Topic: Population

This week we learned that Florida's jobless rate is the lowest since 2008, proponents for a medical marijuana initiative met the threshold for the number of signatures to place the proposal on the ballot and the Department of Education released new academic standards -- basically the same as Common Core but with a new name.

Arianna Huffington opened the Florida Leaders Summit by noting the world is in a constant state of disruption but that people need to slow down and think before responding to what is happening. About 250 elected officials and policy makers are holding two-days of meetings in Orlando to discuss long-term goals for Florida.

A new study says small counties are lagging behind as the state puts most of its economic development efforts into boosting the big urban areas. What has developed, the report says, is "a sense of separateness and division" between rural and urban Florida. ... Related Research: Copy of the report, an executive summary and a statement and letter accompanying the report release.

Census Survey shows Florida is the top choice for relocation of residents of two other states and Puerto Rico. ... Related Research: Dec. 10, 2012 Release: Census Bureau Reports National Mover Rate Increases After a Record Low in 2011.

The Florida Association of Counties is hosting the meeting to discuss creating a consortium to help identify projects that could receive hundreds of millions of dollars in fines or a settlement of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. ... Related Research: Ocean Conservancy Flowchart: Distribution of Clean Water Act penalties to Gulf recovery per the RESTORE Act; and Florida Association of Counties RESTORE Act Meeting agenda for Sept. 19, 2012.

Still reeling from the housing crisis, Florida's economy will continue its slow growth in the next few years, according to a new forecast from the University of Central Florida. ... Related Research: The UCF Institute for Economic Competitiveness: Florida & Metro Forecast 2012-2042.

Florida added 5,300 jobs last month as the jobless rate dipped to 8.6 percent, the lowest since December 2008. ... Related Research: Access Unemployment figures for the State of Florida from 2010-Present.

Florida's economic growth slowed in 2011, and foreclosures continue to hamper the recovery of the real estate market. ... Related Research: Recent trends in Florida's labor force and population.

A quarterly index measures five categories -- employment, housing, credit, how families manage household budgets and net worth -- as it tracks the financial condition of the average U.S. household.

Beekeepers say active hive management is needed in rural and suburban areas to prevent more aggressive Africanized honeybees from spreading in the state. Suburban beekeeping has been curbed in some areas of the state.

More than 106,000 jobs have been added in the state since January.

A University of Florida study shows that while Florida had one of the leading growth rates in the nation in the last 10 years that rate has slowed down considerably.

A look back at some of this week's news.

The 2010 U.S. Census data released Thursday shows that Miami-Dade County remains the largest county and Jacksonville maintains its position as the state's largest city. The state's Hispanic population also grew by more than half in the last ten years.