Florida lawmaker seeks to address unemployment issues

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many have individuals have sadly lost their jobs and income for the next couple of months.

This has caused an influx of Floridian’s filing for unemployment, leading to a great deal of issues.

Florida residents have been experiencing issues with the process of filing for unemployment as well as how long they may claim unemployment.

According to WPTV, State Sen. Randolph Bracy, Orange County Democrat, sent letters to the Speaker of the House and president of the Florida Senate on Wednesday.

His letter requests a special session for Florida lawmakers to address the issues associated with filing for unemployment.

The issues that must be addressed include the slowness of the website and how long people can claim benefits.

As of right now, Florida residents can claim unemployment benefits for only 12 weeks while other states allow 26 weeks.

In attempt to remedy the issue, Governor Ron DeSantis has made paper applications available for individuals who cannot access the website. State workers are also training to assist with the current backlog of unemployment benefit calls.