For the fourth week in a row, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity has seen significant increases in Floridians filing for Reemployment Assistance.

For the week ending March 7, Florida received 5,325 applications for Reemployment Assistance.

For the week ending March 14, Florida received 6,463 applications for Reemployment Assistance.

For the week ending March 21, Florida received 74,313 applications for Reemployment Assistance.

So far, for the week ending March 28, Florida has received 103,298 applications for Reemployment Assistance.

To cope with the massive surge in claims, DEO’s reemployment assistance call center has expanded to Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. as well as Saturday and Sunday open from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.  In addition to better serving constituents, DEO is also in the process of hiring more staff to deal with the high call volume.

Governor Ron DeSantis additionally has  asked the state to waive the work search and online work registration requirements to make the process easier for Floridians. This comes just one week after the Governor announced the availability of emergency bridge loans designed to get cash into the hands of small businesses so they can keep their doors open during a crisis,” said DeSantis.

Individuals who may be eligible for Reemployment Assistance may include:

• Those who are quarantined by a medical professional or a government agency,
• Those who are laid off or sent home without pay for an extended period by their employer due to COVID-19 concerns, or
• Those who are caring for an immediate family member who is diagnosed with COVID-19.

As of March 26th, Florida currently has 2,359 cases of Coronavirus, and a death toll of 28. President Trump announced just yesterday that Florida is now considered to be a “disaster state” after a plea from Governor DeSantis, saying that the outbreak is having a drastic effect on the state’s economy and medical providers.