Name: Florida’s unemployment mess: Which candidates want to fix it?
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Florida’s unemployment mess: Which candidates want to fix it?

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Cheered on by business lobbyists, the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2011 voted to make it harder for out-of-work Floridians to get unemployment insurance — and cut payments for those who qualify. Nine years later, as a global pandemic devastated the U.S. economy, those changes have added to the misery of hundreds of thousands of people who suddenly found themselves out of a job and short on state benefits. Now, the is being used by Democrats against their Republican opponents in legislative races across Central Florida — including two who voted for the cuts nine years ago. Advertisement Geraldine Thompson, Pasha Baker and Tracey Kagan — all Democratic candidates in competitive races for state House seats in Orange and Seminole counties — have mailed ads or run television spots vowing to “fix Florida’s broken unemployment system.” “I’ve worked with thousands of Floridians to help them through the COVID-19 crisis and helped them to navigate our state’s failed unemployment system,” Thompson said in a mailer sent to voters last month. Advertisement Thompson of Windermere is the Democratic incumbent facing Republican Bruno Portigliatti for the District 44 seat in southwest Orange. She has the distinction of being the only state legislator seeking reelection in Central Florida who voted against the 2011 changes, which resulted in benefits capped right now at a maximum of $275 a week for 12 weeks. “I knew that it was inadequate then and it certainly is inadequate now,” Thompson said. Portigliatti agreed the current benefit “is not enough for people to survive," citing the lack of affordable housing in Central Florida. He said he would support increasing benefits if there was also increased accountability for applicants, but didn’t square that with one of his other stated goals, which is to avoid raising taxes on businesses. Democrats on Thursday unveiled a bill that would reform Florida’s unemployment system, by expanding eligibility and doubling how many weeks unemployed workers could collect benefits. The changes in 2011 were part of the Republican leadership’s larger plan to reduce how much businesses pay in unemployment insurance taxes. Business groups lobbied especially hard to make it easier to disqualify workers from the system, because those taxes are determined partly by how many of its former workers are eligible. Right now, Florida businesses pay an average annual unemployment insurance tax of $50 per employee, the lowest in the country. Rep. Scott Plakon, a Republican running for his fourth term in west Seminole against Kagan, voted in favor of the cuts in 2011. So did Jason Brodeur, the Republican former member of the House who is now facing Democrat Patricia Sigman for a Senate seat that represents Seminole and part of Volusia counties. Plakon now says the current maximum benefit of $3,300 over 12 weeks is too low and said he would “lead the charge” on amending the formula that determines how many weeks of payments individuals can collect. He also claimed he didn’t realize when he voted on the bill that it tied the number of payments available to the unemployed to dated unemployment rates. And because Florida’s unemployment rate was 2.8% in February, before the pandemic hit, Floridians even after waves of layoffs and furloughs pushed the statewide unemployment rate to as high as 14.5% in May. “If unemployment was 2.8% like the day before the pandemic, that’s full employment. ...The idea that you would need a really extended period, I don’t agree with. However, if unemployment is over 10% then that number should be expanded,” he said. “We should look at it holistically, but the principle of scaling it, I would stand by that.” Kagan said she’d raise the weekly benefit “at least” to $500 and the state should increase it regularly to keep pace with the cost of living. In some cases, she said people should be able to receive payments longer than 26 weeks. Baker, the Democrat challenging incumbent Republican David Smith for a House seat in east Seminole, says Smith and other lawmakers ignored pleas for them to return to Tallahassee earlier this year and improve the system. “The incumbent says he helped 3,500-plus people,” Baker said, referring to Smith saying he assisted more than 3,500 workers with their unemployment claims. “That means he actually helped punch 3,500 people in the throat and then offer them a drink of water because he had the opportunity to go back to the Legislature and voted not to do that.” Advertisement It’s been three months since Rebecca Carlton, a scenic artist at Disney World, applied for Florida unemployment compensation. During that time, she said she’s faced complete silence from state workers who are supposed to be processing her claim, making her wait for checks she fears will never come. Smith agreed the current benefits aren’t sufficient but hasn’t proposed specific changes other than suggesting that payment amounts also be tied to the unemployment rate. He said the state needs to “completely overhaul the system.” “There’s no fixing the current system,” Smith said. “We’ve got to remove and replace it with something that works for citizens in Florida.” Sigman, the Democrat challenging Brodeur to replace termed-out David Simmons, said her job as a labor attorney has provided a window into how many of her clients weren’t able to find work before their weekly payments ran out. “I have been representing people that have been fighting for their unemployment benefits for decades and I can tell you, and people here know, $275 a week is not a thing that people can live on," Sigman told the Orlando Sentinel’s editorial board. "They can’t buy food and pay the rent and pay child care and survive.” Brodeur, however, only has said he’d be open to reviewing the system, but has not committed to increasing benefits or the number of weeks individuals can stay on unemployment. “I’m always in favor of reviewing anything that hasn’t been looked at in a while. Certainly, needs have changed during this unprecedented global pandemic and we need to make sure we have a system that is flexible enough to meet their needs,” he told the Sentinel’s editorial board. Referring to the 2011 bill, he said, “I don’t know that there are parts that I would roll back or change as much as maybe tweak or look at.” He added that he’d be in favor of having unemployed residents take a “skills assessment” to help them get additional training or a better job. That suggestion is similar to a provision in the 2011 bill Brodeur voted for that required applicants to take a 45-question math and reading comprehension test. The test was later made voluntary after the Labor Department found it discriminated against workers with disabilities or limited English skills. Democrats on Thursday unveiled a bill that would reform Florida’s unemployment system, by expanding eligibility and doubling how many weeks unemployed workers could collect benefits. Many Democrats are calling for more dramatic changes, including Rep. Anna Eskamani and Sen. José Javier Rodríguez. This week they unveiled a bill that would including increasing the number of weeks Floridians can collect unemployment to 26, nearly doubling weekly payouts to $500 and expanding eligibility requirements to include part-time and self-employed workers. Their proposal would also mandate a three-week deadline for the state to approve applications and create an office to review the system annually. Weekly Political news from Central Florida and across the state. You are now following this newsletter. Both Brodeur and Plakon have been more focused on fixing the state’s CONNECT website for unemployment applicants, which most Republicans and Democrats agree needs to be replaced. The site was plagued by problems earlier this year as more than 2.6 million Floridians applied and continues to have glitches. Advertisement Gov. Ron DeSanits has into the $77 million contract Deloitte Consulting was awarded to build the “broken” system. The move has the effect of pinning blame on one of DeSantis' top political rivals – former Gov. Rick Scott, whose administration awarded the Deloitte contract. Advertisement But the state has known about persistent problems with the website dating back to 2015, and since then there have been two additional audits, including one that came out after DeSantis took office. DeSantis claims he never saw that report. Those calling for unemployment policy reform fear the legislators responsible for the current system are getting away with scapegoating the CONNECT website. “When my opponent states that it’s the website, it’s not the website in and of itself, it’s the idea behind the website,” Kagan said. “My opponent’s been in office since 2008. They knew about the problems with the CONNECT system and the portal and they chose to ignore it, which is why we’re in the situation we’re in now." ; Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement

Cheered on by business lobbyists, the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2011 voted to make it harder for out-of-work Floridians to get unemployment insurance — and cut payments for those who qualify. Nine years later, as a global pandemic devastated the U.S. economy, those changes have added to the misery of hundreds of thousands of people who suddenly found themselves out of a job and short on state benefits. Now, the is being used by Democrats against their Republican opponents in legislative races across Central Florida — including two who voted for the cuts nine years ago....

Florida’s unemployment mess: Which candidates want to fix it?

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