Florida unemployment rate drops to 4.8% Share Updated: 8:22 PM EDT Mar 15, 2021 Share Updated: 8:22 PM EDT Mar 15, 2021 Hide Transcript Show Transcript WESH 2'S BOB HAZEN EXPLAINS WHERE UNEMPLOYMENT STANDS IN OUR AREA, AND WHERE WE NEED TO IMPROVE. BO THIS HAS BEEN A BUSY START TO SPRING BREAK HERE AT UNIVERSAL LOTS OF TOURISTS IN TOWN AND IT'S THAT KIND OF CROWD THAT COULD HELP CENTRAL FLORIDA CRAWL OUT OF THE ROUGH JOB MARKET. IT'S A LONG AWAITED TRIP FAROUK SYED BROUGHT HIS FAMILY TO ORLANDO FROM TEXAS THEY RECENTLY GOT THE COVID VACCINE AND HE TOLD ME THEY NEEDED A VACATION. >> WE HAD TO GO OUT AS A FAMILY DO SOMETHING TOGETHER BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN MORE THAN A YEAR. BOB: FROM CHOPPER 2, WE COULD SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL THE SAME WAY IN FACT UNIVERSAL REACHED CAPACITY AROUND NOON. THAT SENTIMENT IS WHAT MANY IN CENTRAL FLORIDA'S ECONOMY ARE BANKING ON THE STATE JUST RELEASED ITS LATEST JOBS NUMBERS FOR JANUARY, AND OVERALL IT'S GOOD NEWS. THE JOBLESS RATE DROPPED TO 4.8%. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MONTHS, OSCEOLA COUNTY DIDN'T HAVE THE HIGHEST RATE IN THE STATE, THOUGH IT WAS STILL NUMBER 2 AT 7%, ORANGE COUNTY WAS IN KNIGHTS. -- IN NINTH PLACE. BUT WITH THEME PARKS STILL NOT AT FULL CAPACITY AND MANY HOTEL ROOMS EMPTY WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. >> WE'RE CONTINUING TO SEE SOME JOB LOSSES IN THE LEISURE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY. BOB: CENTRAL FLORIDA LOST OVER 172,000 JOBS FROM THE SAME TIME LAST YEAR MOST IN HOSPITALITY. >> WE KNOW IN JANUARY THERE WERE SOME ADDITIONAL LAYOFFS IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY RELATED T