Tampa, Lakeland tops for jobs

The Tampa and Lakeland areas recently claimed the state's top spots for job creation, according to the latest state employment data.

The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area posted a gain of 40,500 jobs over the year ending in November. That was the biggest over-the-year growth in the number of jobs of any metropolitan area statewide, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

On an annual-percentage basis, the Lakeland-Winter Haven area posted the biggest annual-percentage gain in employment in the state, with 4.1% growth.