The latest data from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity shows Orlando’s unemployment rate remains at 2.6% for the third month in a row despite statewide growth.

The secretary of Florida’s Dept. of Economic Opportunity is resigning at the end of the month.Dane Eagle sent a resignation letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis on Dec. 2.

Dane Eagle said roughly 25,000 Florida residents have received financial assistance from the Homeowner Assistance Fund so far.

Flagler County officials are encouraging county residents to take an “internet speed test” to help them find opportunities to expand broadband services in Florida.

Lillian Lagares of Kissimmee still cannot believe the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity asked her to reimburse a staggering $21,200 in state and federal unemployment benefits.

Sylvia Intelisano, 74, of Palm County, Florida said she will never forget the overpayment notice she received from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is on pace to pay back benefits for every remaining unemployment week by early 2022, according to new data released by the DEO to WKMG-TV.

The mother of two faced another system glitch that locked her DEO account in July, blocking an estimated seven weeks, $1,200, in back-benefits.

Central Florida employers still have thousands of open positions. In Volusia County, the latest workforce numbers show the number of employed residents is declining though.

Marjorie Hollman, of Palm Beach County, spent four months of her life living on pasta and peanut butter sandwiches after an imposter used her identity to apply for state unemployment benefits with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

The now infamous DEO PIN reset debacle was successfully addressed and updated this week; however, the software remedy saw thousands of people still unable to apply for weekly benefits because their state unemployment accounts were locked and, in some cases, their identifications needed to be verified again.

The Department of Economic Opportunity starts the first wave of PIN reset instructions to claimants stuck in the PIN reset loop.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity recently announced it will cut off the $300 federal unemployment benefit on June 26. The state hopes ending the extra benefits will help address the labor shortage that is impacting several industries.

On Monday, Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity announced the state will be withdrawing from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program.

Ray Dumont, 26, had been waiting a year for $11,000 in unemployment benefits he applied for but was never able to collect from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Both he and his mother, Michelle, work as independent house painters in Panama City Beach but last March, the coronavirus pandemic brought everything to a halt. “Unless it’s new construction you’re not getting any work,” Michelle said. “If I didn’t get help from you guys on that locked account I probably wouldn’t be in the account,” Michelle said. If you have an unemployment issue email: makeendsmeet@wkmg.com.

In the war against fraudulent unemployment claims the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity may be leaving eligible Florida families on indefinite hold. This week the DEO confirmed to News 6 that it will soon “fully integrate” the ID.me verification process into the agency’s Connect system. She lost the job in April because of the coronavirus pandemic and filed for unemployment benefits on May 20, 2020. “I have been searching for work,” Milan said. If you need to update your identity to apply for benefits go to: ID.me.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is warning people about a scam targeting people seeking unemployment benefits due to the coronavirus pandemic. The DEO handles the state’s unemployment benefits, or payments, and has been slammed since March because of financial fallout from COVID-19. This is a scam,” the DEO warned, adding the scam email may come from an email address ending in .ULF.edu. Under a new coronavirus relief bill signed by President Trump this week pandemic unemployment benefits have been extended. Since March, the DEO has paid out more than $19.7 billion in unemployment benefits.

Congress passed the long-sought $900 billion COVID-19 relief package this week, teeing it up for action by Trump. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Labor on Wednesday estimated that another 24,000 first-time jobless claims were filed in Florida last week, close to the state average for more than a month. DeSantis said it could take weeks for the state to fully grasp all of the Florida-related benefits in the package. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Labor estimated that 24,092 claims were made in Florida the week ending Dec. 19. However, the federal agency initially put the state’s new claims for the week of Dec. 12 at 21,780.

ORLANDO, Fla. – More than 350 Southwest Airline employees working at Orlando International Airport will face a lengthy furlough this spring as a result of financial impacts from the coronavirus pandemic unless an agreement can be made with local unions. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the branch that oversees the state’s unemployment system, was notified in November and on Friday of layoffs and furloughs from Southwest. Employers are required by law to notify state and local leaders of mass layoffs under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, Act. Two WARN notices sent on Nov. 18 totaled 27 employees but the latest notice sent to state officials included potential furloughs for hundreds of employees at three Florida airports. In October, Southwest announced plans to reduce wages or engage in other cost-saving measures with not union and non-leadership staff to prevent layoffs.

Bill Zaccagnini has been trying to get state unemployment benefits since March but the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity has denied his requests based on claims he filed two years ago. [TRENDING: Hundreds line up for free turkeys | COVID-19 vaccine FAQs | 11 things to be thankful for during pandemic]Records show circumstances surrounding the dismissal made him ineligible for standard unemployment benefits that year. State Rep. David Smith (R) of Seminole County District 28 said he is convinced the DEO’s Connect system is outdated and was never designed to accommodate the numbers seeking unemployment benefits. Zaccagnini meanwhile is hopeful the DEO will get the benefits issue cleared up before Christmas. He should be eligible for Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits if his regular state benefits have been exhausted.

“If something doesn’t happen in the next week or two I don’t know what we are going to be able to do, “she said. According to Brown, that triggered the “returned to work” status with the DEO that stopped her weekly benefits. “I don’t know how I’m going to pay my light bill right now,” she said. “You don’t know what this means,” a tearful Brown said. Thank you.”If you would like to help a family or you have an unemployment issue email: makeendsmeet@wkmg.com

All rights reserved)TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s unemployment rate dropped 0.7 percentage point to 6.5% in October, according to statistics released by the state on Friday. The jobless rate was 3.6 percentage points higher than October 2019. [TRENDING: Gov: Vaccine coming to Florida ‘relatively soon’ | CDC: Avoid Thanksgiving travel | Georgia presidential race recount results]The state's unemployment rate was slightly lower than the national rate of 6.9%. Wakulla County had the state's lowest unemployment at 3.5%, followed by St. Johns County at 3.7% and Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties at 3.8%. Osceola County had the highest unemployment rate at 10.4%, followed by Miami-Dade County at 8.8% and Orange County at 8.5%.

Disney World told News 6 it’s not hiring for seasonal workers this year. It’s why this year he said he’s not able to hire seasonal workers like he usually does. While the company couldn’t provide exact hiring totals for Central Florida, each store and distribution center in the area will be hiring seasonal team members, according to Target. CareerSourceWhile they’re not all necessarily seasonal, CareerSource Central Florida has a variety of positions up for grabs. Those looking for a new job can visit CareerSourceCentralFlorida.com or call 800-757-4598 to be connected to a CareerSource Central Florida career consultant.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity launched a new initiative this week to sort out unemployment claims from individuals who returned to work but became unemployed again. Hundreds of Florida residents who have tried to get back into the workforce have reported job separation that created the need for additional unemployment benefits. State DEO Director Dane Eagle said unemployment claimants received notifications this week that provided a link to a new website for return to work issues. To utilize the new website a claimant must have a “Return to Work Issue” associated with their claim and have been notified by the DEO. I don’t know where to turn.”If you have an unemployment issue email makeendsmeet@wkmg.com

When Kimberly Kleckly and Dominique Fusco emailed News 6 for help to secure unemployment benefits from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity they had already been waiting 13 weeks to receive financial relief. Both women had DEO unemployment CONNECT accounts that were active, eligible and on hold. Kleckly said she reported the new job to the DEO which suspended her benefits and placed her account on hold. Meanwhile, Dominque Fusco lost her Pensacola apartment to Hurricane Sally on Sept. 16 adding to the stress of waiting for unemployment benefits. “I can find a place to live now,10,000 pounds have been lifted from my shoulders.”If you have an unemployment benefits problem email us at makeendsmeet@wkmg.com

ORLANDO, Fla. – Walt Disney Parks and Resorts notified the Florida unemployment department Tuesday of impeding layoffs across the theme park’s properties that includes nearly 10% of its employees across the state. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the branch that oversees the state’s unemployment system, was notified late Tuesday of thousands of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts layoffs. As a result, 6,390 employees of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S., Inc. will be laid off beginning December 4, 2020. Disney Parks, Experiences and Products chairman Josh D’Amaro said in a statement the layoffs are due to the prolonged financial impact of COVID-19. That leaves more than 15,100 unannounced layoffs to come across Disney parks and resorts in Florida and California.

When Candace Davis signed an employee/employer separation agreement with Optum Health in early May she said she still wanted to work and never agreed to waive her state unemployment benefits. “They’re saying I quit my job and I didn’t quit my job,” Davis said. Her unemployment claim with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is listed as active and eligible yet the unemployment benefits have never been released. On Friday, a DEO mediator ruled against her finding she was not eligible for federal Pandemic Unemployment benefits. News 6 contacted Optum for a comment but the company HR representative as well as Davis’s former supervisor did not respond.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. State Rep. Dane Eagle was appointed as executive director of the state's employment agency on Wednesday, a little more than two weeks after barely losing a Republican primary for Congress in a heavily GOP district. The agency was widely criticized for long delays in paying out unemployment benefits after the economy tanked during the coronavirus pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of people waited weeks and sometimes months for benefits from the glitch-ridden unemployment system after suddenly losing work amid the outbreak. But Crist dropped out of the Republican primary, ran as an independent and lost to Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Lawson remained as director of the Department of Economic Opportunity, but management of the unemployment system was given to Department of Management Services Secretary Jonathan Satter.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Joshua Arroyo is a chef without a job, unemployment benefits or his own place to live and he blames the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity for his predicament. The 30-year-old Ocoee man was furloughed from his job as executive chef at the Wyndham Hotel on March 20 and said he filed for unemployment benefits the same day. Arroyo said he called the Department of Economic Opportunity to “notify them” that he had found employment and was told to keep the last $256 unemployment payment. State Sen. Linda Stewart (Orlando-D) has been making trips to Tallahassee every two weeks to personally deliver unemployment claims to the DEO office for constituents like Arroyo who are still waiting for their unemployment benefits. In Joshua Arroyo’s case, the DEO team was able to issue a payment but an issue prompted a delay on additional checks.

After four hours of arguments Monday, a Leon County circuit judge will decide whether to move forward with a potential class-action lawsuit stemming from massive problems in Florida’s unemployment-compensation system. Attorneys for the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and Deloitte Consulting, a contractor that helped put the online system in place in 2013, argued that Judge John Cooper should dismiss the lawsuit, which was filed after a crush of coronavirus-caused unemployment claims overwhelmed the system this spring. Cooper last month rejected a preliminary injunction that plaintiffs sought to force the Department of Economic Opportunity to “fix” the system. Department of Economic Opportunity attorney Daniel Nordby argued Monday, in part, that the lawsuit should be dismissed because of the constitutional separation of powers between judges and the executive branch. The plaintiffs’ attorneys filed the lawsuit in April after major problems with Florida’s CONNECT online unemployment system, which even Gov.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. The Kissimmee Utility Authority is set to resume disconnections for non-payment Monday as many Floridians continue to struggle financially at the hands of the COVID-19 pandemic. A spokesperson for KUA told News 6 that on Monday, about 500 people would have their utilities shut off due to lack of payment. [MAKE ENDS MEET: Clerical error causes Florida woman to wait on weeks of unemployment benefits]As of Monday, more than 59,000 residents were unemployed in Osceola County, according to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Osceola County has the 8th highest rate of requests for unemployment assistance in the state. KUA officials said on Twitter that anyone with a past-due balance MUST contact us at 407-933-9800 or http://kua.com to pay their balance due, request a payment extension or payment plan.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – After facing weeks of criticism because of Florida’s troubled unemployment system, Deloitte Consulting LLP said in a newly filed court document that it has had “no connection” to the online system in more than five years. Deloitte had a state contract to develop the CONNECT unemployment system, which began operating in 2013. “Deloitte has had no involvement in the implementation, maintenance or upgrade of the CONNECT system for more than five years,” the company’s attorneys wrote in a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. “And it has never had any involvement in processing or adjudicating the state’s unemployment benefit claims, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CONNECT system was not able to handle the surge of applications, forcing the state to scramble to try to shore up the claims process ---- and leading Gov.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is reminding applicants to not post personal information on social media showing their claimant profile. The DEO said never post the following items on social media:Screenshots with personal identifying numbersSocial security numberAccount or claimant numbersScreenshots of accountsEmail conversations with personal information pictures of identifying documentsFor your safety, please remember to never to post screen shots of any type of account, or of your claimant profile that have identifying personal information like account numbers, addresses, etc. pic.twitter.com/wiVESEoOVf Florida DEO (@FLDEO) June 2, 2020This is not the only reminder the DEO posted on Tuesday. The DEO also said Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation is now available at this link. This program provides up to 13 weeks of benefits to a claimant who has exhausted their reemployment assistance benefits, according to the DEO.

Its like a nightmare.Rama received an email from her employer last week advising her that both her employment and medical benefits would be terminated effective May 31. Her 10-year old son Caiden has Asthma and she is struggling with Lupus a condition that recently flared up, she said. God willing everything will work out as I continue to search for new employment.Rama said she has been struggling to get her information into the Florida DEO website CONNECT for months. News 6 contacted state Rep. Amy Mercado Monday to ask her for help in tracking down the glitch in Christines case. To find your Florida state representative use this link: https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/myrepresentative.aspx

ORLANDO, Fla. The Department of Economic Opportunity reminded Floridians to not claim benefits checks received after the date the claimant returned to work. The DEO website shows if you applied for unemployment before March 15, 2020, you may continue to request benefit weeks up to when you started working. Anyone who applied for benefits from March 15-May 9 should contact the call center at 1-833-352-7759 to cancel the claim, according to the DEO. The DEO said a person should VOID and return any check received past the date they returned to work to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. The DEO also said payments will stop processing if weeks stop getting claimed.

Two months after being furloughed from her position with a mobile ultrasound service Meagan Johnson, a veteran medical assistant, said she still has no unemployment benefits from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. I have bills, I keep calling trying to get them postponed.”Johnson has worked for Life Line Screening for 7 years. “The day it turned ineligible was the day the rest of my co-workers got paid," she said. "Power ,water, mortgage rent and car payment.”Hecht said this will be a new experience for a workforce that has never experienced unemployment before. If you would like to help Meagan Johnson or you have an unemployment issue to share email News 6 investigator Mike Holfeld mholfeld@wkmg.com.

Many who filed on the state's outdated website in March have been waiting five or six weeks with their claim stuck in pending status. However, the state's website has a large disclaimer noting that requirement has been waived due to the pandemic. However, some of those rejected, if not most of them, will be eligible for $600 a week in federal unemployment benefits. Under the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, gig workers and other independent contractors like Uber drivers and massage therapists who may not be eligible for state unemployment benefits are nonetheless eligible for the federal benefits. She knows she doesn’t qualify for the state benefits, but meets the criteria for the federal virus assistance.

A message for people attempting to access the unemployment claims portal known as CONNECT reads: “CONNECT is currently processing payments. As of Thursday, nearly 22% of more than 701,700 unemployment claims have been paid by the state totaling $157 million, according to the DEO. The current Florida unemployment website was put in place under former Gov. “This thing was a clunker, there’s no doubt about it it was designed to fail basically I think,” the governor said of the Florida unemployment website. More than 2,200 trained workers from other Florida agencies have been pulled into to process applications, according to the governor.

UPDATE: In a reversal, the DEO now says some workers need to re-apply for federal benefits at FloridaJobs.org. “They will go through the same process as anyone would for the state unemployment process,” Satter said. New applicants applying for federal benefits will use the same Floridajobs.org and CONNECT websites to apply. Of those who applied weeks ago who qualify for state unemployment, many are still waiting to receive payments from Florida. As of Wednesday, about 17% of Florida unemployment claims have been paid out of more than 682,000 verified claims, according to the DEO dashboard.

After Florida’s botched response to the flood of unemployment claims due to the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. The governor revealed he appointed Satter to oversee the COVID-19 unemployment response. “I was disappointed in the initial response in terms to the website,” DeSantis said. In the past three weeks, more than 472,000 unemployment claims were filed by Floridians, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. “The unemployment claims process is taking too long: Floridians are struggling and need to receive their money.

ORLANDO, Fla. – If you are unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic and have yet to see payments from Florida unemployment benefits, you’re not alone. Over the past three weeks, more than 472,000 claims have been filed, and U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) wants to hear from Floridians about their experiences with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the agency that handles the state’s unemployment claims. Murphy launched a survey this week to gather data on the state’s program, more than a month after residents began reporting issues filing for unemployment or getting through to the call center. According to Murphy, in the last 10 years the U.S. Department of Labor provided $1.6 billion to Florida to administer the program. Last week, Murphy called for an independent federal investigation of Florida’s unemployment compensation program in a letter to the U.S. Department of Labor.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Nearly 170,000 first-time unemployment claims were filed last week in Florida, as the coronavirus-caused surge continues, according to an estimate from the U.S. Department of Labor. Florida’s number --- part of a second consecutive week of 6.6 million claims being filed nationwide --- was down from the prior week. The total is 58,599 fewer than in the prior week, when Florida was listed as receiving a record 228,484 claims. Over the past three weeks, more than 472,000 claims have been filed. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, which oversees the state’s unemployment system, is set to release March unemployment numbers on April 17.

MIAMI, Fla. – The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is waiving requirements for reemployment assistance. [RELATED: How to file for unemployment benefits during coronavirus pandemic | Florida working to keep up with coronavirus unemployment assistance calls, applications]The department says applicants no longer need to register online or show they’re available for work. People who are furloughed or laid off due to the coronavirus outbreak can file for these benefits. Here are the steps to file to reemployment benefits:Visit www.floridajobs.org to submit your application on the CONNECT platform here. Following your application, applicants must log in to the CONNECT system every two weeks to request benefit payment.

Florida’s unemployment rate dipped to 3% in December, a drop Gov. According to the report, 220,000 Florida residents entered the workforce and Florida businesses created 198,200 private-sector jobs last year. The job growth rate of 2.5% outpaces the national average of 1.5%. In the Orlando area, the unemployment rate dropped half a percent in 2019 to 2.5% by December. The leisure and hospitality industry saw the highest growth rate in 2019 adding 12,500 new jobs.