A.G. Gancarski
While curfew cautions and pandemic precautions creating a hodgepodge of open-or-not questions around the state, those aren’t the only impediments Floridians face.
The state’s unlucky jobless, as of Monday, are dealing with yet another bump in the road as they attempt to get the unemployment benefits that they have sought for weeks or months in some cases.
The CONNECT website, administered by the Department of Economic Opportunity, installed a so-called “waiting room” feature over the weekend.
And that latest addition, designed to remove stress from other parts of the website, has one House Democrat seeing red.
“DEO continues to give people absolutely no notice of changes to the unemployment process. Today the update is a virtual waiting room to login into the website … hard to do how helpful this will be as it was just rolled out,” remarked Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat who has been among the most outspoken critics of the Governor and serial botches in what he calls the “reemployment assistance” process.
Eskamani spotlighted a tweet by a constituent, who spent much of Monday morning lingering in the virtual portal.
“Apparently there is a waiting room to login to connect now. According to the little man walking at the bottom of the second screen I’ve been waiting about 25% of the time I will need to. I’ve been waiting for 45 minutes now.”
Others told Eskamani of similar woes.
“Waiting an hour and not even half the way. Just another way to screw us over. Every weekday morning I have tried in the last two weeks and I have gotten on just fine. This is asinine.”
Those were, apparently, best case scenarios some luckless users would have envied.
“I have been waiting 70 min and my little man has not moved more than 1 block. He must not be very athletic,” quipped another of the lawmaker’s correspondents.
Gov. Ron DeSantis spent much of March, April, and May defending his fixes to the clunky unemployment website, which he likened on numerous occasions to a “jalopy in the Daytona 500.”
The Governor has also blamed user error for failure to get through, including asking reporters who challenged their narrative if they “vetted” turfed applicants to see if their claims were indeed legit.
“Who are these people?” DeSantis asked weeks ago, adding that “99.999% of those folks have been paid” if they weren’t missing key information on applications.
In the words of straightedge icons Fugazi, the Governor can meet them in the “waiting room,” should he want to make their acquaintance
61 comments
Esteban Yu
June 1, 2020 at 10:29 am
Waiting 45 % and not even half the way.The last week i was able to connect immediately every day.
it seems that someone is playing to make things more difficult
Esteban Yu
June 1, 2020 at 12:52 pm
2 hours 1 min waiting, finally got it. No too bad.
Chrissie
June 2, 2020 at 2:24 pm
Waited an hour just for it to start over again ended up waiting three and a half hours finally gave up for today. So frustrating. We need a new governor someone that can take control of the problem and solve the problem not make it worse.
Erika Powell
June 1, 2020 at 4:09 pm
I have waited and my guys makes it all the way and then I get kicked back to the beginning! Happened 4 times!!!
Amanda Hall
June 2, 2020 at 2:27 pm
This happens to me EVERYONE TIME! In the last two days alone i’ve waited in line for about 8 hours and get booted to the back of the line as soon as I get to the front!Worst part is, the site was either down or not working when I went to claim my last weeks… the morning after the deadline the site was magically back up and I may have lost out on at least $1400 through no fault of my own. I satay my computer trying for days in a row. Something needs to be done.
Amanda Hall
June 2, 2020 at 3:56 pm
This happens to me EVERYONE TIME! In the last two days alone i’ve waited in line for about 8 hours and get booted to the back of the line as soon as I get to the front!Worst part is, the site was either down or not working when I went to claim my last weeks… the morning after the deadline the site was magically back up and I may have lost out on at least $1400 through no fault of my own. I satat my computer trying for days in a row. Something needs to be done.It looks like they just stopped paying everyone. Why not just waive the damn work search and week claiming requirement until they get the site fixed? But then they couldn’t sit on their billions of dollars so that can collect interest. Desantis was already called out for this. We have to take some sort if action or we are left with no options. Unemployment until the end of July… what a joke. And I am furloughed and going back to my same job, yet need to waste time applying for other jobs when I will already be able to go back to work before I start elsewhere. They promised us the backed payments, but those will never be seen, and I have a feeling we aren’t going to be seeing any more $600 checks. In Florida, after taxes, they only offered me $94 a week. Who can live on that and even those payments stopped. Floridians are going to have to protest in Tallahassee (the way you are supposed to protest, not like animals). Well maybe Desantis needs to see the crowds outside to light a match under his ass. All we need is more civil unrest bc people can’t feed their children and are being denied what was promised to them.
hall33189
June 2, 2020 at 8:34 am
Now its telling me that the waiting room is a phishing attack and cant be trusted so its blocked by Cisco open DNS!! wow.. now what?
Amanda Hall
June 2, 2020 at 2:23 pm
What’s worse is waiting for two hours “in line” only to be booted right back out to the back of the line every time it’s your turn. I’ve waited in line for a total of 8 hours in the last two days, and have gotten booted out every time! I couldn’t even get on last week to claim my next two weeks bc the site wasn’t working, and it looks like it is going to cost me at least $1400 bc they can’t make a site that works!
JK
June 1, 2020 at 10:59 am
Applied 3/28 after being laid off from Covid-18 3/18. 9 weeks and 2 days!! Been claiming weeks in connect every 2 weeks from the start. Then I hear anyone who applied before the April 5th needs to apply again. 5/6 applied again using the new system. Been waiting another 4 weeks (June 5th) Called and was hing up on dozens of times. Got someone who said they can see an old claim but not anything from 2020 after 9 weeks! I was told to wait more and the new application from 5/6 with be injected over the 3/28 app in connect and the dates will change but I have to wait more! Who is going to do something about this? I need answers or i’m going to the media, it’s been months!!
STaci A Sciotti
June 1, 2020 at 11:23 am
Been waiting one hour and 22 minutes so far
Dave Morra
June 1, 2020 at 11:31 am
Only Government can get away with this nonsense. Waiting now for 4 hours. kicked off twice. Total disgrace!!
DL
June 1, 2020 at 11:44 am
Yep, the system was finally limping along under its own weight yet Ron DeSantis and his idiots found a way to break it again. Why don’t they invest in increasing the capacity rather than making a stupid queuing page? They are totally backwards and all they want to do is discourage applicants and lose them in the convoluted process.
I’ve heard more stories of people that gave up than I have of those finally getting payment. And I’ve never heard of anybody getting fully paid all that was promised back from mid-March. Just like others said, they lose your original filing date and end up trying to screw you out of what they owe. What a bunch of criminals.
And even when you could login, the claim process was still a total joke. As an independent contractor, they never communicated anything to me indicating what they needed to process a claim. I just had to keep hunting around and reading stories to guess.
The Rick Scott/Ron DeSantis nightmare continues…
Todd Mahon
June 1, 2020 at 12:27 pm
On here for over an hour now and little man just over 50%. Of course today is when we need to start putting in work search requirements so they are making it harder for us to get in. In turn that will let them deny us future payments for not submitting work search. I was getting payments and my 600 stopped as of last week. Also phone sysytem has changed and has you listen to more options only to hang up on you after all the new prompts. Wonder why people are looting?
Mark R.
June 1, 2020 at 12:33 pm
I applied in March and have never been able to get through on any phone number. I call every number multiple times a day and have never contacted a human being. I’ve left emails and no answers. Then in mid-May it said I had to reapply. So I did and now my claim says it was submitted in mid-May and not in March. I thought I was finally going to get my claim processed and then I logged in a few weeks ago and it said “locked”. I need to call another number to prove my identity. I keep calling everyday and left and email and I can’t get through or a response. It has been over 2 months and I’m going to run out of money to live on. Now I have this waiting room thing and can’t get into my account. I haven’t had a problem logging in in weeks and now this fiasco. I can’t believe I gained residency in this horrible state. I miss California.
JK
June 2, 2020 at 5:18 pm
Florida is the armpit of the country and that’s for sure. Same crap here except I got 3 payments and then it just stopped. If I wait 2 hours to log on it says my claim is active. Then where’s my money. Haven’t seen a dime since May 19th and even theen I was getting $125 a week plus a few $600 federal payments. $125 doesn’t even pay for food it’s an insult. I’ve worked for 40 years paying my taxes and this is what we get in return
Jim
June 1, 2020 at 12:53 pm
Based on the very well-established history of ill-advised, poorly executed plans that FL DEO has implemented since this whole fiasco started, I will not be a bit surprised if we eventually find out that they failed to add an automatic logout feature to this latest iteration of Connect. They haven’t done that up to this point, and without it, claimants who are finally able to log in will be able to inadvertently keep the new line to enter the “Waiting Room” moving very slowly by staying logged in after checking their status, indefinitely.
To the writer of this article, Mr. Gancarski, I’m not too sure most readers will get the Fugazi reference, but I sure do and appreciate it. That song has been playing in my brain nonstop since I first saw the “Waiting Room” on my PC screen this morning. Thank you for writing and posting this piece.
Jim
June 1, 2020 at 1:06 pm
A waiting line to get on a web system in 2020.
It’s not for “efficiency”, it’s just more onerous BS from DEO.
Florida officials and the DEO defy you to claim rightful benefits during a State of Emergency. Dead last 50th state of affairs.
Jeanne
June 1, 2020 at 2:09 pm
I agree with you 100%. I’ve never been in a “waiting room” to get on a website before. This is absolutely insane.
Melissa
June 2, 2020 at 7:02 am
Exactly!
Tim
June 1, 2020 at 1:14 pm
Got in after an hour this morning to find that my PUA application, filed on 5/11, awaiting adjudication had disappeared. Payment information that I had updated also vanished and defaulted back to prepaid debit card. Of course unable to even get put on hold on phone lines for answers.
Rudolph Davis
June 1, 2020 at 1:18 pm
I haven’t received my pua benefits since last week! Could anyone tells me what’s going on? I’ve also seen where other ppl haven’t received theirs!
Kristie Twente
June 1, 2020 at 1:23 pm
if only I can use this man to get my daily steps in I’d be golden!
sean warner
June 1, 2020 at 1:44 pm
complete bullshit. desantis is a waste of a human, florida is the shittiest state in the usa, i filed on 3/16, app got ‘lost’ multiple times, i been jobless and penniless almost 3 months now. i hate that i moved to this terrible state. this shit is criminal what they are doing
Jeanne
June 1, 2020 at 2:02 pm
This is just another way for Florida to blame the claimants instead of themselves for their antiquated, poorly designed website. I filed in March, then I was rejected (since I am an independent contractor) and had to refile again at the end of April. I’m still not receiving the extra $600.00 from the Federal Government. I’m only receiving the measly amount from the state of Florida. I can not pay rent or buy groceries with $125.00 a week.
JK
June 2, 2020 at 5:23 pm
Same here.$125 a week is an insult and even that stopped coming in. Last payment I got was May 19th. Desantis is an asshole and this whole state needs to be wiped off the map. Can’t believe I’m trapped here with a business that is dead and can’t get any help
Buddy
June 1, 2020 at 2:02 pm
You know, within the funeral home industry, Florida is known as “Heaven’s Waiting Room”. Sit back, relax and stare at the walking figure for 2 or more hours! Your time will come.
Ryan
June 1, 2020 at 2:52 pm
This is complete garbage. They are intentionally trying to make this harder for us who depend on these funds to survive right now! I waited 2+ hours to get in and 1/2 way through filling out the jobs I applied for I kicked me out and put me all the way back at the end of the cue line!!!! So now I have to wait another 2+ hours and you can’t do it overnight because they shut the site down!!! This needs to be fixed ASAP. People can’t survive without these funds.
Adam
June 1, 2020 at 4:01 pm
Same thing happened to me, after waiting hours in “line” got kicked out half way through the pua application that I’ve been waiting two months for, and now back waiting in line again. Been stuck in front of this darn computer all day, instead of tending to my garden which I need to be doing so I can actually have some food to eat while I continue to wait for unemployment. Leave it to Florida to figure out how to make a bad system even worse.
Charles
June 1, 2020 at 3:22 pm
Desantis is a twit. He’s not even worth the waste of time to capitalize a second letter in his name. If Floridians have any collective sense (which is sadly not sure) we will kick him and his dumb**s cohort to the curb ASAP.
br
June 1, 2020 at 3:25 pm
WHY, WHY, WHY??? Can DeSantis make it any more complicate and burdensome for people of this State? The requirement is to report the job search but we cannot log in NOW. Before today 6.1.20 there was no problem logging in to report job searches. It is ironic that this is the 1st of June, when we are “required” to report the job search; while the months of April and May were waived. Is anyone connecting the dots?! . . .because it appears the State and the Governor is NOT.
SR
June 4, 2020 at 7:59 pm
Why are we required to look for work when no one is hiring until Disney opens up. This is a tourist city. Also, I’ve been out of work since 3/21 and started to receive my checks May 2 but then for no reason after receiving 3 checks they stopped WTH is the problem. Florida unemployment is a joke.
Daphne
June 1, 2020 at 3:26 pm
The virtual waiting room is unacceptable! I have been waiting for hours to login. My three-year-old needed lunch. I made him a sandwich then came back to check it and apparently in 10 minutes I have lost my spot. I’ve waited over 3 hours! I am unemployed but I still have things to do. It took me weeks to be able to actually file as the website kept kicking me off. My claim has been pending since April 19th! I go in and claim weeks even though I guess that’s been suspended but I just don’t know what else to do. My family is struggling! I am not someone that lives off the system I had paid enough in Social Security taxes to qualify retirement benefits by age 19(assuming there are any left by the time I get to the appropriate age). I understand the system was not prepared for the pandemic but by now you need to get families their assistance! We are going to have an increase of homeless families very quickly and it will snowball from there! Florida and Governor De Santos please help. If you can’t figure out the website then concentrate and direct assistance via phones. When you call in you can’t get anybody on the phone. The recording when you put in your claim number doesn’t give you any information.
Wilma
June 1, 2020 at 3:28 pm
Been trying for over a month to file for PUA. Always get to page where I attache proof documents and when I hit “Next”, I have got error message every time for the last 2 months:
Error: The system has experienced an unexpected technical error. Please close your internet browser, then reopen it and log back in to CONNECT through your normal process. You may need to try this once or twice to be successful and we appreciate your patience. If this error continues to appear please contact the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) at 1-800-204-2418.
Waited 2 hours in line today, finally got on site, got to the page where I attache my proof documents and you guessed it – GOT THE SAME DANG ERROR MESSAGE!THIS IS A NEW KIND OF HELL!!!
Phillip
June 1, 2020 at 11:45 pm
I had the same experience today. Every time I clicked SUBMIT after finally entering information on page after page and uploading documents, the ERROR page Wilma describes.
I did it 21 times, waited in the queue 4 times at an average 1.5 – 2 hrs each, and called the DEO 29 times with zero success connecting to a human. When I tried to email via a form, I received a different Error screen.
11am – 7:45pm. This is extremely frustrating. Apparently we are not alone! I used Chrome, then I used Safari, then back to Chrome. I have multiple screencap videos of the errors and random logouts. Shameful system. The waiting room does nothing to help matters.
Sara Wercinski
June 1, 2020 at 4:05 pm
I’m just sad. I applied March 15, and continued to get kicked off. I have a claimant number from that attempt. When we were able to send in hard copies, I did that on Apr 9, and received an email on Apr 28 saying they had received my application. Was able to get on last week, only to discover I have a new claimant number and I am “active”. I took several screen shots from the beginning because I knew this would be a disaster. The last time I was able to get on to the website, I could see that I have no “notes”, and nothing that needs to be completed. I have yet to receive any money. Trying to hold off rent, I work a few hours via work study, am juggling paying bills and trying to finish college. I need help.
Shirley
June 1, 2020 at 4:20 pm
OMG…Are you kidding us? Filed March 29th and still in the dark. I have gotton 1 measles $112.00 after taxes and by filing for PUS on a separate site received 2 payments. I’ve figured we are all screwed and will never get paid out. It truly is the best scam going. Think we’re beaten down? You’d be right!
olga
June 2, 2020 at 10:26 am
how did you apply for PUS? can you share the site please? I didn’t know we had to apply separately for it…I have a friend that only applied on the mobile DEO site just like me and got 2 checkes, one for unemployment plus the $600. she didn’t do anything different…
So Broke
June 1, 2020 at 5:09 pm
You know what they mean by” We’re all in this together” they seriously are. They don’t give a Damn because if they did then something would have been done by now. How can all of them see this bullshit going on week after week for 3 months now and not do anything about it? ” We’re all in this together”
Diggystillbee
June 1, 2020 at 5:54 pm
They are already protesting in the streets and rioting over the police brutality I say we go out into the streets and Tallahassee and give them an idea of how we believe that this is unfair and something should be done
Jeanne
June 1, 2020 at 6:07 pm
Good idea!
Susan
June 1, 2020 at 6:14 pm
I have finally started to receive my unemployment checks. I have only received 3 and now they have stopped. They system is a joke and now the waiting room makes it even harder. Can’t ever talk to a human to find out what is going on.
Melissa
June 2, 2020 at 6:54 am
Same for me, I was getting the benefit payments and now they have stopped. Last week I received the federal payment amount but no state payment. Now today when I would normally receive the federal payment….. NOTHING! My friend still is waiting for DEO to resolve some pending adjudication for two months even though he was showing eligible. He was getting at least the federal money but now that has stopped as of last week. It makes no sense. Yesterday we waited an hour and a half to claim his weeks in the new waiting room. It’s just disgusting what the state is doing to it’s people.
ray
June 2, 2020 at 8:51 am
Exact same thing for me……last week i got the $600,but no state. Today i always get the 600 on tues…Nothing. Ridiculous!!
Susan
June 2, 2020 at 11:24 am
I have the same problem…all money stopped for no reason. I have received 3 state and 4 covid payments, been off work since 3/21.
Tom
June 2, 2020 at 8:40 am
I too have never received a full amount of pay. I have filed March 23 and In April and was ineligible. Finally the PUA lined showed up April 29 and was eligible. No back pay whatsoever and since then I never received a full 2 weeks Pay on time. last week I got from the State 250 and this week they paid me 350 For the PUA. Where’s The full amount owed? why are you splitting payments? Do you know the anxiety and depletion that causes someone who are counting on the full payments. Why can’t you just pay us our full amounts at one time? ALL my family members and friends that live in Michigan get paid their State and PUA at once! This is a mess beyond epic proportions. People are starving, struggling, stressed, depressed and suicidal and you guys are adding to this by adding this “New” shit system to it with the same problems and your LYING to everyone about it! Everyone in Tallahassee who has allowed this should be fined, fired, or sued. They need to be held accountable for ALL the lives that they are playing with. These lives put you in office to SERVE the people of Florida. PLEASE DO YOUR JOB! WHILE YOUR STILL LUCKY TO HAVE ONE!
Sara Wercinski
June 2, 2020 at 11:38 am
They need to lose their jobs and try getting unemployment. Do they really think we all just sort of got together and decided to make this stuff up. The Gov wants name-well here we are. And btw, where is my damn federal income tax refund. Filed electronically Mar 16. Guess that’s a whole other can of worms. No one to contact for that either. I’d like to see how the gov’t officials would feel if THEY were scrambling to come up with rent, or even to buy groceries. I would gladly take a personal check from our Gov to cover my rent…
Aileen Scurato
June 2, 2020 at 11:38 am
June 2nd…second day trying to get into Connect..listening to Waiting Room by Fugazi while my little man walks across the waiting room quequ line. Thanks for sharing the reference so I can entertain myself while waiting again!
Maria Meehan
June 2, 2020 at 12:01 pm
I have spent the last two mornings just trying to get through to the system. Both in the UI waiting room and on the phone at any of the four numbers I have. To enumerate the problems I have had with this system would look like a Miami phone book. I really don’t know who to follow up with next since there is no reasonable Avenue to reach those responsible for this injustice. They have stolen my time as well as money.
Patty North
June 2, 2020 at 12:54 pm
This system is working exactly like they designed it to. Less unemployment claims filed make it possible for the current admin to brag that the unemployment numbers are dropping and things are back to normal!
This new waiting-room guarantees that the claim numbers will drop.
Win, Win for the state.
Not so much for the people…..
Csilla Laszlo
June 2, 2020 at 1:24 pm
I am convinced that they are using every excuse they can to make it as frustrating and nearly impossible for us to get paid. I waited 1hr to log in and after doing so there is no “claim my benefit” option, turns out my claim date was changed? Why? Where is my email notice? Also not getting the 600…wth??? There is no excuse for this nonsense! This is the government for goodness sake, how hard can it honestly be to set up a competent system in this day and age? Shame on DeSantis for having the nerve to blame the applicants (us) for his incompetence. Recently he said we don’t know what we are doing …well no kidding! And who’s fault is that? And nobody is listening or cares enough to oversee and regulate this nonsense…who can we turn to? Where are our representatives? I feel like I am living in a third world country. It’s not HIS money to do what he pleases with. I am sorry for the rant you guys, I am just so upset!
Gen
June 2, 2020 at 1:32 pm
This is such a joke! Had no problem logging in last week and now this BS?
And I also stopped getting payments a couple of weeks ago.
Micaela
June 2, 2020 at 1:59 pm
This is unbelievable. Their system makes is so difficult to navigate. What should take 2 minutes to complete takes hours and phone calls to the DEO not being answered and frankly just hung up. This virtual waiting room now is another attempt to prevent people from getting the unemployment assistance they need to survive. I had no issue logging in last week. However, even the, there were huge glitches that kick you out and make you log back in all the time. All that DeSantis is doing is causing more outrage among the citizens in his state. They know exactly that this site does not work. The governor’s office and unemployment office are both embarassing and inhumane. I am voting you out in November DeSantis.
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Pissed Off GOPer
June 3, 2020 at 9:00 am
Lifelong Republican here.
And I swear, by all that is holy, that I will vote for ANYONE but DeSantis and Scott. Their creation and maintenance of a system designed to frustrate benefit seekers is criminal.
Trump can blame these two idiots when he loses Florida in the electoral college.
Lance Gil
June 3, 2020 at 11:08 am
They spent millions of taxpayer money to make a bad site worse. This is my first time getting assistance and I have put millions of my taxes into the system. I wish there was a way we could opt out of paying taxes and pay ourselves instead and not have to depend on government since they are non responsive to the needs of the people.
Kenneth P
June 3, 2020 at 2:41 pm
I never had a n issue logging in, and now we have to wait 2 or more hours? This is obviously a ploy to prevent people from getting their benefits.
Ron
June 4, 2020 at 11:34 am
This whole system is a joke.my claim has been pending for 6 weeks now.It shows the amount I’m to receive and says waiting to process.The only person I can get hold of is the person who helps you fill out the app and she says I’ve done everything right.This is not Fl money,It is a PUA claim.There is absolutely nobody I can contact .Im a furloughed employee and if DeSantis isn’t gonna release the money just say so.I don’t need to go back to my current employer.
Still No help
June 4, 2020 at 5:24 pm
Waited in the “online waiting room” to log in for 35 minutes. The status bar completed and informed me it was my turn to log in, then immediately sent me back to the beginning of a new wait in line.
The system did not let me log in after the wait and instead sent me back in line. And this is the fix?
John
June 10, 2020 at 8:49 am
I’m self employed..Not $1 dollar have I received. I applied March 28th, to be deemed ineligible, to reapply, to be deemed ineligible, to reapply, so I could then finally apply for PUA. Do explain how the f$&k that makes any sense. Tried to login to “submit” proof of income. No way to upload. This is fraud. Desantis you have OUR MONEY. FIX THIS. Not with a virtual waiting room, or making the site inaccessible for “improvements” which clearly are useless.
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