Florida lawmakers propose stricter unemployment benefit rules amid rising joblessness

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

Florida lawmakers are considering Senate Bill 216, which would impose stricter requirements for collecting unemployment benefits as the state's jobless rate rises to its highest in four years.

Career Source of Southwest Florida has installed hotlines that connect directly to the unemployment office in Tallahassee to assist those filing for unemployment.

"Hotlines, if you will, that our staff can directly connect a customer to the unemployment office," said Amy Hannah-Eckenrode, director of Career Source, an agency that helps people find jobs. She noted that the agency is very active in all of its centers as people continue to seek employment.

Despite the current rise in unemployment, it is not as severe as the levels seen in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic caused hundreds of thousands to lose their jobs, leading to a crash in the unemployment system.

Community activist Vanessa Britto, who helped thousands secure their benefits during that time, said, "We haven't fixed the problems within the system that existed when COVID began." She added, "People still become unemployed, not at the same numbers. It's never really changed or gotten any better, there's just less people having to deal with the system."

Senate Bill 216 would require individuals to apply for jobs weekly, attend three or more job interviews a week, and return to work after being temporarily laid off. Not doing so would result in lost benefits.

Democrat Anna Eskamani criticized the bill, saying, "We're making a bad situation worse. At the end of the day, Florida's unemployment system is still broken." She noted that her office continues to receive complaints, with the only difference being fewer people are tapping into the system.

While Democrats view the new bill as a roadblock, Republicans argue it is necessary to prevent fraud. "The bill is great. I think it is something that is needed. Unfortunately, public assistance fraud is never zero," said Dane Eagle, former head of the Department of Economic Opportunity, who was brought in to address the system's failures but has since left the public sector. He added, "It's gotten a lot better. Government is never perfect, unfortunately, but I'm proud of the work we did."

These proposed changes to unemployment come as Florida's unemployment numbers reach some of the highest levels seen in the last four years, with Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties now experiencing over 5% unemployment.

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