Unemployment Insurance – Florida

Proposals put squeeze on Florida’s jobless, By Jeff Ostrowski, February 13, 2011, Palm Beach Post: “Mark Wampole figures his weekly unemployment checks are the only thing saving him from homelessness, and he grows frustrated when he hears of proposals by state lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott to tighten eligibility for unemployment compensation. ‘Without it, I’d starve,’ said Wampole, a laid-off welder who lives in Palm Beach County. ‘I’d have to live under a bridge and hope I could find somebody to feed me. It’s that serious.’ Job seekers surviving on unemployment benefits that top out at $275 a week aren’t the only ones facing a financial squeeze. Business groups and Republican lawmakers point to dire finances for the state’s unemployment system, which has been sapped by an economic downturn that left more than 1 million Floridians seeking work. Unemployment benefits are paid through an insurance system that gets little attention in good times. Employers pay a small premium every year, and workers who are laid off collect benefits…”