Unemployed Floridians are suing Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for leaving enhanced federal unemployment insurance, despite the fact that the state has as many job openings as unemployed people.
Under the American Rescue Plan, Congress is paying unemployed Americans $300 per week through September 6 on top of preexisting state-level jobless programs. Citing the fact that business owners in their states have been unable to fill an abundance of open positions, Republican governors opted out of the extra federal benefits to encourage labor market recovery.
“Florida is one of 26 states – nearly all of which are led by Republican governors – that decided to prematurely end one of three federal unemployment programs that provided out-of-work Americans with an extra $300 a week, on top of their regular state benefits, and extended eligibility for contract workers as well as those who had exhausted their regular state benefits,” Fox News reported.
In response, residents of Indiana, Maryland, and Texas have filed suit against their governors over the past several weeks. The most recent legal action — which lists DeSantis as a defendant — alleges that Florida ended its participation in the federal program “for purely partisan and political purposes.”
The lawsuit reads:
DeSantis’ termination of Florida’s participation in these programs will reduce and/or eliminate the benefits to which the Plaintiffs would otherwise be entitled.
Given that Florida’s unemployment compensation program pays one of the lowest benefits in the Country, and is one of the shortest durations in the country, even the addition of the extra Federal payments still barely allows unemployed Floridians to pay their basic living expenses.
By terminating Florida’s participation… Defendants are violating their clear legal and statutory duty to secure such benefits for employees in the State of Florida including the Plaintiffs and all other residents of the State of Florida who have been receiving FPUC benefits.
According to the Back-to-Normal Index — a project of CNN Business and Moody’s Analytics — Florida is observing the eleventh strongest economic recovery from COVID-19 and the lockdown-induced recession. As early as May, Florida had 500,000 available jobs and 503,000 unemployed residents.
“Florida businesses are trying to fill vacancies and are actually having a difficult time hiring,” said Florida Department of Economic Opportunity head Dane Eagle in a statement. “Businesses across the state continue to provide Floridians with opportunities for meaningful employment and economic freedom.”
The Daily Wire previously reported that several prominent businesses — including Disney — have been moving operations to the Sunshine State in order to benefit from policymakers’ prioritization of entrepreneurship and innovation.
“This new project will create a dynamic environment to support our expanding business — a brand-new regional campus which will be built in the vibrant Lake Nona community of Orlando, Florida,” said Disney Parks chairman Josh D’Amaro in a letter to staff members. “In addition to Florida’s business-friendly climate, this new regional campus gives us the opportunity to consolidate our teams and be more collaborative and impactful both from a creative and operational standpoint.”
DeSantis was one of the first governors to end COVID-19 shutdowns, stating that “we will never do any of these lockdowns again, and I hear people say they’ll shut down the country, and honestly, I cringe.”