DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

Jakia Albritton, owner of a one-woman commercial and home cleaning company in Titusville, called News 6 to help her access her prize money.

A retired Melbourne woman issued two checks to the Department of Economic Opportunity’s trust fund after receiving unemployment overpayment notices totaling $850.

As the House begins to revamp economic-development programs, Florida’s aerospace agency would draw more direct oversight, with the governor controlling its board of directors.

The secretary for the misdemeanor division of the public defender’s office in Viera lost a hefty $5,000 lottery prize to pay part of an unemployment overpayment issued by the Department of Economic Opportunity.

An apparent mortgage account mix-up with the DEO’s Homeowner Assistance Fund nearly forced a single mother and her family out of their Lake Placid, Florida home.

A 72-year-old Titusville woman and her daughter found themselves on the brink of foreclosure after Homeowner Assistance Funds issued by the Department of Economic Opportunity went missing.

Two Florida men in two different cities each won $1,000 playing lottery tickets then lost the cash prizes to the Department of Economic Opportunity the day they went to collect their holiday cash.

A preliminary review by News 6 found several residents have experienced similar cases where Homeowner Assistance funds paid by the DEO could not be accounted for.

Charlene Renaud is the first to admit she was ready to leave 10 weeks of back unemployment benefits behind.

Since late February, the Department of Economic Opportunity has navigated a post-COVID financial lifeline for more than 11,000 homeowners across the state.

The thrill of winning an instant lottery prize turned to unexpected disappointment for Mike Everett, Maria Sanchez and at least 13 other Florida Lottery winners who were told their prize was garnished by the Department of Economic Opportunity to cover unemployment overpayments.

At the strike of midnight Saturday, the Department of Economic Opportunity’s successful Homeowner Assistance Program will stop accepting new registrations from Florida homeowners seeking financial help.

Peter and his wife Nanette told News 6 they borrowed money and depleted 10 years of savings waiting for the Department of Economic Opportunity to issue Peter’s unemployment benefits dating back to September 2020.

Carsa Craighton has been waiting since December 2020 to have more than $4,000 in state unemployment benefits reissued to her Way2Go debit card after the Department of Economic Opportunity took the funds back.

As of Thursday, May 26, Reemployment Assistance claimants now have the option to verify their identities for Reemployment Assistance accounts directly with a “live human agent.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis is holding a news conference Friday morning in Williston.

This is the latest edition of the Make Ends Meet newsletter.

DeSantis awarded $5.4 million for public infrastructure improvements and to support manufacturing.

The IRS has set up special hours at its taxpayer assistance center in Maitland with no appointment required.

The fight to change Florida’s sexual assault law appears to be destined to fade away this legislative session, leaving a potential loophole for anyone accused of raping someone incapacitated by drugs or alcohol.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is holding a news conference in Vero Beach.

The latest version of unemployment fraud showed up in the files of a Central Florida commercial real estate company as 18 people filed claims for a company they never worked for.

In October, Baker landed what she thought was the perfect at home job offer but it turned out to be a scheme she has seen dozens of times since.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is holding a news conference Monday morning in Madison, Florida.

Jason Baker is one of thousands of Florida unemployment claimants experiencing an old-fashioned paper chase for a 1099-G tax form.

Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference Friday in the Florida Panhandle to give out millions of dollars in relief funds to communities in northwest Florida.

The Department of Labor is planning to develop job training and workforce programs to address the specific needs of cities coast to coast, U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh told News 6.

John “Jack” Sullivan never thought he would be collecting unemployment benefits at this stage of his life, but at 78 years old, the retired sales manager not only needed benefits, but was “stuck” waiting for those benefits since August 2020.

A veteran Volusia County Schools paraprofessional recently discovered her Department of Economic Opportunity account had been hacked by an imposter.

John Marlatt said the process to reapply with the Department of Economic Opportunity was made worse by long waits on the telephone and frustrating delays.

Beverly Jerome and her husband have been caught in a state unemployment “return to work” issue dating back to Sept. 22, 2020.

Florida residents hit with an overpayment notice for Reemployment Assistance benefits between March 1, 2020, and Sept. 4, 2021, through no fault of their own, will not be going to collections.

Sara Marie, of Fort Myers, is one of thousands of Florida residents tired of waiting for unpaid unemployment benefits, wondering if they will ever get paid.

A single mother of three and a man have been living the same Department of Economic Opportunity benefits delay for the last 6 months.

Instead of a check for $1,000, a Titusville waitress received a check for $175 with an explanation that the missing funds were directed to the DEO because of an unemployment benefits overpayment.

A local audio engineer and his family are out of sync after trying to acquire his “expired” benefits from the Department of Economic Opportunity for the past six months.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis makes an announcement in Niceville.

When Orange County Fire Rescue veteran Erik Siena lost his 5-month battle with brain cancer this past May, his wife Cristy filed for the death benefit provided under Florida Senate Bill 426.

A new multi-authentication system debuted by the Department of Economic Opportunity Thursday receiving a mix of happy and very frustrated claimants.

An ambitious security protocol launched by the Department of Economic Opportunity is aimed to help protect claimants in Florida.

“The system does work when you have people like you trying to help people like us,” Brown said. “You give us a voice.”

The department is working on a timeline of 5 business days to update and reset accounts as information is reviewed and account holders are contacted.

The funding to Port St. Lucie will contribute to over 5,000 jobs in the area.

The Department of Economic Opportunity says there was a data security incident involving potentially fraudulent activity connected to claimant accounts within the Reemployment Assistance Claims and Benefits Information System, commonly known as CONNECT.

Anna Maria Brown’s unemployment benefits have been stuck in “pending status” because a five-day job with a Miami pet clinic last October triggered a returned to work status from the Department of Economic Opportunity.

Lisa and David Fontana never imagined they would be dependent on state unemployment benefits when they moved to the Orlando area from Chicago in 2020.

The couple told News 6 there were no problems with their DEO accounts until they “recertified.”

An Orlando police reserves officer has been suspended over claims he misused state unemployment funds, department and city officials confirmed.

Effective June 1, unemployment claimants will be required to search for work to continue collecting unemployment benefits.

Francisco Mojica admits he never would have survived the past four months without the financial help of his mother because he had no access to state or federal unemployment benefits.

Navarro had been fighting to get access to thousands of dollars in state and federal benefits since November 2020.

Gov. Ron DeSantis will make an announcement in Polk County.

Victoria Thomas is the first to admit she was driving on a suspended driver license in 2018 but she cannot explain why that event prompted the Department of Economic Opportunity to suspend her state unemployment benefits.

A single mom facing divorce and mounting bills is in the middle of six-month stalemate with the Department of Economic Opportunity to receive $6,700 in back unemployment benefits. Jada Jordan, a physical therapist assistant, told News 6 she lost her job in July 2020 but was deemed ineligible for unemployment benefits until October 2020 because her salary did not meet the minimum earned in the previous quarter. “I have not gotten one payment,” a frustrated Jordan said. Even though her DEO account status shows it is active-eligible, Jordan has never received the benefits to which she is entitled. News 6 presented Jordan’s unemployment documents to the DEO office in Tallahassee this week.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s unemployment website Connect will be unavailable Friday to process claims, according to the state Department of Economic Opportunity. The DEO announced Thursday afternoon the reemployment assistance customer service center and the Connect portal would be down for all of Friday, March 26. The website will be down as the DEO works to process pandemic unemployment assistance benefits made available through the most recent federal coronavirus relief bill. It is the first time that weekly applications for jobless aid have fallen below 700,000 since mid-March of last year. Since last March, the Florida DEO has processed more than 5 million claims seeking unemployment benefits and paid out more than $24 billion to claimants, much of that from federal funding.

The state Department of Economic Opportunity reported Monday that Florida’s unemployment rate decreased to 4.8 percent in January, down 0.3 percentage points from a revised December rate. AdFlorida initially reported its December unemployment rate at 6.1 percent, but that number was subsequently revised to 5.1 percent. “But towards the end of the year and continuing in January, we’ve seen people coming back into the labor force. The Jacksonville metropolitan area was at 4.4 percent, and the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area was at 4.6 percent. The statewide 4.8 percent unemployment rate is seasonally adjusted, while the local rates are not.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Cyber thieves are using 3D masks in their latest attempt to access billions in state and federal unemployment benefits. Blake Hall, CEO of ID.me, an identity verification company, told News 6 the masks are being used in roughly 2% of the new jobless applications across the country. “In our system, you actually have to have a phone that ties you to your identity in your records,” Hall said. “On that control alone we are stopping 20% of fraud.”Hall said the thieves are using innovative techniques to crack state unemployment systems because the financial return is so lucrative. Ron DeSantis acknowledged the cyber-attacks targeting the state’s unemployment system calling them relentless, adding the current Connect system needs to be fixed.

The 95-page draft report by Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel focused on the Department of Economic Opportunity’s CONNECT unemployment system, which cost $78 million and began operating in 2013. The system largely crashed last spring when it was inundated with claims as businesses shut down because of the pandemic. Ken Lawson resigned as department director in August, a little more than four months after DeSantis put Department of Management Services Secretary Jonathan Satter in charge of shoring up the CONNECT system. AdMiguel’s report awaits review and comments from vendors linked to CONNECT, including Deloitte Consulting, which was a major contractor. Deloitte sought to distance itself from the unemployment system last year, replying to a potential class-action lawsuit in June by saying it has had “no connection” to the online system in more than five years.

Department of Economic Opportunity Director Dane Eagle presented an aggressive blueprint to revamp the struggling Connect unemployment system on Monday with a proposed expense sheet of $73.3 million over the next two fiscal years. According to Eagle, the money is needed to invest in cloud migration, software architecture and business process optimization along with more than 430 new employees to meet the anticipated high level of unemployment claims. Eagle’s presentation came before the Senate Select Committee on Pandemic Preparedness and Response followed by a rigorous round of questions by the committee. The independent consultant’s audit included a stark comparison of initial unemployment claims for eight years between Jan.1, 2012 and March 14, 2020 and the 11 months that followed. During the eight years, initial claims reached 4.2 million while the 11 ”pandemic months” from March 15, 2020 to Feb. 10, 2021 saw 5.3 million claims.

Sources told News 6 DEO Director Dane Eagle had expected to make the presentation to the Senate Appropriations Committee to present the anticipated cost of revamping the system. They include retain the already existing system, custom development of a new system, a so called commercial off the shelf system, or another state agency system. One plan presented is spending about $155 million over the next two years to improve and modernize the current system. Stewart predicts the cost of revamping the current system could easily exceed $10 million that would be added to the $119 million the state already invested into the system last year. State Sen. Randolph Bracy plans to be all ears Monday when Florida’s DEO Director presents the findings of a recent audit regarding the state’s aging unemployment system.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Alicia Warren and Alexandra Marshall blame the Department of Economic Opportunity for leaving their families without thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits. Warren, a single mother of three, told News 6 she earned about $184 at a temporary job with Manpower USA only to lose the job after a week. “I just got a letter (from DEO) saying, ‘Congratulations on returning to work,’” Warren said. “I thought, Are you kidding me?’”Finding work to fit her children’s schedule has been a challenge for the Orlando resident. Hamrick said holding onto to a full-time job with benefits will be difficult despite Florida’s easing jobless claims.

Josephine Otero said the long 30-week wait for her unemployment benefits forced her into a financial black hole with a lot of bills and no way to pay them. News 6 reviewed her account and found the payments owed were listed as payable until the week ending May 23, 2020. News 6’s unofficial review of her records found Otero is owed roughly $18,000 in state and federal benefits spanning 30 weeks. “Every time I call they say it’s due to the pandemic (the delay), that they’re working on it,” Otero said. On Thursday, DEO spokesman John “Trip” Farmer said the account was reviewed this week and the findings were in Otero’s favor.

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Denisse Higgins-Tuffley says her business as a courtroom analyst for insurance defense cases went from flourishing to flat when COVID-19 forced courts to shut down last year. When her business came to a halt, she told News 6 she applied for unemployment benefits, complete with 1099 tax forms. “I have a spreadsheet and it looks like they owe me $14,000,” the frustrated courtroom analyst said. She told News 6 the DEO needs a separate website to accommodate self-employed workers who find themselves out of work and in need of weekly benefits. The DEO is usually able to update accounts presented by News 6 in five business days.

WINTER PARK, Fla. – Bonnie Nasset, 70, of Winter Park, had been waiting for jobless benefits since July despite being told her Department of Economic Opportunity unemployment account was active and eligible. “They’re ignoring me!”The semi-retired gig worker was taking temporary jobs in Orange County for Kelly Services in 2019 and the start of 2020. | Fifth-largest lotto jackpot up for grabs]However, in the middle of March 2020, the job opportunities stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Everything (on the DEO account) says ‘hold, hold, hold.’”Nasset said she refused to give up and turned to News 6 as her last hope. This would never have happened w/o your effort.”If you have an unemployment issue email: makeendsmeet@wkmg.com or mholfeld@wkmg.com

Much to his surprise, he said he was unable to get unemployment benefits approved because of a denial for benefits dating back to 2008. “I haven’t seen any back-pay,” a frustrated Brulotte told News 6 from his home. News 6 contacted the DEO’s outgoing press scretary Paige Landrum, who was able to get Brulotte’s account updated in 24 hours. On Saturday, Brulotte told News 6 his bank account had a $5,000 deposit from the DEO just in time for his 51st birthday. “You were my last hope .”The DEO is working to update cases as quickly as possible.

The single mom applied for unemployment benefits when she was furloughed from her job in April but was forced to reapply when it was discovered her application was not in the system. “Finally when I got through to somebody all the way in August, they tell me they can’t find my claim,” Kelly said. She refiled for benefits in August but the DEO never adjusted the claim to reflect the weeks she was actually out of work. “It shows that I have weeks available but I can’t claim those weeks,” a frustrated Kelly said. A DEO representative called her on Monday and was able to back date her unemployment file so she will be eligible to collect benefits for April and May.

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Ann Shepard has been fighting to save her Fort Myers home by renting out her bedroom for the past nine months. [TRENDING: Record-setting attractions coming to Orlando | Bacteria halts swan boats | Snake and eggs for breakfast]She’s been sleeping on a mattress on her back porch since April. The confusion over her job status with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity was triggered by a temporary job that lasted less than a day. “I know unemployment is not the answer,” a tearful Shepard said. Supervisors with the agency reviewed her account status and were able to deposit $1,500 in unemployment money into her account Tuesday.

Vaughn Tucker has a high stakes unemployment mystery on his hands. According to the unemployed single father, 16 federal unemployment checks were sent to his Windemere apartment but were never delivered to his mailbox. “I have to be able to eat, I have to be able to feed my son,” the former Disney resort worker said. The agency is tracking the checks to determine if they were lost, stolen, or cashed by someone else. DEO Press Secretary Paige Landrum said there was an issue with the address in the system.

Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity website Connect may be weeks away from being tossed and replaced if Florida lawmakers like State Sen. Linda Stewart, (D) of Orlando, and State Rep. David Smith, (R) of Seminole County, have their way. The two are part of a growing number of legislators who want the aging system replaced by new technology that would be capable of handling the anticipated demand for state unemployment benefits. Several lawmakers including State Rep Anthony Sabatini, (R) of Lake County, and State Rep Randy Fine, (R) of Brevard County, said they want to see what is most cost effective first. DEO director Eagle said he hired ISF INC., an IT and strategy firm, to investigate the Connect system. He also plans to ask the legislature for an additional 108 employees to train on the Connect system.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The long wait for unemployment benefits in the state of Florida is the reality of a system that handles “thousands of claims every week,” according to the Department of Economic Opportunity Director Dane Eagle. In an exclusive interview with News 6, Eagle said he has already hired 200 additional people to assist residents who have filed unemployment claims but he admits he is about to ask Tallahassee for more reinforcements. “Each one of them aren’t going to be able to flip the light switch and get them their claim," Eagle said. Ron DeSantis two months ago and since then has been working to improve response and investigate the much-maligned Connect system, the link used to file claims for unemployment benefits. The former state legislator said while the unemployment claims are slowly going down, there were another 67,000 new claims last week.

“The last time I was paid (by the Department of Economic Opportunity) was the week of July 5 to July 11,” she said. News 6 found the DEO website had the mother of two listed as having been discharged from BR Interviewing . When COVID-19 hit she was furloughed after just one month on the job. The Department has put together this video to help claimants navigate their CONNECT inbox. If you have an unemployment benefits issue send an email with a copy of your DEO account to makenedsmeet@wkmg.com

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Stephan Golub never imagined a job application with the Census Bureau would leave him ineligible for unemployment assistance from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity for 11 weeks. He applied for the position to earn extra money but because of COVID-19 the hiring process was frozen until August. “I was on their [Census Bureau] files to work for them but never did,” Golub said. Golub presented Census Bureau records that confirm he was deemed ineligible for the job because his residency had changed from Orange to Seminole County. The agency had Golub listed as “returned to work” leaving his current unemployment benefits claim of 11 weeks or $1,500 in payments on hold.

PALM COAST, Fla. – Jennifer Perry has seen her Palm Coast condominium evolve from a five-star Airbnb to a reservation casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Before COVID, I was 100% booked,” Perry told News 6. [READ MORE: News 6, DEO help single mom unlock 12 weeks of unemployment benefits | News 6, DEO unlock unemployment account ‘suspended’ for 17 weeks]“I’ve lowered my prices probably 20-30%,” Perry said. Perry told News 6 she has been waiting seven months for some sort of financial relief. "It’s not even a matter of frustration, I’m worn the heck down.”DEO Press Secretary Paige Landrum said Perry’s case is unique.

MARION COUNTY, Fla. – Casey Thorner operated a prosperous home cleaning service in Marion County until COVID-19 created a wave of cancellations and forced her to file for unemployment benefits with the Department of Economic Opportunity. “It was like my whole world shut down,” Thorner told News 6 from her Ocala home. “I filled out my (unemployment) application, obviously I put this is how much I made,” she said. News 6 presented the records to the DEO’s Tallahassee office last week in an attempt to move the account review along. "There are great people at the DEO just as frustrated as we are, Thorner told News 6.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Department of Economic Opportunity sent five unemployment checks to the home of 25-year-old Allison Crock last month but the Orlando single mom discovered every check was made to the order of Allison Clark. “They have Allison right and Clark as my last name and it’s Crock,” she said. She said she had been waiting for checks since April when the five checks worth nearly $7,000 were delivered to her Orlando home over a few days last month. “They say, ‘I’m sorry ma’am we can’t cash these because you have the wrong last name.’”News 6 contacted the DEO’s Tallahassee office to present the Crock-Clark wrong name story. DEO press secretary Paige Landrum was able to get it to supervisors to review the account.

ORLANDO, Fla. – P.F. Chang’s China Bistro warned the Department of Economic Opportunity of mass layoffs, saying 289 workers will be impacted across three Central Florida locations. [TRENDING: Newlywed couple killed in plane crash | Ballot for dead wife meant to ‘test system’ | FSU president tests positive for COVID-19]With the reduction of hours and unforeseeable business circumstances, P.F. These layoffs impact dozens of hosts and hostesses, cooks, bartenders, servers, operating partners and even senior sous chefs. “Any reduction in the notification period is a result of the unforeseeable business circumstances and economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Kimberly Kleckly has been fighting to get her state unemployment benefits restarted after a two-day training session for a new job was cut short because she tested positive for COVID 19. “Two days of training and that was it,” the frustrated mother of five told News 6. Her DEO account listed her as “returned to work,” leaving her unemployment benefits on hold. “I asked to speak to a supervisor and then they told me to be patient, they’re backed up,” she said, “I have like 12 different lines with the date and it’s saying hold, hold ,hold, hold.”News 6 contacted the Department of Economic Opportunity to bring attention to Kleckly’s status. If you would like to help her family or you have an unemployment issue, email us: makeendsmeet@wkmg.com

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Department of Economic Opportunity will be temporarily taking down the online portal where Floridians can apply for unemployment benefits in order to fix some errors that have been causing glitches for users. The Connect system will be unavailable beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday until 8 a.m. Thursday. [TRENDING: Trump supporter hit girl in face, deputies say | This Central Fla. city is the best place to live | Were 3 Orlando cops poisoned?] Records show that more than four million claims have been filed between then and now, nearly 3.8 million of which have been paid out. If users still have trouble accessing the Connect portal after it returns online Thursday, they’re asked to call the customer service center at 833-FL-APPLY.

For 17 weeks, Eugene Rosenquest waited for some response from the Department of Economic Opportunity to issue much needed unemployment benefits. He said his DEO account had been suspended after an apparent mix up that left the account claim status suspended and the monetary status pending. On Thursday, Landrum said Rosenquest’s account was already under review. News 6 reviewed his DEO account and confirmed the funds were issued on Thursday. If you have an unemployment benefits issue, email us at makeendsmeet@wkmg.com

News 6, DEO unlock unemployment account ‘suspended’ for 17 weeksPublished: September 18, 2020, 7:27 pmFor 17 weeks, Eugene Rosenquest waited for some response from the Department of Economic Opportunity to issue much needed unemployment benefits.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. State Rep. Dane Eagle was appointed as executive director of the state's employment agency on Wednesday, a little more than two weeks after barely losing a Republican primary for Congress in a heavily GOP district. The agency was widely criticized for long delays in paying out unemployment benefits after the economy tanked during the coronavirus pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of people waited weeks and sometimes months for benefits from the glitch-ridden unemployment system after suddenly losing work amid the outbreak. But Crist dropped out of the Republican primary, ran as an independent and lost to Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Lawson remained as director of the Department of Economic Opportunity, but management of the unemployment system was given to Department of Management Services Secretary Jonathan Satter.

Ron DeSantis is applying to participate in a federal unemployment assistance program so people currently receiving at least $100 in benefits can be eligible for another $300 a week. The Lost Wages Assistance Program was created by an executive order signed by President Donald Trump earlier this month. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is authorized to spend up to $44 billion in disaster relief money for unemployment benefits. So that will happen.Once approved, benefits will be retroactive to Aug. 1. Florida has had massive problems with its online unemployment application program, so much so DeSantis ordered an investigation into the company hired to create it.

The DEO told her a question regarding possible fraud triggered a rejection for her first application for benefits in March. She said she was told to file again and was approved for state reemployment benefits but denied Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). Her DEO unemployment claims sheet confirms she started receiving state and federal jobless benefits on June 6. DEO press secretary Paige Landrum said because Black was eligible for state jobless benefits, the PUA benefits were no longer available to her. According to the DEO reemployment assistance claims dashboard, an estimated 651,000 claims are still listed as ineligible but 95%of Florida’s jobless claims have been paid.

Pamela L. Fuller, 63, has been living an unemployment “nightmare” because her five-month wait for unemployment benefits ended with checks made to the order of Pamela L. Miller, not Fuller. “I sent in a paper application with my correct name,” Fuller told News 6 during a Zoom interview. In July a series of state and federal benefits checks along with a debit card were delivered to her home -- all made out to Pamela Miller, not Pamela Fuller. “It’s terrible, I’m about to lose my car, I have no insurance, I have health issues and I need my medicines,” she said. News 6 presented her case to the DEO and within 48 hours, the agency reviewed and corrected the mistake.

The Busch Gardens restaurant supervisor told News 6 the DEO notice indicated there were some issues that suggested she might not be eligible after all. When she called the DEO to get some answers, she said the conversation with the woman checking her account was very confusing. ”I said, ‘I just received two checks from you guys.‘”Brannon’s W2 confirms she has been an employee with Busch Gardens and is eligible for unemployment benefits. The single mom of a 17-year-old boy said she has worked for Busch Gardens for “nearly 23 years” and was surprised to see a list of employers and a Social Security number that didn’t match her personal information. Brannon’s account was locked due to duplicate claims (one with a wrong social security number), but our team has been in contact with her and we have resolved her issue,” Landrum wrote.

MELBOURNE, Fla. – When Nicole Finn blamed the Department of Economic Opportunity for a mistake that cut her weekly food stamps to $16, the News 6 community responded with a wave of generosity. During a Zoom interview this week, she said she never expected the amazing public response. “From the bottom of my heart, I’m so appreciative and grateful.”The News 6 report featuring the Melbourne family’s plight exploded on YouTube with more 117,000 views along with views on ClickOrlando.com . “It seems so much has been done within the past few days, it’s incredible,” Finn said. She plans to pay off June and July with the help of News 6 viewers.

The Melbourne woman said she was furloughed from Land and Sea Inc. on March 24. Finn said she had turned to a daily food line at the Sherwood Elementary School because she has no other options. “I’ve been calling at least 50-times a day if not more,” she said of the DEO call center. If you would like to help Nicole and her family or you have an unemployment issue email makeendsmeet@wkmg.comThere is a form available to fast track DEO cases. Have you received any payments as of yet (State, Federal, or both)?

Domestic and international hackers have targeted unemployment accounts from Florida to Massachusetts, redirecting funds to bank accounts changed without the knowledge of the account holder. 31-year-old Robert Nobrega Jr., a furloughed staffer with Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek Hotel, discovered his Department of Economic Opportunity account was changed to have funds issued to a new bank account without his knowledge. Somebody went into my account on June 9 and changed the information, Nobrega told News 6. Why didnt the DEO tell me someone had changed my account? The DEO was able to track the deposit to the phantom account and the funds were frozen.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Brandi Simmons and her family are holding on to hope and her husband’s part-time wages to cover the mortgage and car payments as the wait for her unemployment benefits goes into week 10. “We’re at risk of homelessness, we can’t pay our mortgage,” Simmons said. “As soon as I would get disconnected (on the phone), I would call right back,” a frustrated Simmons said. I have contacted Ms. Simmons directly, and have escalated her concern to our liaisons with the Department of Economic Opportunity. We are hopeful that DEO will find some resolution to her issue.”If you would like to help Simmons and her family or you have an unemployment benefits issues, send an email to makeendsmeet@wkmg.com.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. A company hired by the state to handle phone calls from jobless Floridians seeking unemployment benefits answered less than half the calls it received over a two-month period, records obtained by News 6 show. Titan Technologies handled 41% of the 3.9 million phone calls DEO transferred to the company's agents between April 6 and June 8, state records show. On May 18 alone, DEO received about a million phone calls, according to Satter. About a quarter of those calls were routed to Titan Technologies on that date, state records show. Nearly 2,000 agents working for Titan Technologies answered almost 32,500 phone calls on May 18, records indicate, amounting to about 15% of the calls offered to the company that day.

My account is locked, a dejected Perry told News 6. " This is the first time in my life I have been embarrassed to be a Floridian, Perry said. Torres said the DEO staff members have been caught in a system never designed to handle demand to deliver unemployment checks. Perry is one of dozens of Disney employees still waiting for jobless benefits to be released. Definitely theres a lot of people hurting.Perry said he is grateful for what News 6 and Torres have done to bring the unemployment issues to DEO supervisors.

ORLANDO, Fla. Christine Ramas journey from furloughed to jobless may finally have a positive development after her status on the Department of Economic Opportunity website was changed Tuesday from pending to eligible. This morning I woke up to a change in my status, a cheerful Rama told News 6. "Its just a failed system, the frustrated Rama told News 6. After two and a half weeks, Rama finally had some good news. State Rep. Linda Stewart of Orlando said her office has experienced the same delays with so-called escalated constituent cases.

ORLANDO, Fla. The Department of Economic Opportunity reminded Floridians to not claim benefits checks received after the date the claimant returned to work. The DEO website shows if you applied for unemployment before March 15, 2020, you may continue to request benefit weeks up to when you started working. Anyone who applied for benefits from March 15-May 9 should contact the call center at 1-833-352-7759 to cancel the claim, according to the DEO. The DEO said a person should VOID and return any check received past the date they returned to work to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The DEO also said payments will stop processing if weeks stop getting claimed.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida agency that handles unemployment benefits said they recently had a “data security incident” that may have compromised information from Floridians seeking unemployment. The incident exposed full names and Social Security numbers of some people who have applied for unemployment benefits, according to the Department of Economic Opportunity. The Department of Economic Opportunity said they had to deal with a data security incident associated with reemployment assistance claims, otherwise known as unemployment benefits, according to the DEO. When people apply for unemployment benefits they must include personal information, including names, addresses, and social security numbers. How did the security incident happen?

— Florida DEO (@FLDEO) April 29, 2020People have reported issues accessing their CONNECT account or attempting to re-apply for pandemic unemployment assistance benefits on the website Tuesday and Wednesday. According to the DEO, the CONNECT system updates once a day and due to nightly maintenance processing claims the system is only available from 8 a.m. to 7:59 p.m. More than 404,000 payments have been made totaling $553 million as of Tuesday evening, the last time the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity dashboard was updated. Satter, Florida Department of Management Services secretary, was tapped by the governor to lead the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity through its coronavirus unemployment surge. In a request for answers about the CONNECT issues some users reported to News 6 the DEO had not responded as of this report.

Many who filed on the state's outdated website in March have been waiting five or six weeks with their claim stuck in pending status. However, the state's website has a large disclaimer noting that requirement has been waived due to the pandemic. However, some of those rejected, if not most of them, will be eligible for $600 a week in federal unemployment benefits. Under the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, gig workers and other independent contractors like Uber drivers and massage therapists who may not be eligible for state unemployment benefits are nonetheless eligible for the federal benefits. She knows she doesn’t qualify for the state benefits, but meets the criteria for the federal virus assistance.