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As the days pass by no one is certain where The United States of America's economy is headed, even after the massive bail out Wall Street has yet to stabilize.

Here in Florida the outlook remains grim. Despite a welcome drop in fuel prices, homes are still being foreclosed, jobs are being cut and more Floridians are struggling to stay afloat in these hard times. While citizens struggle the Florida Government has yet to lay down a long-term plan to create new jobs. Unfortunately for us, the solution isn't simple, as we must start to look beyond the traditional industries of construction and tourism and begin to draw a plan to bring business to Florida.

The largest problem right now is job availability and those in competition for jobs. The labor force continues to grow while employment falls, thus increasing the unemployment rate at a drastic level.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics most recent data shows Florida's labor force increased by 107,600 workers in six months between April and September. In this same time, those actually employed in the labor force decreased by 47,400 workers. Because of this, unemployment in Florida increased by 154,900 workers in the same six months.

Volusia County is being hit especially hard, while the state as a whole has a 6.6 percent unemployment rate as of September, Deltona, Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach have a 7.2 percent unemployment rate. But the problem in Volusia is different than what the state is experiencing as a whole.

The number of jobs has stayed relatively the same while the labor force has increased. Volusia County's five-year economic plan ended back in 2007, with no new outlook created for our future. Without the ability to create any new jobs Volusia stands still, unable to utilize thousands of workers.

With the lack of new jobs Florida government has yet to do enough to jump-start our economy. Back in August Governor Charlie Crist launched Accelerate Florida: Extending Florida's Economic Horizons, a plan that set out to increase the spending of a nearly $30 billion budget to build roads, bridges, schools and water services.

The hope of the plan was to create tens of thousands of jobs while the government searched for a long-term economic solution. Not until Oct. 15 did Gov. Crist announce that the Florida Department of Transportation would accelerate 179 road projects, however, the total amount for the projects would only use 1.4 billion of the budget. Although the 179 projects are forecasted to create 39,000 short term jobs, it's too little too late.

Even though Gov. Crist made a step in the right direction with the Accelerate Florida economic plan he continues to fail to address hundreds of thousands workers still unemployed. Floridians are still being left in the dark as to what Gov. Crist plans may be, only hinting at discussions with Floridian business leaders to gain insight on current problems and possible long-term economic solutions.

As the days go by our unemployed workforce continues to grow, leading many to question if Gov. Crist is the right person to lead Florida out of the economic crisis.

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