This thread has been so helpful! I'm dealing with a similar overpayment double-billing issue right now (got the collection letter last week for an amount I already repaid in October). Reading through everyone's experiences, it sounds like the CareerSource visit + certified appeal letter combo is the most effective approach. One question - for those who successfully got this resolved, did DEO send you any kind of written confirmation that the collection action was canceled? I want to make sure I have something in writing to protect myself if this somehow pops up again in the future. Their systems seem so unreliable that I wouldn't be surprised if the same issue happened again down the road. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences here - it's reassuring to know this can actually be fixed even though the process is frustrating!

I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! Got an overpayment notice for $3,200 in November, paid it immediately through CONNECT, and now just received a collections letter this week for the same amount. It's absolutely maddening - you do the right thing and pay what you owe, only to have their broken system come after you again. Reading through this thread gives me hope though. I'm definitely going to try the CareerSource approach since calling DEO directly has been completely useless (4+ hours on hold yesterday just to get disconnected). @Sofia Ramirez - so relieved you got yours resolved! Quick question: when you visited CareerSource, did you need to bring anything specific beyond your payment confirmation and the collection letter? I want to make sure I have everything they might need before making the trip. This whole situation is so stressful when you're already dealing with financial hardship. DEO really needs to get their act together with these system integration issues.

UPDATE: I tried both suggestions! Called my state representative's office AND used Claimyr to get through to DEO. Figured I'd attack this from both angles. Got through to DEO first - the agent confirmed I have a separation issue where my employer didn't respond to their inquiry about my layoff. The agent sent a follow-up request to my employer and escalated my case. She said once that's resolved (hopefully within 2 weeks), all my eligible back weeks should process for payment! Thank you all for the help - will update again when/if I get my backpay!

This is exactly what happened to me back in 2023! The frustrating part is that DEO's system will sometimes process one "test" week to verify your payment method and eligibility, but then hold all the other weeks until any pending issues are resolved. Since you found the separation issue in your determination status, that's definitely what's blocking your September-November backpay. The good news is that once that separation issue gets resolved (sounds like it's just waiting on your employer to confirm the layoff details), all those weeks should release at once. I ended up getting about 12 weeks of backpay in one lump sum when my case finally got cleared. Just make sure to keep claiming your ongoing weeks so you don't miss any future payments while waiting for the backpay to process. The whole system is backwards but you're on the right track now that you actually got through to someone!

I can confirm this is happening! I claimed yesterday and had the same experience - no work search entry screen at all. Based on what others are saying here, it sounds like DEO is transitioning to a random audit system instead of requiring weekly entry. I'm going to keep doing my 5 work searches and documenting everything with dates, company names, positions applied for, and how I applied (online, email, in-person, etc.). Better safe than sorry with DEO - they love to hit people with overpayments for the smallest reasons. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, it's really helpful to know we're not alone in this confusion!

This exact same thing happened to me when I claimed on Tuesday! I was so confused because I've been claiming for 6 weeks now and always had to enter my 5 work searches. When it skipped straight to submit, I thought maybe the system was broken or I accidentally clicked something wrong. I even went back and tried to find where to enter them but there was no option anywhere. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here - sounds like DEO is switching to random audits instead of weekly reporting. I've been keeping a spreadsheet of all my job applications anyway (learned that lesson from horror stories on this forum), so I should be covered if they ask for verification. Still wish they would send out proper notifications about these changes instead of leaving us all confused and worried!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I was also recently laid off (from my office job about 10 days ago) and had heard mixed information about work search requirements. My coworker told me the same thing as Paolo's friend - that they weren't being enforced anymore - but thankfully I stumbled across this discussion before making that costly mistake! I'm definitely going to follow everyone's advice here: - Setting up a detailed spreadsheet to track all my work searches - Keeping screenshots and confirmation emails from applications - Looking into CareerSource workshops since they count AND provide actual job hunting help - Making sure I do exactly 5 documented activities every week The stories about people getting audited and having to repay benefits really drove home how serious this is. It's frustrating that there's so much misinformation floating around, but I'm grateful this community exists to share real experiences and accurate information. For anyone else reading this who might be in the same boat - definitely don't risk your benefits by skipping work searches. It sounds like Florida DEO is actually increasing enforcement, not decreasing it!

Just wanted to add my recent experience to help confirm what everyone else is saying. I filed for unemployment in Florida in January 2025 after being laid off from my healthcare job, and the work search requirements are absolutely still in effect and being enforced. I actually got selected for an audit during my third week of benefits, and they wanted documentation for every single work search activity I had reported. Luckily I had been keeping detailed records from day one because I wasn't sure about the requirements and wanted to be safe rather than sorry. The DEO representative who conducted my audit was very thorough - they asked for specific details about each job application including company names, positions applied for, dates, and methods of contact. They also verified some of my applications by actually calling the companies I had applied to! I was surprised by how detailed their verification process was. For anyone just starting their unemployment journey in Florida: definitely don't listen to anyone who says work searches aren't required or enforced anymore. That information is completely outdated and could cost you your benefits. Keep meticulous records of everything - it's better to be over-prepared than to scramble later when you get audited. The 5 work search activities per week requirement is real, it's current, and they are actively checking compliance in 2025.

Any luck with the representative or getting through to DEO yet? I'm invested in your situation now and hoping you get resolution soon!

I'm dealing with something very similar - my claim has been under investigation for 3 months now with zero communication from DEO. Reading through all these responses is both reassuring (that I'm not alone) and terrifying (that some people wait 7-9 months!). @Dmitry that's great news about getting through with Claimyr and getting an actual explanation! A "system flag conflict" sounds like something that should be fixable once someone actually looks at it. Really hoping the supervisor can clear it up quickly for you. For anyone else stuck in investigation limbo, it seems like the key takeaways from this thread are: 1) Try Claimyr to actually reach a human, 2) Contact your state representative, 3) File formal complaints to create paper trails, and 4) Ask specifically for "claim escalation" if you're past 90 days. Going to try all of these myself!