TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – First-time unemployment claims continue to increase in Florida, with an estimated 71,046 new applications coming in last week, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. From mid-November until the first week of January, the state averaged just under 27,000 new claims a week. During the week that ended Jan. 16, Florida had 39,226 claims, with the total growing to 62,818 during the week that ended Jan. 23. The federal agency initially estimated 57,824 claims during the week that ended Jan. 23 but revised the number Thursday. Florida’s increase in weekly claims came as 779,000 new applications were filed last week nationally, down 33,000 from the prior week.