Governor, DEO respond to reports of locked unemployment accounts

Digging deeper.

FOX 4 finally getting some answers from the governor and the state on those locked unemployment accounts.

HAPPENED AROUND 6-30FULLY BLOCKED.CREW WORKING... MORE TO COMEOUR YEAR OF INVESTIGATINGFLORIDA’S UNEMPLOYMENT SYSTEMTHAT SO MANY OF YOU TELL US ISFAILING YOU ..

MAY START TO BEARFRUIT.

THANKS FOR SPEDNING PARTYOUR CINCO TO MAYO WITH US, I’MPATRICK NOLAN.AND I’M JANE MONREAL.

LAST NIGHTWE SHOWED YOU THAT MORE AND MOREPEOPLE ACROSS OUR STATE AREBEING LOCKED OUT... BECAUSETHEY’RE UNABLE TO PROVE THEY AREWHO THEY SAY THEY ARE.TONIGHT...THE GOVERNOR AND THESTATE HAVE *FINALLY WEIGHED IN.THEY OFFER -SOME ANSWERS...DEFENDING THE PRIVATE COMPANYTHEY’RE PARTNERING WITH TO HELPVERIFY IDENTITIES.FOX 4’S ROCHELLE ALLEYNE HAS AFULL BREAKDOWN.all00-1528-34109-113310-320IT’S A QUEST FOR SOME KIND OFANSWER THAT HAS BEEN A MONTH INTHE MAKING...{PK}WE’VE HEARD YOUR COMPLAINTS...ABOUT LOCKED UNEMPLOYMENTACCOUNTS...((Chris Girard, FormerBartender/Server))((PHONER))"I’m sick of it.

I’m sick of thestress, you know I’m57-years-old with severe COPDand I can’t get my unemploymentpayment it’s absolutely insane."{WIP}((SHOW EMAILS))AND HAVE BEEN FLOODED WITHRESPONSES FROM OTHERS INSOUTHWEST FLORIDA...AND BEYOND..."Reporter: And you’re from theWest Palm Beach area?Nikasha Wells: Yes."{butted t}((Nikasha Wells//UnemploymentAccount Locked))"I’ve gone through the ID.mesystem three times now andnothing."AND WE’RE WORKING TO INVESTIGATEWHY SO MANY OF YOU...SEEM TO BEHAVING TROUBLE VERIFYING YOURIDENTITY FORUNEMPLOYMENT...THROUGH THESTATE’S THIRD-PARTY PARTNER"ID-ME."AFTER EXCHANGING EMAILS WITH THESTATE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICOPPORTUNITY...ANDI-D-ME...SEVERAL TIMES OVER THELAST MONTH...WE TOOK OURQUESTIONS STRAIGHT TO THEGOVERNOR WEDNESDAY((Gov.

Ron DeSantis//(R) FL))"I’ll have to refer you to DaneEagle on that."OFF THE BAT...HE TRIED TOREROUTE US TO THE LEADER OF THED-E-O...DANE EAGLE.BUT WE LET GOVERNOR DESANTISKNOW...THAT WE’VE BEEN TRYING TOREACH HIM OVER THE LAST MONTH.((Gov.

Ron DeSantis//(R) FL))"Okay, I’ll tell you what, Iwill call Dane after this andI’ll let him know that you askedand I will personally follow-upwith you guys."AND IT APPEARS THE GOVERNOR MADEGOOD ON HIS PROMISE.SHORTLY AFTER THAT EXCHANGE, IGOT A CALL FROM THE D-E-O...BUTINSTEAD OF ANSWERING MYQUESTIONS...THEY OPTED TO SPEAKTO MY COLLEAGUE...FOX 4 ANCHORPATRICK NOLAN...WHO WAS AT THEPRESS CONFERENCE.DANE EAGLE SPOKE DIRECTLY TONOLAN...AND CLAIMED CROSS-WIRESWERE AT THE HEART OF MYUNANSWERED CALLS AND EMAILS.WHEN IT COMES TO THE THE ISSUESWITH I-D ME...EAGLE ACKNOWLEDGEDTHAT THE WAIT TIMES WERE TOOLONG...AND THAT HE DIDN’T KNOWTHE COMPANY HAD MORE THAN 300COMPLAINTS ON THE BETTERBUSINESS BUREAU WEBSITE.THAT SAID...HE DID DEFENDI.D-ME...SAYING THAT THEY ARE"TRUSTED PARTNERS...." AND THATTHEY ARE "GOOD AT WHAT THEYDO.".IT’S A SENTIMENT HAT NIKASHAWELLS FROM WEST PALM ISN’TBUYING.((Nikasha Wells//UnemploymentAccount Locked))"I think ID.me needs to go awaythat’s first and foremost.

Thesystem is broken and they needto acknowledge that."SHORTLY AFTER TALKING TO PATRICKNOLAN...THE D-E-O *DID PROVIDE ME WITH ASTATEMENT...THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SOMEFOLKS WERE HAVING PROBLEMS...ANDSAID THERE ARE A FEW REASONS FORTHAT.ONE COULD POSSIBILITY IS THATTHERE ARE LEGITIMATE FRAUDCONCERNS A CONNECTED TO THEIRACCOUNT...AND ANOTHER IS AN ONGOING ISSUEWITH ACCOUNTS THAT APPARENTLYBEING "RE-LOCKED" AFTER PEOPLEHAVE ALREADY BEEN VERIFIED.THE D-E-O SAYS IT IN THOSE CASESIT COULD TAKE UP TO 2 DAYS FORYOUR ACCOUNT TO UNLOCK...ANDTHAT THEY’RE WORKING TO GETPEOPLE THEIR MONEY QUICKLY.THEY’RE ANSWERS THAT MAY PROVIDERELIEF TO THOSE WHO SAY THEPANDEMIC HAS ALREADY ROBBED THEMOF SO MUCH.((Nikasha Wells//UnemploymentAccount Locked))"I was terminated because I am asingle mom and I had to make adecision about staying home anebecoming a thrid grade teacherfor my student, my onenine-year-old student."AND WE’RE GOING TO KEEP DIGGINGAND FOLLOWING UP TO MAKE SURETHESE ISSUES ARE RESOLVED.IF YOU’RE HAVING PROBLEMS YOUCAN EMAIL US ATNEWS-AT-FOX-4-NOW-DOT-COM.TO READ THE FULL STATEMENT FROMTHE STATE D-E-O...YOU CAN HEAD TO OURWEBSITE...FOX-4-NOW-DOT-COM.IN CAPE CORAL, ROCHELLE ALLEYNE,FOX 4.WE RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS APROBLEM THAT WON’T BE FIXEDOVERNIGHT...AND MANY OF YOU NEED MONEY ORASSISTANCE TO HELP KEEP YOUAFLOAT.LEE, COLLIER AND CHARLOTTECOUNTIES ALL HAVE PROGRAMS THATYOU CAN APPLY FOR.WE’LL RUN THESE NUMBERS AND WEBADDRESSES AGAIN IN A FEWMOMENTS.WE ALSO KEEP CURRENT LISTINGSFOR FOOD BANK DISTRIBUTIONS ONFOX 4 NOW DOT COM.AND EARLIER ROCHELLE MENTIONEDCOMPLAINTS FROM FLORIDIANS TOTHE BETTER BUSINESS B