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DeSantis: Unemployment benefits system’s capacity increases

DAVIE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday the system to help workers who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic can now manage 120,000 simultaneous connections.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity has 72 new servers. Without them, the system was only able to simultaneously handle anywhere between about 40,000 to 60,000 applicants.

“People were on this site and it was timing out,” DeSantis said. “People would go hours and hours upon end and it was totally unacceptable.”

The orders that have nearly shut down local economies have affected mostly blue-collar workers who are unable to work from home, DeSantis said.

While about 326,000 workers applied for unemployment benefits in Florida during 2019, more than 520,000 have applied since March 15 despite the system’s limitations.

As the system continues to improve, more workers are expected to apply.

The service at 1-800-204-2418 was also overloaded with only 51 workers answering the phones. DeSantis said that is improving this week too.

In one week, there were more callers than in all last year, so the agency now has 250 more people answering the phones on Monday and 500 more starting Tuesday.

The department will also be receiving help from about 2,000 state employees from other agencies.

How to apply for unemployment

Following your application, you will need to login to the CONNECT system every two weeks to request benefit payment. You will receive a date at the end of your application telling you when to return to CONNECT.

Here is what you need:

  • Social Security number,
  • Driver’s license or state identification. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you will need work authorization
  • A record of your past 18 months of employment including the name of the employer, the reason for separation, earnings and dates of employment.
  • Military employees need a DD-214 member 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 and federal government employees need a SF 8 or SF 50.

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About the Authors
Alex Finnie headshot

Alex Finnie joined the Local 10 News team in May 2018. South Florida is home! She was raised in Miami and attended the Cushman School and New World School of the Arts for high school.

Andrea Torres headshot

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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