Unemployment Issues; Questions About Florida's COVID-19 Data

By Sarah Glenn

Published May 22, 2020 at 2:39 PM EDT

Protestors wave signs at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as he and Vice President Mike Pence visit the Westminster Baldwin Park Wednesday, May 20, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. Pence and DeSantis also participated in a roundtable discussion with hospitality and tourism industry leaders to discuss their plans for re-opening during the coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

The U.S. Department of Labor reported Friday that Florida’s unemployment rate in April was 12.9%, higher than during the Great Recession.

While state data shows 95% of citizens who are eligible for unemployment have received their benefits, many people who have filed since the pandemic began have been ruled ineligible. Stephanie Coueignoux of Spectrum News 13, and A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics joined us to discuss Florida’s unemployment system and what could make someone ineligible to receive benefits.

Former Florida Department of Health employee Rebekah Jones said she was removed from working on the state's COVID-19 data dashboard after she was asked to “manipulate” the data. Gov. Ron DeSantis defended the state’s data and disagreed with her claim. Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon of Florida Today and USA Today; and Dr. Jay Wolfson, Senior Associate Dean for Health Policy and Practice at USF, joined us for a closer look.