Tallahassee Sun

Gov. Ron DeSantis says his goal is to get Floridians back to work and he has done so by rolling back COVID-19 restrictions, which he says has allowed businesses to open and resulted in more jobs in the state. 

DeSantis has also reinstated the job search requirement to receive unemployment benefits, which many believe has spurred further job creation. The Sunshine Sentinel reported that DeSantis was planning to reinstate the job search requirement for any Floridian collecting unemployment. The federally increased cash unemployment benefits for low-income Floridians can amount to three times as much as what they were making in their original job

“You’re competing with the government. That’s not who we should be competing with for jobs," John Horne, owner of four oyster bars in Bradenton and a board member of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, told WFTS in reference to excessive unemployment benefits that some argue are hindering job growth. 

DeSantis himself praised the growth in the job market. 

“I think it’s pretty clear now we have an abundance of job openings" he said. "If you go to businesses, they want to hire people. Particularly in hospitality – restaurants and all these things."

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, hundreds of thousands of people left the labor force since the COVID-19 pandemic. In Florida, there were 460,000 fewer people in the labor force in March than last year at the same time, a 4.3% decrease. The labor force includes both employed and unemployed people. 

After signing an executive order lifting Florida’s remaining COVID-19 restrictions, DeSantis said in a news conference, “The fact is we are no longer in a state of emergency.” 

He has consistently been among the first governors to roll back what he considers job-killing COVID-19 restrictions.

CBS News reports that several other states are opting out of the extra federal unemployment dollars that have been offered by COVID relief packages. The governors of these states are doing so in an effort to incentivize people to get back on the job market.