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Ten Florida residents have filed a class action lawsuit against Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity alleging that the state has deprived them of real and personal rights by prematurely cutting off federal unemployment benefits.
In May, DeSantis announced the state would end the $300 a week extended federal unemployment benefits program, saying that the program incentivized people not to work.
However, the Florida unemployment class action lawsuit says that rather than getting people back to work, ending the benefits before they are set to expire in September left un- and under-employed Floridians unable to cover basic living expenses, such as housing, utilities, food, health care, and child care.
The claim adds that the governor cut off the benefits for “purely partisan and political purposes.”
Gia Cuccaro, one of the plaintiffs, was a paralegal for three decades and is now facing eviction. Heather Fulop, a single mom, had her job as a neonatal ICU registered nurse eliminated during the pandemic, according to the Florida unemployment lawsuit.
Plaintiff Lori Beth Ertel was self-employed prior to COVID and was doing accounting work for small businesses, the claim states. “Since COVID, many of those businesses have closed leaving her without clients. She has sent out many job applications with no response. She tried to apply to work at McDonald’s, but was told that she is overqualified and they were worried that they would train her and she would leave when she found something better.”
Without the $300 a week payment, Ertel only gets $125 a week in benefits, which makes it impossible for her to pay her utilities, electric, cable, phone, and car insurance, the Florida unemployment lawsuit adds. She was forced to move in with her adult daughter and 7-year-old granddaughter.
Florida is one of 26 states that have prematurely cut off the weekly federal unemployment payments. However, Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) Labor Data Chief said two weeks ago that the data does not yet tell whether ending benefits will actually spur more people returning to work, Spectrum News reports.
In a letter sent to U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Martin Walsh notifying the DOL that DEO would end the benefits program, DEO Executive Director Dane Eagle said Florida’s labor data showed that “total private-sector employment has increased by 18,800 jobs and more than 460,000 online job postings.”
While there has been 14 consecutive months of job growth, the DEO confirmed two weeks ago that the state still has 300,000 fewer workers now than before the pandemic, Spectrum News reports.
Attorneys Scott Behren, Gautier Kitchen, and Marie Mattox are representing the Florida plaintiffs. Behren told Spectrum News that there was a statute in Florida that said the state must take advantage to the best it can of any federal benefits available for its residents.
“So the arguments that have been successful in other states are that they are violating their own statutes by neglecting and refusing to take the federal money they’re legally required to take.”
The attorneys say the end goal of the lawsuit is to get federal benefits restored for people who were impacted, not just the named plaintiffs.
“Justice delayed is certainly justice denied when you have your lights cut off and your car repossessed,” Kitchen told Spectrum News.
“If Floridians feel like they’re forgotten, if they feel like they’ve gotten the short end of the stick, if they feel like it shouldn’t be this hard and other places have got it right, why not our state, they are correct in their emotions. They’ve been failed.”
What do you think about Florida’s decision to end unemployment benefits? Let us know in the comments section below.
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75 thoughts onFlorida Hit With Class Action Lawsuit for Ending Federal Unemployment Payments
I think that people should get the $300 unemployment compensation extended. It’s about time that Americans get paid what they’re worth. They work just as hard as those who make a grand amount of money and shouldn’t have to suffer by not getting enough money to live.
I think that people should get the $300 unemployment compensation extended. It’s about time that Americans00ppp]]1 get paid what they’re worth. They work just as hard as those who makes a grand amount of money and shouldn’t have to suffer by not getting enough money it to live.
Being disabled makes it harder for me to get a job. After over 100 applications I’m still not hired. Please add me to the class action suit.
Hello,
Ever since Florida started using ID Me I am unable to login to request benefits. Funny how when we paid benefits for so many years they never once asked to verify our identity though when trying to collect the unemployment money all of the sudden we are being forced to put our sensitive data at risk with ID Me. It’s not a question of if our data will ever be compromised but it’s a question of when our data will be stolen. Unacceptable.
Yeah I have been tracking all the Problems from day one with a Deo that has only showed through many weeks and months how Incompetent they are.. Its only gotten worse They need to be sued along with Kicking Desantis to the Curb like he did to all the Floridians who have had to deal with this Deliberate actions.
Please include me in any legal proceedings as I have Saved all my communications with these Idiots we pay there salaries with our taxes when we did have jobs .
My Reemployment was put on Hold 26 weeks. I contact over 40 DEO Agents. Before they gave me a lump some of all payments.This was in the beginning of the pandemic. Now it has happen again. They waited for the Federal Government benefits ran dry. They let every hacker in scammer still those benefits from Men and Women that fit Unemployment. Scam us out of benefit money While the rob Peter to pay Paul. Then the Govenor stole the last few month’s of our $300 a month extra. I now they started a few system not to pay the Reemployers that made complaints. They are Retaliating. I had a Video call on ID.me in the women acted like she didn’t see me. Then she stated try again later. In my camera worked when she logged off. Long story short. I am homeless now living in my car. I serve God not man. I am 5 benefit payments down. They are punishing me for lawsuits on former employers. I can help with any lawsuits. I save all my evidence. I also have case complaints on DEO for Fraud and Discrimination. GodBless the once didn’t get rich off the devil misery.
Add me
I also was one of the victims of our great governor just before the pandemic I was hurt on the job when I was able to ghb o back to work it was full blown and I didnt want to bring it back to my elderly parents which my son and i live with so we can help out then this no more benefits so I have applied for easily 50 jobs since then there are no jobs is the reality and here I am barely surviving it’s not right these politicians are out of touch with reality and care not about being decent human beings is my take oh and.i also like everyone else was locked out of the unemployment website and lost about a whole months pay cause I didn’t update it in time well it wasnt from a lack of trying for hours on end then the I’d verification almost impossible who the heck has that many forms of I’d on hand what a coincidence all this at the same time and u can’t even just go down and get a I’d anymore you have to make a appointment they had this well planned out it if u ask me
Add me
I also was one of the victims of our great governor just before the pandemic I was hurt on the job when I was able to ghb o back to work it was full blown and I didnt want to bring it back to my elderly parents which my son and i live with so we can help out then this no more benefits so I have applied for easily 50 jobs since then there are no jobs is the reality and here I am barely surviving it’s not right these politicians are out of touch with reality and care not about being decent human beings is my take
I would also like to join in on this Class Action lawsuit for ending the Florida Federal Unemployment. Also ever since Florida DEO instituted the ID.me verification I can’t log in to the website and ID.me is unable to verify my identity and cannot get a trustee video call and no way to contact them directly. I have tried multiple attempts with no response. Inferior system. ID.me needs a Live Chat feature to resolve such issues.