TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The state’s Department of Economic Opportunity is trying to claw back possibly billions of dollars in non-fraudulent unemployment claims distributed during the first 18 months of the pandemic.
Thousands of Floridians have received stern letters warning them that they face being sent to collections if they don’t reimburse the state.
So how many unemployment recipients, through no fault of their own, must now pay back previous “overpaid” benefits? The state doesn’t know.
Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani says “it’s been a constant stress for so many Floridians.” The latest overpayment notices are arriving after federal unemployment benefits ended last month.
