Unemployment taxes will double

Currently scheduled rate hikes would increase minimum unemployment taxes from $72.10 to $171.70 per worker next year.

In 2009, some employers paid $8.40 per employee. News Service of Florida estimates 220,000 employers pay the minimum in state unemployment taxes.

Alternatives to the steep hike being proposed by opponents include a temporary postponement, as well as industry-specific breakdown of rates. In 2011, the 52,000 employers with the highest total unemployment insurance payments paid out $961 million in claims, against $314 million in premiums paid, according to the News Service of Florida.