Deborah Reed is a single mom caught in the unemployment mess that has become the trademark of the Department of Employment Opportunity website.
The furloughed Wyndham Destinations assistant said she turned to relatives to help her support her 81-year old mom and teenage daughter after her savings ran out and her benefits never showed up.
“If it wasn’t for them I’d be on the street," she said, “I have nothing, I have zero, not one red cent!”
She provided the DEO with copies of her driver’s license, birth certificate and social security card along with a letter from Wyndham confirming she would be furloughed on April 4.
“I’m really frustrated,” she said, I have sent them everything, “I mean what else do they want besides my blood type.”
State Senator Linda Stewart (D) of Orlando has been critical of the web site glitches and delays.
Both Stewart and State Sen. Randolph Bracy (D) will hold a virtual news conference Thursday to discuss “obstacles still barring applicants from successfully obtaining benefits.”
Stewart has long been pushing for an extension to the current 12 weeks of unemployment benefits.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced this week the state has already paid out more than $2 billion in jobless benefits.
The Governor said the website was designed to handle 1,000 claims a day with a maximum of 5,000.
The frustration from News 6 viewers suggests the COVID-10 Pandemic has created what has amounted to a computer systems mismatch.
Reed told WKMG-TV that at one point she was disqualified because she did not look for a job, a requirement that was waived by the DeSantis administration weeks ago.
“All they can do is look at everything I can see and they say everything’s right, she said, “I feel that I have been left behind.”
She emailed her calculations to News 6:
- 8 weeks of UI ($275) = $2,200
- 8 weeks of PUA ($600) = $4,800
- Total $7,000
“I have received NOTHING. Can you pay rent, food, bills with nothing coming in?”, she wrote.
News 6 contacted State Sen. Victor Torres (D) District 15 to assist in sorting out Reed’s case.
She lives in his district.
If you would like to help Deborah Reed and her family or you have an issue to share, email Mike Holfeld: mholfeld@wkmg.com.