Why is Florida’s unemployment benefits system still not fixed? We all want to know. | State Rep. Tin

My Democratic colleagues and I have repeatedly asked Gov. Ron DeSantis to do what he can with the resources of our massive state government to fix the system. As we all have come to learn, the system was designed to fail by the previous administration. After weeks of asking, the Governor did direct more resources to DEO, but so far it’s not helping our constituents.

We asked him to use his executive powers to raise the paltry $275/week amount (one of the lowest in the country), but he claimed he didn’t have the power.

We used what little power we have as elected representatives to call for a special legislative session immediately in order to address the problems in the system and try to increase the benefits. On Thursday, Republicans, who control both chambers, rejected our call for a special session to address the pandemic and economic crisis.