Sara Girard

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is removing the online option to backdate your unemployment claim if you have had issues filing. Backdating claims have been a big topic among people filing for unemployment — especially because website issues early on made it so hundreds if not thousands of people submitted claims days or weeks […]

A picture of success? The Department of Economic Opportunity is showing that nearly all of the 1.5 million eligible unemployment claims have been paid. Governor Ron DeSantis talked a lot about getting the situation under control, but is it really? While we’re still hearing from people every day, you say you’re missing three, four, five […]

Southwest Florida unemployment rates are going down, while the state’s number is going up as of May 2020. Lee: 14% Charlotte:13.5% Collier: 13.1% Hendry: 11.5% Glades: 7.9% DeSoto: 7.1% Friday, the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) released new numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Southwest Florida is doing better in other areas of the […]

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity said Thursday that 97 percent of unemployment claimants have been paid, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been paid in full. For weeks, you’ve been asking WINK News reporter Sara Girard, “where is my money?” Girard created a Facebook poll, and out of almost 1,500 people in Southwest Florida who […]

Frustrated workers across the state are protesting the unemployment system. Multiple groups of about a dozen or two people took to the streets to take a stand against Florida’s failing unemployment system. WINK News Investigative Reporter Sara Girard has been following Florida’s unemployment crisis from the start of the pandemic. She spoke with one of […]

While bars, restaurants, and other businesses begin to reopen, the possibility of going back to work for many increases. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report Friday that shows the nationwide unemployment rate for May is 13.3 percent, down from 14.7 percent in April. The U.S. added 2.5 million jobs in May. Economists estimated […]

Unemployment continues to frustrate countless people in Southwest Florida. While the state’s dashboard says 97% of claimants have been paid their benefits, you say that number is misleading. Paid doesn’t mean paid in full. Thursday, some of you say payments have stopped altogether. If you’re even remotely familiar with the current unemployment system, this will […]

Florida Department of Economic Opportunity says it has a new feature to help you during your unemployment process, but people using the systems are only describing more frustration. We’ve been getting mixed reviews on what you think of the new virtual waiting room. Some of you say it’s smoother once you actually log on. Others […]

A Tallahassee judge said Thursday he cannot order the state to pay people immediately because he doesn’t have the authority, which comes as disappointment for hundreds of thousands unemployed Floridians. Serious, scared, devastated and frustrated — that is how Judge John Cooper described the people waiting to be paid their unemployment benefits and struggling to […]

A judge in Tallahassee held an emergency hearing Tuesday on unemployment compensation to address an injunction filed on behalf of more than 200,000 unemployed Floridians. The marathon hearing went from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. WINK News investigative reporter Sara Girard live-tweeted what happened. Read her summary: The plaintiffs are demanding the Department of Economic […]