Cape Coral Police Department to hold news conferenceEndangered Bornean orangutan born at Busch Gardens in Florida
WINK NEWS Lawmakers release bill proposal to fix Florida unemployment problems Lawmakers released a bill proposal Thursday to fix the problems you faced with the state unemployment system during the pandemic and before. Meanwhile, people like Donna Spreitzer who’s been out of work since March 17 calls the last seven months a living nightmare. “My savings is depleted,” she said. “Do you pay your credit card […]
FORT MYERS WINK INVESTIGATES: Unemployment benefits haven’t gone up since 1998; what will it take to raise them? Struggling for more than six months, people did get extra help from the federal government, but that’s over now. Unemployed Floridians have to survive on $275 a week maximum – if they qualify for benefits. Around the country, Florida has one of the lowest weekly benefit amounts (the only states that pay less are Arizona, […]
FORT MYERS ‘Quarter change:’ Oct. 1 means re-evaluating who qualifies for unemployment benefits If you’re unemployed, pay close attention to your claim. The State is re-evaluating whether you should get state unemployment benefits if you’re currently receiving federal money. If you’ve been on unemployment since the pandemic began, you probably know the drill. It’s happened twice already — it’s called the quarter change. Basically, according to the rules […]
FORT MYERS New head of DEO explains plans for agency, clearing backlog of unemployment claims The new executive director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity said that one week into his job, his first assessment is what he calls a “workload vs. manpower issue.” Dane Eagle spoke with WINK News via Zoom from his car as he traveled to survey Hurricane Sally damage in Pensacola and answered some of […]
WINK NEWS Suggestion Box: Florida’s unemployment system With Dane Eagle as the new executive director of the Department of Economic Opportunity, are changes coming? Give your suggestions below on how to improve our current unemployment system and we’ll take them straight to the top. This form has closed. You can email reporter Sara Girard at sara.girard@winknews.com
FORT MYERS Fort Myers widow gets husband’s back unemployment pay A Fort Myers woman who lost her husband to COVID-19 and was struggling to get by has received his missing unemployment payments after some help from WINK News. Judith Alves said at first, the Department of Economic Opportunity told her “that money died with” her husband. Now, she’s finally finding peace. “He’s always going to […]
WINK NEWS Unemployment rate continues to drop in Southwest Florida The Department of Economic Opportunity announced Florida’s unemployment rate for August 2020 dropped to 7.4 percent, seasonally adjusted, down 4 percentage points over the month. Additionally, Florida’s labor force increased 1.4 percent over the month, an increase of 143,000 Floridians entering the workforce. Florida businesses gained 46,000 private-sector jobs over the month. Adrienne Johnston is […]
Lehigh Acres Lehigh Acres residents object to placement of new streetlights A project to bring more streetlights to Lehigh Acres has neighbors frustrated, confused and willing to lawyer up. Some residents say that while they know some parts of Lehigh Acres really need lighting, their neighborhood has enough lights. They’re also upset they didn’t get any notice before the county and utility company started lighting up […]
FORT MYERS Florida may not be eligible for additional weeks of Lost Wages Assistance Three extra weeks. That’s what FEMA says some people collecting unemployment can receive in jobless benefits, but Floridians may not be eligible. We already got the first three weeks of Lost Wages Assistance, so why can’t Floridan’s collect the rest? Basically, it boils down to how the state pays out its benefits. In order for […]
FORT MYERS First-time unemployment claims rise nationally, fall in Florida A higher than expected number of Americans filed first-time unemployment claims last week – roughly 857,000 people. Continuing claims showing people who are still getting unemployment checks also rose nationwide. This rough measure of layoffs isn’t seasonally adjusted. In Florida, initial claims fell by 9,000, but nationwide, new claims rose about 20,000 from the week […]