Florida’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in January 2012 was 9.6 percent, the lowest since March 2009 when the rate also was 9.6 percent, according to the state Department of Economic Opportunity on Tuesday.

The state’s unemployment rate was down 0.3 of a percentage point from December 2011. The U.S. unemployment rate was 8.3 percent in January.

More to come.

Read about Florida's private-sector job growth here.