JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Since businesses across Florida began shutting down and unemployment claims shot up starting early March, a massive influx of filings continues to inundate the state agency tasked with disbursing benefits.
Tea Aaron is a 19-year TV production freelancer in Jacksonville. Aaron had filed and was approved for unemployment benefits from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (FDEO) back in January.
Since she was approved, Aaron did not use the benefits much as she picked up production jobs through the first months of the year. However, the need arose after she was laid off from a freelance job at The Players Championship on March 13.
"The past month-and-a-half for me has been a roller coaster of emotions," she said. "A lot of ups, a lot of downs. All my interviews were cancelled until further notice and the system froze."
Having a claim for benefits approved is just one step required in order to receive money from the state; after one's claim is approved, they have to request the payments bi-weekly. Normally, the applicant would have to provide work search information, although that requirement has been waived.
"Now that my benefits are expired due to not being able to get into the system, there's nothing I can do about my claim without physically speaking to someone," Aaron said. "I'm one of the lucky ones who already had a claim approved, but it does no good because you can't claim the benefits."
Aaron said she tried for weeks to reach someone at FDEO to get help requesting her benefits since she was not able to on the website. She said her calls were not answered and she never got an e-mail back.
"I think it's to the point now where you just keep trying and trying and trying but nothing's happening," Aaron said. "You just reach a wall where you're like, 'I'm not getting anywhere.'"
Gov. Ron DeSantis has led an "all hands on deck" effort to increase call center staffing and overhaul the claims process.
In an announcement, DeSantis said up to 2,500 state employees would be mobilized to process claims and 700 new employees would be trained to staff the call center.
The FDEO has not responded to a request for an update on the process and a request for the most current claims numbers statewide.
"I understand that they're putting servers in and they're getting all these people to answer the phones, but nothing's changed," Aaron said. "It's been weeks."
Aaron said since freelance jobs are not available and she has no money coming in, the state benefits are vital for her. Still though, she said she is more concerned for the families across Florida experiencing the same situation.
"The only thing Florida was prepared for was to fail," she said.
As reported by First Coast News' partners at the Florida Times-Union, it remains unclear whether newly-jobless Floridians are able to request benefits retroactively. The status of benefits disbursements once the backlog has been cleared also remains uncertain.
This article will be updated when FDEO responds to On Your Side's request for comment.