Editor

Osceola County’s job outlook improved slightly in March, according to the latest report from Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation.

Published Friday, the report shows a 0.6 percentage point drop in non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in March compared to February, dropping to 13.1 percent from 13.7 percent, the first sign of improvement since the current recession began. The jobless rate for the county in March of last year was 10.1 percent.

The state non-adjusted jobless rate for March dropped to 12 percent compared to 12.3 percent in February; the rate was 9.5 percent in March 2009. The seasonally-adjusted rate went up slightly, however, from 12.2 percent in February to 12.3 percent in March.

The national jobless rate dropped as well, going from 10.4 percent in February to 10.2 percent in March.

Unemployment in the Central Florida metropolitan area, which includes Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, fell slightly: the March jobless rate was 12.1 percent compared to 12.6 in February.

The Central Florida metropolitan area was tied with West Palm Beach/Boca Raton/Boynton Beach as having the 13th highest jobless rate in the state. The Palm Coast area had the highest, at 16.6 percent, while the Crestview/Ft. Walton Beach/Destin and the Gainesville areas were tied for the lowest, at 8.5 percent.

Osceola County’s jobless rate was the 15th highest in the state, above Polk County at 13 percent, Lake County at 12.8 percent, Volusia County at 12.7 percent, Orange County at 12 percent, Seminole County at 11.4 percent.

Employment for the region increased by 6,400 jobs in March but was still 28,800 jobs below March 2009.

Streets to be closed

The city of Kissimmee announces that due to road construction, Burkhardt Construction will close the intersection at East Monument Avenue and Johnston Street/East Dakin Avenue, beginning Monday.

East Monument Avenue will be closed to all traffic starting at the east side of the railroad tracks, continuing east to Lakeshore Boulevard. Johnston Street/East Dakin Avenue will be closed from Ruby Avenue, continuing through to the Monument intersection. 

The road closure is associated with the city’s lakefront redevelopment project and will be in effect for approximately seven months.

For more information, contact Scott Murray, project manager at Burkhardt Construction, at 407-847-3737.

District to offer training session

for vendors

The Osceola County School District’s Purchasing Department will host a training session on how to do business with the district from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday, April 29, in the Media and Instructional Technology Training Room #1, 817 Bill Beck Blvd. (Building 2000), Kissimmee.

The training session will be an informative overview of the registration and solicitation process. Staff members will be available after the presentation for assistance with the registration process and to answer questions about specific commodities and services that the School District procures.

Call the Purchasing Department at 407-870-4630 for additional information and to reserve a spot for the event.

County installs speed control devices

Osceola County recently installed speed radar signs, also known as driver feedback signs, in the Indian Point community.

The signs are traffic-calming devices installed as part of a countywide effort to increase driver awareness and improve safety by slowing traffic throughout the county’s neighborhoods.

 “Our goal is that these signs will remind drivers to slow down and exercise caution, both for their safety and the safety of the residents in Indian Point,” Commissioner Michael Harford said.

In addition to the two signs at Indian Point, other solar-powered signs have been permanently installed in the Buenaventura Lakes area and in Celebration at a cost of approximately $4,700 each, which includes installation, county officials stated in a press release.

 “The signs will not only make motorists aware of their speeds when driving through our neighborhoods, but can also provide data which can be used to monitor speeds and traffic counts on the roadways,” Harford said. “This information could then be given to law enforcement to further discourage speeding.”

For more information, contact the Osceola County Public Information Office at 407-742-0100.