From June 2011 to June 2012, Tampa Bay's unemployment rate dropped from 11.2 percent to 9 percent, according to new Labor Department figures.
That decrease gives the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area the country's second-largest unemployment drop for that time period, tied with Detroit. Only Las Vegas saw more improvement; its jobless rate fell from 14.4 percent to 12.1 percent.
Both Republicans and Democrats claim credit for Florida's improving economy. Nationwide, the unemployment rate is 8.3 percent.
