Wednesday's Afternoon Update | 12/30/2020 Florida’s coronavirus economy: Down so long that things are looking up By many measures, Florida’s economy has turned around some since the the pandemic’s deepest hits in the early spring. The unemployment rate is less than half of what it was in March, state sales tax collections have picked up and Florida home sales are stronger than they were this time last year. But the rate and scope of further economic progress, experts say, will depend on the success of vaccine distribution and whether recently approved federal financial relief is enough to stave off another downturn. More from the Tampa Bay Times.