The chairman of the Citrus County Commission on Thursday sent a letter to Florida legislative leaders asking them to stop an automatic increase in the state’s unemployment taxes on employers.

County Commission Gary Bartell spoke for the commission when he wrote to Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater, House Speaker Larry Cretul, Senator Charles Dean of Inverness, Rep. Ronald Schultz of Homosassa and Senator Mike Fasano of New Port Richey, who represents Citrus residents along the Gulf Coast.

Bartell said that allowing the increase of the unemployment taxes would significantly harm the economic recovery and would only increase already high unemployment numbers. He said he was pleased to learn from a contingent of local citizens who attended Legislation Day in Tallahassee that the Citrus delegation supports a bill to head off the hike.

The state funds for unemployment ran out last year, causing the state to borrow from the federal government, and it triggered the automatic increase in the tax. Alarmed at the prospect and the effect on local businesses, Citrus County commissioners had voted unanimously to send the letter at their Feb.y 9 meeting.