Florida
State Government
Governor
Ron DeSantis (R)
State Senate
12
Democrats,
28
Republicans
State House
36
Democrats,
84
Republicans
Economic well-being - Florida
Extreme poverty rate
0.1
Food insecurity
0.1
Minimum wage
13.0
Percent of working families under 200% of the poverty line
0.3
Poverty rate
12.0%
Unemployment rate
3.8
Number of Black or African American children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Number of Hispanic or Latino children living in families where no parent has full-time, year-round employment
Percent of individuals who are uninsured
10.9
Poverty by demographic - Florida
Child poverty rate
0.2
Number of Asian and Pacific Islander children below 200% poverty
31000
Number of Black or African American children below 200% poverty
445000
Number of Hispanic or Latino children below 200% poverty
628000
Senior poverty rate
12.1 %
Women in poverty
11,688,390
Sun-Sentinel, May 13, 2013: Nonprofit builds apartments for low-income seniors in Pembroke Pines
"Eligible seniors pay for the one-bedroom units based on their income. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides subsidies when needed. That means a one-bedroom at the building might go for $400 per month instead of an market value topping $1,000 monthly, developers said."
Tampa Bay Times, May 12, 2013: Principals key to change at five struggling Pinellas schools
"Three of the schools are getting a new principal, while two will keep their current leaders. Teachers are reapplying for their jobs, and at least one school already is advertising teaching positions for the coming year. The goal is to improve student performance by changing the school's culture. At high-poverty schools, where students sometimes are years behind their peers academically, the turnaround is an uphill slog."
Orlando Sentinel, May 12, 2013: For paltry pay, teaching assistants are unsung heroes in state's push toward excellence
"Many of Florida's 24,580 teaching assistants do the work for hourly pay that's low enough to qualify them and a dependent for food stamps. In Lake County, beginning assistants are paid an average of $12,571, according to a state survey last year -- an amount so low that a single person with a child would be below the federal poverty line."
Tampa Bay Times, April 16, 2013: (Op-Ed) Appalling cuts fall on needy children
"Sequestration already has forced cutbacks for the meals program that is a lifeline for some older residents. It will mean less money for our public schools with high percentages of low-income students. But it's Head Start that probably best illustrates the way we spend federal money, our generosity to older people and our stinginess to the young."
Sun Sentinel, April 14, 2013: (Editorial) A step too far on Bright Futures
"The future of Bright Futures isn't all that bright. Tough new standards will keep significantly more high school graduates from obtaining the state's merit-based scholarship. It's almost as if to save Bright Futures, state leaders are going out of their way to destroy it, especially for minority and low-income students."
Tampa Bay Times, April 11, 2013: (Op-Ed) Making futures bright for all
"All students deserve an equal opportunity to pursue a college education. State policymakers and Florida's public universities should be especially sensitive to the needs of black, Hispanic and other minority students, who attend many college campuses in numbers that remain far too low. However, the guidelines approved by Florida lawmakers in 2011 and set to take effect July 1 will ensure Bright Future's continued survival a highly uncertain outcome without this action."