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Crist Extends Benefits For Florida’s Long-Term Unemployed
July 24, 2010
Not content to wait for lawmakers to act later this year, Gov. Charlie Crist issued an executive order on Friday that will make nearly a quarter million Floridians who have been out of work for a long time eligible for additional benefits.
Congress passed and President Obama signed legislation this week that extends federal jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed for another six months.
Florida’s extended benefit program, which pays up to 20 weeks of additional jobless benefits to people who have used up their regular benefits, which typically last up to 79 weeks. But that program expired in June in Florida when lawmakers declined to extend it during the regular session, leaving the state unable to take advantage of the new federal dollars being made available to the long-term unemployed.
Florida had an unemployment rate of 11.4 percent last month. In addition to about 250,000 people who will now be eligible for extended benefits between now and December because of Crist’s executive order, about 900,000 other unemployed Floridians already were set to get additional help because of the new law approved in Washington this week.
The cost of the supplemental benefits is paid by the federal government.
Democrats in Florida had urged Crist to either call the Legislature into another special session – lawmakers were in session one day this week but didn’t address the issue – or to issue an executive order to change the law to make the extra benefits available.
“Unemployed Floridians are struggling in this challenging economic climate, trying to figure out how to pay their bills and support their families,” said Crist, an independent. “We simply cannot desert the 250,000 Floridians who qualify for the extended federal assistance signed into law yesterday.”
Crist had been unsure earlier in the week whether he could unilaterally make the change or whether the Legislature’s approval was needed. House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, said Thursday that lawmakers would probably try to address the issue when they return for a special session next month or in September.
But Crist, who is running for U.S. Senate, said Friday he had determined he had a “constitutional duty” to authorize the use of available federal funds.
Advocates for the unemployed said they were pleased the governor acted, rather than waiting for lawmakers to return. People who have been out of work for months, and without unemployment benefits since June, will not only benefit, said Karen Woodall, an advocate for the unempoyed. “It’s businesses too – because that money gets spent and put into the economy,” Woodall said.
Crist’s executive order made the benefits retroactive to June 5 when the state law expired. They’ll continue through Dec. 4.
Agency for Workforce Innovation Secretary Cynthia Lorenzo said the state still needs guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor on some issues related to the newly approved benefits, but that the state should begin issuing checks within a couple weeks. The agency is mailing notices of the new eligibility dates to beneficiaries, Lorenzo said.
Comments
16 Responses to “Crist Extends Benefits For Florida’s Long-Term Unemployed”
how can I apply for benifit,s if I have been unemployed longterm.I have been looking for work.But I can,nt do culinary or restaurant work or any kind of work on my feet for any liegth of time and I,am disabled
no one sits or stand inline anymore for unemlpoyment check anymore , get a clue.if you been to work force people are looking for work and want to work but there is nnotthing out there and no not everyone can up root and leave there home state to find work. no one wants to see there kids struggle but if you can’t work and ther are no work what are you soppose to do. and its notthat easy to find another occupation when you have no skills , and if you want to go back to school its a hassle more paper work to see if you can get a scholorship or grant . and another point if there were jobs out there poeple would not be unmemployed thank you.
no you cant live on 275 a week and not everyone gets that amount. some get 139 and have taxes taken out too, and if you don’t have kids you don’t get wic , you get food stamps if you quaility wich you have to be proseeed for . its not easy to get help when you need it. i don’t get 1110 a month i get 588 , and no tis not 7 an hour and that not the minum wage its 7.25 . and how do you find a job thats more then your weekly benifit amount and more then minum wage when all that is hiring is jobs for people with degrees and even then there being laid off too taking meanles lobs like burger king and walmart so poeple with no skill can’t get ahead what is this world coming to. we need help .
if there were jobs out there people would not be on unemployment. and if there is a job in florida there are like 200 people in line for htat job say at petco ,walmart or even a burger king , people with fancy degress are taking less payiong jobs to stay a float down here don’t tell me there are jobs when you apply to serval a day to only be turned down, and not everyone has the ability to move and relocate. it takes money which alot of don’thave ,and you said get an education ,how can you if you can’t efford to pay bills .how do you go back to school. even to get help paying fora little $540 .00 cna class you have to go though a rigamonroe to get help or have the goverment pay fori t or a gand you don’t stand on unemployment to get acheck they mail to you and or you get derict rant or scholarship. so it is very hard down here to do anything..you don’t stand inline to get a check you get it mailed or direct deposite . just to clear things up no one wants to be on uneployment they just are .
@PJ
I never said it was simple. It was a very hard decision; one that I have second guessed more than once for a number of reasons. I had to go to places I had never been. My family was (and some still are) in Century. I get to come back often to visit. I’d love to be back living there…but, alas-no work in my field.
Keep in mind that corporations are in the business of making money; employees are a necessary means to that end. Once an employee is paid for their work, everyone is even; corporations don’t owe us any more than that, do they?
I have sympathy for people who lose employment through no fault of their own; it could be, and has been, me.
I ask these questions: Just exactly what authority does the government have to take money from taxpayers to fund someone else’s lifestyle who is not working? Wouldn’t there be much more of an incentive to find work if these ‘entitlements’ didn’t exist or be more motivation to find work, even work that they don’t like, if they knew the next meal, payment, or bill counted on it?
Life is not fair. I may be next, but I don’t think it’s the government’s job to take care of me-it’s my responsibility to earn money (honestly, of course). I may have to lower my lifestyle or relocate again in order to survive; but that’s what I would have to do. It’s not your responsibility to support me, or vice-versa.
I’m sorry if this comes off harshly.
And as for paying taxes, wouldn’t it be nice to have your money back, now; instead, your tax money quite possibly supported someone else’s lifestyle in some way or another.
I’m sorry, I am all for helping folks out; but I don’t think it’s the government’s job to do it.
In regards to SW who thinks is it such a simple thing to uproot and move to try and relocate for another job:
I do work, and was quite fortunate to find a job after the loss of my employment just shy of working at the same plant/facility for 21 years. And with my husband, losing is job after 22 1/2 years, not so. He and I both search many times daily, even thru the night, for jobs that he is qualified. And highly qualified he is, but his age is the factor. We know it is, but unfortunately are unable to prove so.
Trust me, he’d much rather be working than drawing an unemployment check. He has many good years left to his work life.
As far as the comment to relocate and go find work elsewhere, that’s a bit of an understatement to even suggest. I have several friends who did just that when our plant closed it’s doors. Miserably, the adjustment for their entire families was not worth it. Open minded they led their families away to unknown territory, only to have a far more troublesome situation than that of a job, a near family loss. When unemployment does strike, it affects so many lives, that corporations never take into consideration. There are so many underlying conditions that go along with it, and you think that it’s a simple matter of picking up and moving on, literally. It’s not that easy to do. Children’s lives are affected, as well as your own marriage. If you weren’t able to witness such, praise to you and your family. But many I know have.
I praise you for what you have risen above and what you have achieved and become. But not all are able to do so whether it be financially or even emotionally worth it. So please don’t be so hasty to judge. Not all are sitting waiting for that check to come in and think they do not need to find work. Agree, some do, but not all. And yes, we’ve paid our fair share of taxes, still do. And no, we haven’t once asked for Food Stamps, not that we would even qualify, or do we qualify for any WIC program. But my husband and I both have paid our fair share over the years.
And agree, I do, about the Tourist State that Florida is. In all honesty, there is no industry here, anymore. Slowly, it is dwindling away. There do need to be more jobs created than have Florida depend on tourism as it’s main capital.
Jennifer;
I am not wealthy and I have been laid off from my job on three occasions. I had a job the next day not paying what I wanted but it paid my bills. I worked at that job until I could find another that better suited. I have never received an unemployment check and never will as long as I am physically able to work. It’s a rut you get in and once the benefits come in it is just easier not to work. Also a lot of so called unemployed are actually working at odd jobs and collecting those benefits as well while they are actually getting cash benefits for their daily work.
Can’t live on $275 a week? Sure they can. There’s no incentive for people to look for work if unemployment is $275 as someone said. Toss in Food Stamps, WIC, any other entitlement program, and $1100/month goes pretty far! $275 / week is approximately $7 / hr. at 40 hrs; gee, why work for minimum wage when one can stay at home and have the same income?
At what point do taxpayers have enough of this and either join the crowd or take lower paying jobs to avoid tax liabilities?
Okay, so don’t relocate to find work (by the way, the whole family doesn’t have to relocate, just the money earner); don’t just sit around the house waiting for the check to arrive-go to school to increase marketability, be creative-invent work for yourself. So let’s see, Burger KIng, Dollar General, Winn Dixie, Wal Mart, CVS, or anyone else is hiring?
As long as Florida depends on the tourist dollar for income and other private sector opportunities (Monsanto, Champion, etc) remain limited, there will never be an abundance of high paying jobs. Florida is a state of retirees, tourist service industry employees, and government employees. The only ones that seem to be doing well in this type of economy are doctors and lawyers.
Florida unemployment is, at most, half your weekly income, and the maximum Florida benefit is only $275 per week, no matter what your income. No one can live on that. People don’t want to be unemployed. Many, especially those with families, can’t afford to pick up and move where the jobs are.
Thankyou, Charlie. With the 8 years of the republican led Bush years leaving us with wallstreet collapse and 5 people for every job available job, maufacturing jobs gone overseas, times are tough………
My Dad once told me that if work doesn’t come to you, then you go to it. I lost my position in 2004, and after not being able to find one locally, I relocated to Atlanta. I lost that job, couldn’t find another one and relocated again to Houston. I have still not been able to find a job in Northwest Florida, but I am working and making more than I’ve ever made. I returned to school, have earned a degree, and am making myself marketable. Maybe someday I can return to Florida to work; in the meantime, I’ll be where the work is.
I have never received unemployment benefits; I have never attempted to get them. I just kept looking for work and increasing my marketability.
I am so happy that benefits have been restored for me, being a single mother who has been out of work since Dec. 2008, this is a major help. @ Bob, there may be jobs out there, but I have been looking for the last two years and can’t even get hired at the local Petsmart. So tell me, where are the jobs?? I find it awfully funny for people to speak on this subject and criticize people who are on unemployment benefits, I’m quite sure if you were in my shoes, you surely wouldn’t speak that way. Easy for those who have a job or really don’t need to work, FUNNY!!
oh and thats to say nothing about the fact that most of the time
the heat index where I lived at the time was 115.
Try that for several summers in a row sometime.
Bob
Some people don’t miind sitting in line.
They think getting hand outs beats getting a real job and not
living off everyone else.
I can’t imagine it either.
I was once with out a job and mowed 16 lawns a day 7 days
a week to have a decent living during a lull in my career, which
by the way, was actually very fulfilling and lucative.
Things do happen and you have to be willing to punt and shift when
needed.
I’m a girl and if you think it was easy to lift a mower out of a car
every yard and mow and bag and then lift the mower back in the
car every time, well think again.
I never ever asked for unemployment or government assistance in
any way in my entire life.
There is always something you can do.
They would just rather watch TV and fish and hunt and watch their
children suffer.
Buying those votes, eh, Governor Crist?
Am I reading this correct. 79 Weeks plus an additional 20 computes to 99 weeks. I cannot imagine sitting in line for two years for an unemployment check. I would find another occupation or else just go somewhere and get a job. There are jobs to be had but people don’t want them as long as these benefits are paid.