Sara Girard

Unemployment is top of mind for hundreds of thousands of people in Florida as the Department of Economic Opportunity scrambles to get payments out. The DEO’s dashboard on Tuesday showed that more than half of claims have not been paid, and Gov. Ron DeSantis said the DEO is looking on social media and watching the […]

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is requesting an official investigation into the state’s unemployment system after countless problems have left people struggling during the pandemic. Fried said the state has spent 110 million in taxpayer dollars dealing with just some of the unemployment system’s failures. So many of you have reached out to WINK News, […]

The state’s unemployment website continues to leave many people in the region and throughout the state frustrated and without any payments. Florida says it has paid over 425,000 claims, which is about 45% of all claims. We continue to look at what’s being done to get people their money. A Tallahassee judge recently received 1,081 […]

The latest numbers from the state of Florida show that more than 45 percent of claims have been paid out to people seeking unemployment benefits since March 15. Now, lawyers are turning to the court in hopes of getting money into the hands of people faster. Two Tallahassee lawyers filed two class-action motions last week: […]

If you filed for unemployment through the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and were deemed ineligible, there may be some hope for you – but there’s a catch. You may still qualify for federal assistance, but you’ll have to reapply for benefits if you applied through the DEO on or before April 4. Tara Di […]

The state of Florida says 387,000 people have received unemployment benefits since March 15, and more people can expect money soon. The unemployment website went down over the weekend to help the state process more payments, but some people are learning their claims are ineligible. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that more money is coming, […]

Robert Kantor of Punta Gorda is a ride-share driver who’s been trying to apply for unemployment since March 16. “I cannot drive because I’m at high risk for coronavirus,” Kantor said. Friday, Kantor’s status finally changed from “completed” to “submitted.” As a gig worker, he’s supposed to be eligible for federal benefits. But he’s starting […]

As of Thursday, 17 percent of unique unemployment claims submitted in Florida have been paid, but the rest are left waiting. What’s the holdup? And why are some people who applied later getting their money first? “I have logged over 6,432 calls to DEO since March 21,” said Heather Dickerson. The unemployment system is leaving […]

More than a month after massive layoffs and furloughs, people in Florida are still waiting for their unemployment benefits. Some progress has been made – more than 108,000 claims have been paid – but that’s only about 16 percent of the total claims submitted since March 15. People are upset and frustrated over the application […]

There’s new oversight at the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity in an effort to revamp the unemployment system. WINK News Investigative Reporter Sara Girard spoke with Sec. Jonathan Satter, the person put in charge of making sure people are getting the assistance they are applying for. The governor asked Sec. Satter to get the results […]