WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — As the Trump and Biden campaigns ramp up their efforts in Florida, jobs are an important topic.
WPTV reached out to both campaigns for their plans on getting people back to work.
On the campaign trail across Florida, it is about getting employees back to work.
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Valerie White hears the speeches from both candidates.
"I like to hear the policies on both sides," White said.
She has been an out-of-work musician in Palm Beach County since March. White is among the thousands looking to the presidential race for some solutions.
"I like to hear they care about the gig workers," White said.
Before the coronavirus pandemic hit the country earlier this year, unemployment numbers in Florida and Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast counties hovered around 3 percent.
By mid-summer, the job loss was drastic, with many counties in double digits with unemployment.
By the start of the fall, there are signs of some recovery, but it is slow and there is the worry that some of the jobs are not coming back.
"I think this is the most compelling case the president has to make to the American people is both his economic record of what he has done in the past, as well as what is happening right now," said Steve Cortes, a senior adviser to the president.
He said the recovery from the pandemic shutdown is already underway.
"We have added over 11 million jobs back to the economy over the last five months, and once again, these are good jobs that pay well, 4.7 percent wage growth on an annualized basis right now. States like Florida, like your state, are leading the way," Cortes said.
State Sen. Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach, supports the Biden campaign.
"When you look at the Biden plan, he's got a plan that will put several million people back to work," Powell said.
The former vice president is looking at ending corporate tax cuts to help fund a reinvestment plan for the nation.
"With Joe Biden in office, with the 'Build Back Better' plan, it gives us an opportunity to reinvest in Palm Beach County, in the local community, because we send a lot of money away, and it's time we invest in people who will change the environment, change the state, change the economy," Powell said.
For both candidates, the final push is on, and jobs and the economy are key messages to voters.
