Florida Becomes Nation’s Inflation Hot Spot, Housing a Major Contributor

Florida has become the nation’s inflation hot spot.
Data released on July 12 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.2 percent in June, behind a 0.1 percent increase in May. Overall, there was an increase of 3.0 percent over the last 12 months before a seasonal adjustment.
However, inflation has recently slowed dramatically across the country, except for big cities in the Sunshine State.
The greatest increase is being seen in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area where the overall CPI is up 7.3 percent and housing is up 3.4 percent. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach have seen an overall CPI hike of 7.9 percent, while housing in these areas has risen 5.7 percent….