandron@MiamiHerald.com It wasn't long ago that Sun Belt states like Florida and Texas attracted a steady stream of newcomers from up north, pushing their economies ever forward and creating new jobs. Now, it would seem, the Sunshine State and the Lone Star State have parted ways. Florida led the nation in lost jobs over the past year, with 78,100, according to figures released Friday by the U.S. Department of Labor. Texas, on the other hand, had a job-creation bonanza, adding a whopping 245,000. Florida's rising cost of living has slowed the state's growth. And the recent housing boom has left South Florida with a large inventory of empty homes and condos -- and little call for construction workers to... [read full story]