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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: State will investigate unemployment system

An investigation will be launched into Florida's unemployment system, which became a source of frustrations for Floridians applying for benefits.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said there will be an investigation into the state's unemployment system, CONNECT, which became a source of frustration for thousands of Floridians seeking unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DeSantis said during a news conference Monday at least $77 million went into the existing CONNECT system. While it has been plagued with issues throughout the years, the governor said the largest problem in the past several weeks has been the amount of traffic coming into the system.

DeSantis said he will direct Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel to investigate how the CONNECT system was paid for and to look over the different amendments in the contract.

The announcement comes as Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried joined other state leaders in calling for an investigation.

"Our goal is to continue processing new claims as quickly as possible," DeSantis said.

The governor said a total of 72 servers were brought in to increase the system's capacity in order to keep up with the large influx of users applying for benefits.

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