TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Unemployment claims in Florida continued surging Thursday — as did frustrations among the newly jobless who have struggled for weeks to file for financial relief amid the coronavirus outbreak that has crippled the state’s economy and sidelined much of its workforce.
The director of the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity took the unusual step Thursday of publicly apologizing for his agency’s failures and for the anguish it has wrought on thousands of Floridians unable to get unemployment benefits.
“From my heart, I apologize for what you’re going through,” the agency’s executive director, Ken Lawson, said during a teleconference hosted by two Democratic lawmakers.
Lawson said his office has received 1.5 million calls in the past week. A significant number has been over personal identification numbers needed to access the state’s website.
The number of people in Florida filing for unemployment benefits last week tripled from the previous week as the spread of the coronavirus forced more counties and cities to issue stay-at-home orders. The Department of Labor reported Thursday that 227,000 Floridians initiated unemployment claims last week, up from 74,313 the previous week.
In February, the last month before the coronavirus started spreading in Florida, the state’s unemployment rate was 2.8%, and 9 million Floridians were in the workforce
But those numbers are sure to change as they begin to reflect the economic havoc caused by the outbreak.
As of Thursday morning, Florida had more than 7,700 residents reporting infections, with deaths rising above 100.
On Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a statewide stay-at-home order to help contain the spread of infection.
Many, like Jay Mendez, have had little choice since being laid off from an accounting firm more than three weeks ago.
These days, he wakes to an alarm every morning reminding him to call the unemployment office in his daily struggle to finalize his unemployment claim.
“There’s no getting through, and to this day I still haven’t gotten through,” he said. Now without work, he said, “I have nothing else to do. I have days where I’ve logged in a hundred calls.”
He had the money to cover this month’s $1,450 rent for his one-bedroom apartment, but he said not much else is left.
“No one wants to use their savings for these things,” said Mendez 32, who also lost his part-time job at a restaurant. “I’m obviously worried about how I’m going to pay my rent and my bills.”
This week alone, the agency expects to receive about 56,000 claims.
The spike in applicants overwhelmed the state’s computer and phone systems, with many unable to complete their applications because of crashing websites or left hanging on calls.
The agency’s spokeswoman, Tiffany Vause, said earlier this week that her department is getting help from the U.S. Department of Labor to take advantage of the federal coronavirus aid package.
Meanwhile, the department has contracted with a customer care and technical support company that would add 250 more people to staff its call center.
Prompted by one lawmaker, Lawson said he would allow paper applications to be filed through the mail.
“Maybe sometimes we can get stuck on fixing the technology. What if we also did it the old-fashioned way?” the lawmaker, state Sen. Annette Taddeo, a Miami Democrat, said in an interview after her teleconference with Lawson.
She said working people are being punished through no fault of their own by a “government not functioning and doing its job.”
For many without deep savings, time is of the essence.
Lisa Wright, a 56-year-old newly unemployed software development consultant from Fort Lauderdale, deferred car and mortgage payments to conserve cash. She even charged her health care premium on her credit card.
“I’m trying to conserve my cash, because I don’t know how long this is going to be,” she said.
She hasn’t been unable to file her unemployment claim, she said, because she’s been locked out of the state’s website and can’t reach anyone for help.
“This should be so simple,” she said. Phone lines have mostly been busy. When she is lucky enough to get through, the call eventually disconnects without getting the help she needs, she said.
“No one can get the benefits if we can’t get through,” she said.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.