Bill To Increase Unemployment Benefits By $100 Passes Committee

TALLAHASSEE, FL — If the Florida Legislature agrees, unemployed Floridians will get an additional $100 a week increase in their unemployment checks.

On Monday, the Florida Senate Committee on Commerce and Tourism, chaired by Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, passed Senate Bill 1906, which increases the maximum weekly unemployment benefit from $275 to $375.

What began as a call by Florida Democrats to increase the weekly benefit at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic has evolved into a bipartisan issue with Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford, sponsoring the Senate bill.

“Over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has shed the light on several problems with Florida’s unemployment system," said Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby. "I am pleased to see the Florida Senate take the steps necessary to address these significant challenges. Loss of a job is one of the most stressful things a family can go through, and we need to have a meaningful benefit that Floridians can rely on."

“Representing a Central Florida district, my constituents were among the hardest hit when tourism came to a standstill last spring," Brodeur said. "This was an unprecedented situation that no one could have planned for, but it has brought to the forefront several important issues that should be discussed. We have a moral obligation to provide enough support to help meet some basic needs for Floridians who are out of work through no fault of their own, and are looking for employment."

The bill amends Florida statutes increasing benefits for unemployed Floridians from $32 to $275 per week to $100 to $375 per week.

U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, and Charlie Crist, D-St. Petersburg, urged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to increase the weekly benefit last year after 1.3 million Floridians lost their jobs in the wake of the pandemic.

Even with the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, which gave unemployed Americans an additional $600 a week, Crist said the benefits weren't sufficient for the average Florida family to make ends meet.

“It is a dire situation. Getting by on $275 from the state and $600 from the feds is simply not enough for most every family,” he said.

Castor noted that only four states paid less in unemployment benefits than Florida.

• Mississippi – $235
• Arizona – $240
• Louisiana – $247
• Alabama – $265
• Florida – $275

“Why put Florida at a distinct disadvantage compared to other states. It doesn't make any sense,” she said.

According to fileunemployment.org, unemployed residents in Illinois receive five times the amount of weekly benefits than Floridians get.

The states paying the most in unemployment benefits are:

• Illinois – $1,495
• Massachusetts – $1,179
• Maine – $855
• Ohio – $753
• Connecticut – $706

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