OAKLAND PARK, FLA. (WSVN) - With thousands of South Floridians being out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic, they have been trying to apply for unemployment benefits, but their frustrations with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s system have continued to mount.
FDEO spokesperson Tiffany Vause said they are working on fixing the glitchy system that was not designed for an avalanche of unemployment applications.
“The folks at the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity are working around the clock,” spokesperson Tiffany Vause said. “They’re working overtime. They’re working on Saturday and Sunday, throughout the week, to make our system work better.”
For weeks, people have been going to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s website to file for unemployment, but getting through has been difficult.
“In early March, there were 5,000 people filing for unemployment assistance in our state, and now, there’s over 100,000 people a week filing for unemployment assistance in our state,” Vause said.
Kevin Goodwin lost his job bartending two weeks ago. Like many, he’s having trouble resetting his PIN number.
“It’s just aggravating, frustrating, all at the same time,” he said. “If you haven’t used the system within 90 days, you must request a new PIN, and that’s where the problem is.”
However, Vause said resetting PIN numbers is important to the user’s security.
“So that no one tries to commit fraud, and so that no one tries to claim unemployment, especially at a time like this, under someone else’s social security number, so we are asking folks to be patient,” Vause said.
The state said it is now hiring an additional 250 people to reset PIN numbers and help with calls, and it is adding server capacity, so more people can get through.
Goodwin said, “It makes you think, ‘You know, what kind of a system is this?'”
A state audit warned Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis about the site’s system errors in 2019.
“You’re talking about a capacity for that agency that is so far beyond what they’ve been able to do,” DeSantis said. “I’m going to get a report on that sometime today, but basically, my direction has been, ‘Don’t spare any expense, hire who we need to hire in order to be able to get this done.'”
For those still trying to get through, the department has some tips for them, such as going online at off hours.
“I would say 10, 11, 12 o’clock at night and super early in the morning 4, 5 a.m., 6 a.m.,” Vause said. “Use Internet Explorer. The system does not work as well in Google Chrome, so we highly recommend using Internet Explorer.”
The state promises that if people are eligible, they will get all the funding they are entitled to.
The department is urging those to keep trying to get through, and it said some career centers across South Florida are doing virtual interviews for jobs.
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