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Florida unemployment rate drops to 4.8 percent

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida's unemployment rate is dropping.

State figures released Friday show unemployment was 4.8 percent in March, down from 5 percent the month before. Florida added 6,200 jobs over the month.

But the state's unemployment rate is still higher than the national rate of 4.5 percent.

There were 483,000 jobless Floridians out of a labor force of 10.1 million.

Monroe County had the state's lowest unemployment rate at 2.8 percent, followed by St. Johns County at 3.3 percent and Okaloosa and Wakulla counties at 3.5 percent.

Hendry County had the highest unemployment rate at 6.4 percent, followed by Sumter County at 6.1 percent and Citrus and Hardee counties at 5.9 percent.