West Palm Beach, FL – Today, Representatives Lois Frankel (FL-21), Ted Deutch (FL-22), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Al Lawson (FL-05), Darren Soto (FL-09), Charlie Crist (FL-13), Val Demings (FL-10), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), and Stephanie Murphy (FL-07) sent a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis expressing their concerns with his decision to withdraw the State of Florida from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Program (FPUC) on June 26, 2021, which currently provides an additional $300 per week in federal support on top of state benefits to Florida’s unemployed workers who have been hurt by the pandemic.

The letter states, “It is a myriad of factors that have some businesses struggling for workers—competitive pay, fear of unsafe workplaces, lack of opportunities in chosen fields, and unavailability of child care to name just a few. Unemployment benefits, which in Florida are among the worst in the nation, do not substitute for the dignity and security of a guaranteed salary, and anyone receiving this benefit will still be required to demonstrate that they are actively searching for work.”

The letter continues, “These benefits are completely federally funded with no additional cost to our state. Cutting off this program will cost our state hundreds of millions of dollars in federal support that would otherwise be stimulating local commerce since unemployed workers tend to spend benefits quickly on critical needs for their family like food and bills that help them survive. Our constituents have gone through a terrible year of hardship. So as the State of Florida continues to recover from this pandemic, we hope your administration will use the resources provided by the federal government to assist all Floridians.”

Full text of the letter is available here.

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