In this awful interest rate environment, it's hard to find decent CD rates, and that's especially the case for Florida. I found a couple of competitive CD and IRA CD rates at First Florida Credit Union. You can find higher rates at all-access credit unions based in other states, but if you prefer a branch visit, this may be a better option. One good deal at First Florida Credit Union is its 45-month certificate which has a 1.59% APY. Another good one is its 5-year certificate which has a 1.89% APY. This can be raised up to 1.99% APY for Executive Gold Club and Golden Rainbow Club members. Minimum deposit is $1,000. These rates are listed in the certificate rates page as of 4/17/2012.

One thing nice about First Florida Credit Union is that its field of membership includes a large part of Florida. Membership is open to anyone who lives or works in the following Florida counties: Baker, Broward, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Leon, Orange, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Nassau, Seminole, Wakulla, Gadsden, Madison, Jefferson or St. Johns. Please refer to the credit union's About US page for more details.

First Florida Credit Union branches are located in the cities of Jacksonville, St Johns, Tallahassee, Orlando, Pembroke Park and Miami. The credit union is also a member of CU Service Centers which allows you to perform many banking transactions at other credit unions in the CU Service Center network.

The credit union has an overall health score at DepositAccounts.com of 5 stars (out of 5) with a Texas Ratio of 4.42% (excellent) based on December 2011 data. Please refer to our financial overview of First Florida Credit Union for more details. The credit union is federally insured by the NCUA (Charter # 61170).

How These CD Rates Compare

There are a few other Florida credit unions where you can find higher CD rates. One is City County Credit Union which is offering a 2.01% APY 5-year CD. All of its offices are in Broward County, but its field of membership covers a big chunk of Florida (see post).

If you don't mind opening accounts online or by mail, you can find higher rates at certain all-access credit unions.

The highest 4-year CD rate that's nationally available is 2.07% APY at Melrose Credit Union.

The best 5-year CD rate that's nationally available is 2.36% APY at Michigan State University FCU. This requires a $100K minimum deposit. If you have a military connection, you may be able to qualify for Air Academy Federal Credit Union which has a 2.45% APY 5-year CD for a $10K minimum deposit.

These rates are accurate as of 4/17/2012.

Searching for Top CD Rates

To search for nationwide CD rates and CD rates in your state, please refer to the best CD rates section of DepositAccounts.com.