Editorial: Fix system that punishes Florida's laid-off workers

A leading Republican finally has told the truth about Florida’s unemployment system.

Gov. Ron DeSantis admitted to Jim DeFede of Miami’s CBS 4 that GOP state legislators added “pointless roadblocks” and designed the system “to lead to the least number of claims being paid out.” Republicans hoped that laid-off workers would “just say, oh, the hell with it. I’m not going to do that.”

That system ranked among the nation’s worst even before the COVID-19 pandemic. When lockdowns came, however, the system collapsed.

Between mid-March and late July, Florida had to process roughly 3.1 million jobless claims. Two weeks ago, the financial website WalletHub ranked Florida last in terms of how state unemployment claims are recovering.

One change in that 2011 legislation prohibited unemployed workers from filing claims by mail. All had to come online. But most public libraries closed when the lockdowns began, thus depriving lower-income Floridians of free internet access.

In addition, Florida’s weekly benefits — $275 — are among the lowest in the nation and last for only 12 weeks. As an official of the National Employment Law Project told The New York Times during the April surge, “Florida is a terrible state to be an unemployed person.”

Under DeSantis, the Department of Economic Opportunity hired more people to deal with the demand. He allowed submission of claims by mail. DeSantis also has repeatedly waived the requirements that, to receive benefits, unemployed Floridians must show that they have looked for work.

The system itself, however, remains. And Republicans still want to disown it.

As governor, Rick Scott signed the bill that created the system. He oversaw the botched rollout of the CONNECT website to apply for benefits.

After DeSantis’ comments, Scott blamed … well, not himself. He said of DeSantis, “It’s a tough time to be a governor. Some people are leaders. Some people take responsibility. Some people solve problems, and some people blame others.”

Scott obviously missed the irony.

The governor also has changed his tone. In May, he attempted to blame laid-off workers for filling out forms improperly. An audit last year gave the unemployment system its most recent dismal analysis. DeSantis told DeFede that the audit “never reached my desk.”

State Rep. Chip LaMarca, R-Lighthouse Point, also tried to rewrite history. In a Sun Sentinel op-ed, LaMarca claimed that the Florida Legislature changed the system “to help people get back to work after the 2008 recession.”

In fact, the change took place after the worst of the recession had passed. It happened because the Florida Chamber of Commerce and other business groups wanted the system to be terrible.

Those changes predated LaMarca. In the op-ed, he offers several helpful ideas.

The Legislature, LaMarca said, should raise the unemployment benefit and extend it past 12 weeks. The system should be much more “accessible” and should allow laid-off workers to file claims using “any device.” The system should be more flexible and modern, to encompass self-employed gig workers, such as those who deliver groceries.

“Imagine,” LaMarca wrote, “if all 120 members of the Florida House of Representatives came together to address the problem and commit to changing how the system works?”

Great idea. At this point, however, imagining is all that anyone can do. Republicans have resisted calls from Democrats for a special session to address the unemployment system.

In response to LaMarca’s article, Rep. Carlos Smith, D-Winter Park, noted that LaMarca was among the Republicans who in May voted not to hold such a session. On the current timetable, Smith said, no changes could come until next March. Even if that happened, the changes wouldn’t take effect until next July.

Perhaps Republicans don’t want to call added attention to their terrible creation in an election year. Perhaps, like some of their colleagues in the U.S. Senate, they assume that the economy will recover fully this year and the crisis will end.

That idea is fanciful. Nationally, the rate of job growth has slowed. Though new unemployment claims in Florida declined for the third straight week, to roughly 74,000, that puts the state nothing close to normal. In early February, the weekly number was roughly 5,600 new claims.

Further, the biggest hit to travel employment in Florida still may be coming. In October, airlines can begin laying off workers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended the ban on cruise ships until Sept. 30 and ripped the industry for allowing the virus to spread.

And now, Florida is prepared to award a $110 million for the state’s Medicaid system to Deloitte — the company behind the CONNECT system that DeSantis called a “clunker.” His office said DeSantis can’t interfere in the contract, even though his office is investigating Deloitte regarding the unemployment contract.

Deloitte continues to defend its work, as does its team of lobbyists with connections to the governor. For example, that team of lobbyists, from the firm of GrayRobinson, includes Kim McDougal, who lobbies DeSantis on behalf of Deloitte and was also named by the governor to his Education and Workforce Development Transition Advisory Committee in 2018.

DeSantis said of negotiations in Washington over a new COVID-19 relief bill, “I haven’t been following what they’re doing.” To enlighten the governor, his GOP colleagues want to end or sharply reduce the $600 in added unemployment benefits that have propped up Florida.

The governor could have called for a special session months ago. If he is sincere in wanting to fix the unemployment system, he won’t wait for next year. Otherwise, he might as well say, the hell with it.

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