Taking legal action against DEO - contacted my Congressman about constant claim delays

I absolutely support you taking this action! I had to fight for 3 months to get my benefits after being laid off from construction work. The system is deliberately designed to be frustrating. When I finally got through to a DEO agent, they admitted they were backed up by THOUSANDS of claims with only a handful of adjudicators. It's criminal how they treat people who are already struggling. One piece of advice though - document EVERYTHING. Every call, email, letter from DEO. Note dates, times, names of reps you speak with. If you do file that lawsuit, having detailed records will be crucial. I'd also suggest reaching out to local news stations. They sometimes do investigative pieces on DEO failures, and public pressure can work wonders.

ok not to be rude but what exactly do u think a lawsuit will accomplish?? the system is messed up for sure but lawsuits take YEARS and cost $$$. your better off just calling them everyday until u get someone who actually helps. thats what I did and finally got my payments after 6wks of trying

I've been through this nightmare twice now, and while I understand your frustration, I want to make sure you're aware of what legal action actually entails. A pro se lawsuit (representing yourself) against a state agency is extremely difficult to navigate without specialized knowledge of administrative law. Florida statute 443.141 governs unemployment appeals, and there's a specific process you must follow before court action. First, have you completed all available administrative remedies? This includes requesting a hearing with an appeals referee and then appealing to the Reemployment Assistance Appeals Commission if denied. If you're serious about legal action, I'd strongly recommend contacting Legal Aid in your county first - they often have attorneys who specialize in unemployment issues and can provide free guidance. The Florida Bar Association also has a referral service for pro bono representation in some cases.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS RIGGED!!! I've been fighting for my benefits for 5 MONTHS!!! everytime I call they tell me something different. first its "just wait for adjudication" then its "we need more documents" then its "oh we lost those documents send them again" THEN ITS BACK TO WAITING FOR ADJUDICATION!!!! Governor DeSantis doesn't give a crap about regular people trying to survive!!!

Just wanted to share - I was stuck in adjudication for over 2 months and was getting nowhere with regular calls. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual DEO agent. They have a system that keeps calling until it connects and then calls you when an agent is on the line. Saved me hours of redial frustration. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj The DEO agent I spoke with was actually helpful and escalated my claim to a supervisor. Got my issues resolved within a week after that call. Might be worth trying before going the legal route, which could take forever.

I contacted my state representative last year when my claim was stuck for 3 months. Their office has staff dedicated to handling DEO issues because they get SO MANY complaints. My rep's office contacted DEO directly and my claim was mysteriously resolved within 2 weeks. Keep pushing with your representative! They can actually help because DEO hates the political pressure. About the lawsuit - I work in paralegal services (not offering legal advice). Class action suits regarding unemployment systems have happened in other states. You might want to research if there are already attorneys working on similar cases in Florida you could join rather than starting from scratch alone.

has anyone tryed geting help from legal aid? i tryed calling them but ther always busy

I'm in that same Facebook group!!! It's crazy how many people are in the exact same situation. The group grew by like 300 people just last month! I think a class action lawsuit is the only way to force them to fix this mess. I've been waiting since February with a "pending adjudication" status and zero explanation. Meanwhile my electricity got shut off and I had to borrow money from family just to keep a roof over my head. This is NOT how a government should treat its citizens!!

Update on my situation - after contacting my state rep AND filing a formal complaint with the Inspector General's office (https://www.floridajobs.org/department-directory/office-of-the-inspector-general/contact-the-inspector-general), my claim was suddenly approved last week. The IG complaint seems to light a fire under them because they have to formally investigate. Also worth noting - I found out that DEO is severely understaffed in their adjudication department. An agent told me they have thousands of claims but only dozens of adjudicators. The system is designed to be slow and frustrating, hoping people will just give up. Don't give up!