WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida residents are fed up with waiting for money they say they're owed in unemployment assistance, so they're turning to WPTV for answers.
This is a project Scripps News Group reporters across Florida have been working on.
WATCH BELOW: Why are unemployed Floridians facing 'tangle ... of red tape?'
Dozens of people have reached out to us saying they lost their job, applied for unemployment assistance and got approved. But months later, they're still waiting to get paid.
Cherie Jackson of Lake Worth was among those who reached out to WPTV about this problem.
She said she was let go from her phlebotomy job in October, so she filed for unemployment assistance while she looked for her next opportunity.
"I received a paper saying that I was eligible for the monetary value of $275 a week, capped out at $3,300," Jackson said.
Jackson allowed WPTV to review her correspondence with Reconnect, the claims system for Florida's Reemployment Assistance program.
The maximum unemployment benefit allowed in Florida is $275 per week for 12 weeks (totaling $3,300).
WATCH BELOW: 'Tangle ... of red tape' impacts unemployment program, policy analyst tells WPTV
In February, Jackson said she still hadn't received a single payment. Her Reconnect account confirmed that, too.
"Every time I call, they tell me, 'Oh, well, we're moving you up the list,'" Jackson said. "And then I call back. They say, 'Call back in 15 days.' I'll call back in 15 days."
Jackson said she repeated the process, calling every two weeks for 18 weeks. She said she was told to continue filing claims, but she was hesitant to do so since she'd gone far past the 12-week benefit cap.
Roughly four months after she lost her job, Jackson got a new position waiting tables.
"I love it. I really do," she said.
Jackson is only just beginning to recover from the financial blow of not receiving the payments she thought she could rely on.
"I almost lost everything. I almost wasn't going to be able to stay where I'm staying," Jackson said. "I'm not one to ask for help because I just wasn't raised that way — especially from family members — so it was rough. I had to swallow my pride."
WPTV spoke to Cindy Huddleston, a senior policy analyst with the Florida Policy Institute, about the issue. Huddleston specializes in safety net programs, including unemployment.
"Delay is not something that is uncommon in the (unemployment) program, generally," Huddleston told WPTV. "There's a kind of, like a tangle, you know, of red tape that keeps workers out of the program."
Data from the U.S. Department of Labor shows that out of all states, territories and the District of Columbia, Florida's unemployment recipiency rate ranks last.
"The recipiency rate looks at the number of unemployed people in the state versus the number of people who are getting reemployment assistance," Huddleston explained.
According to the Labor Department data for the fourth quarter of 2024, 8.6% of unemployed Floridians are receiving unemployment benefits.
Huddleston said that's partly because the 12-week cap is one of the shortest in the country. She also attributed the low recipiency rate to obstacles in the way of receiving benefits, including a one-week waiting period before benefits can begin.
WPTV asked the Florida Department of Commerce, which administers the Reemployment Assistance program, for an interview about why Jackson and other unemployed Floridans had to wait so long for benefits that they thought were on the way.
A FloridaCommerce spokeswoman replied with an emailed response about how the department has been working over the past several years to modernize the claims process for unemployment benefits and reduce caseloads for FloridaCommerce staff.
In the email, the spokeswoman also offered to elevate Jackson's case. That day, Jackson said she got a phone call from FloridaCommerce.
She'd been denied, telling WPTV she'd been told her former employer deemed her ineligible for benefits.
WPTV asked employment attorney Cathleen Scott about what may have happened with Jackson's case.
"The unemployment office will tentatively approve your entitlement to benefits. It's a state welfare program, so there's a heavy emphasis in encouraging people to be approved," Scott said. "But even while you're approved and even sometimes receiving benefits, the employer can still come back and say, 'Well, wait a minute, this was actually a cause termination.'"
Scott said workers like Jackson have a right to appeal that, but the window to do so is short, and lawyers are not permitted to assist with the initial appeal. However, attorneys can help with an appeal hearing, Scott said.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
If you were terminated from your job, Scott recommends being upfront about the reason when you apply for benefits.
"If you're putting on there, 'I was terminated,' it's a good thing to add, 'for an allegation that I deny, and I have never been written up or counseled for this type of behavior before,'" Scott said.
FloridaCommerce did not respond to follow-up emails from WPTV seeking additional information.
