• Duval County’s unemployment rate fell almost a full percentage point between March and April. The county’s rate in April was 11.56 percent, after being adjusted for seasonal factors by the University of North Florida Local Economic Indicators Project. That was down from 12.42 percent in March but still up from 10 percent in April 2009, according to LEIP. “It’s a step in the right direction,” said UNF economist Paul Mason, director of LEIP.
• Duval County had a labor force of 447,878 people in April, according to state numbers. That was down 1,552, meaning people dropped out over the month for reasons that could be discouragement in finding work or moving from the area. But the good news was that the number of employed people rose by 2,371 and the number of unemployed people dropped by 3,923. That means more people found jobs and fewer people lost them.
• It’s early, but City Council member Glorious Johnson has already attached her name to a J-bill for the 2011 legislative session. The bill seeks to amend a section of the City Charter to establish an ethics policy, ethics code and ethics commission that would govern the city’s five Constitutional officers.
• A few Council appointments of note: Stephen Swann is up for appointment to the Jacksonville Waterways Commission to replace former Waterways Chair and Council member Lynette Self. Also, Robert Jones III and Thomas Martin are both up for reappointment to the Taxation, Revenue and Utilization of Expenditures Commission.
• Team Teal sold 36 season tickets during its Thursday night event with Lennar Homes and the Northeast Florida Builders Association. For more on the event, see story Team Teal mixes with Realtors, builders.