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OAKLAND PARK, FLA. (WSVN) - Frustrations continue to mount for unemployed Floridians who are seeking benefits and money from the state, as they continue to experience issues with the state’s flawed unemployment website.
Linda Schonning has reached a breaking point as an independent contractor, and she has not worked since the start of the pandemic.
“[Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is] not telling us the truth,” Schonning said. “Why can’t the governor just come on TV and say, ‘OK, this is what’s really going on?'”
After weeks of waiting and trying to navigate the state’s unemployment system, she finally got through Monday morning, but her claim was denied.
“So now, I guess I have to reapply,” Schonning said. “It says I can’t reapply until July 1. What am I supposed to do about May and June?”
Jenni Foxx, a DJ, said she has been unable to find work since mid-March and has also struggled with the unemployment system.
“There’s always a question as to whether it’s deliberate fraud or sheer incompetence,” she said.
Foxx said she spent hours trying to navigate Florida’s unemployment assistance website, only to be deemed ineligible.
Then she tried to call, at least 79 times on Monday
“I threw my phone off the balcony,” she said. “Sometimes you get through, and then you’re on hold for 10 to 15 minutes before they hang up on you.”
Schonning and Foxx are among the tens of thousands of Floridians who continue to struggle to apply for benefits.
“I called, no answer,” Priscilla Sawaya said. “I send them emails, it comes a message as a error. That’s ridiculous! Then, they keep saying that they’re helping. They’re not helping anybody.”
Michael Hart has also tried to receive his unemployment benefits, but after losing access to the website this weekend due to a system upgrade, he said the same problems persist.
“It’s set up for you to fail,” Hart said. “They set it up, so they can deny you. I feel like they’re not concerned. They’re not doing enough.”
Although South Florida’s congressional delegation does not have the power to step in, they are trying to pressure DeSantis to take swift action to help jobless Floridians. They said the flawed website and lack of call center employees are not solely to blame for the hundreds of thousands of claims yet to be processed.
“He can choose to believe this is only a mechanical problem solved by possibly improving a poorly designed, badly broken website, or he can recognize there is a systemic problem that must be adjusted at the very least during this unprecedented crisis,” U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said.
During a news conference Monday, DeSantis continued to blame the pandemic for the state’s unemployment problems, but after weeks of problems, he said things are starting to move forward.
“This is an unprecedented number of claims,” DeSantis said. “This weekend we were able to process another 300,000 claims and payments. That is going to be hitting people’s bank accounts today and tomorrow.”
However, for Schonning and Hart, the governor’s promise is one they’ve heard before, and they are not buying it.
“Please, help us, help us understand what you’re doing to us, and how frustrating it is everyday to go on and see nothing,” she said.
“They’re just constantly making excuses instead of cutting that check and giving it to the people,” Hart said.
According to the state, nearly two million unemployment benefits applications have been submitted, and a little more than 800,000 of them have been verified, but 46.9% of them have been paid out as of Monday afternoon.
Monday night, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity said they have made “significant progress” processing claims this past weekend.
The spokesperson also addressed the situations where applicants are deemed ineligible. Her statement reads in part, “During this process, many individuals were deemed ineligible for state Reemployment Assistance benefits. There are numerous reasons someone could be deemed not eligible for state Reemployment Assistance benefits, including wage base period issues, lack of wage history, among others.”
The spokesperson went on to say, “We would recommend anyone who has a question on their claim to call the Call Center.”
For more information about the DEO’s Reemployment Assistance Program, click here.
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