A total of 74,021 Floridians filed for unemployment last week, 11 times more than filed the week before. That's according to new figures from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Florida's tourism-based economy has already suffered severe blows with closed beaches and theme parks, docked cruise ships, and shuttered resturants. That's after unemployment hit a record low in January of 2.8 percent.
At $275 a week, the state's jobless benefits are the lowest in the nation. And the online application system has been overwhelmed.
Unemployed workers will get a boost from the stimulus bill making its way through Congress, which includes expanded benefits for those who lost jobs due to coronavirus.
A record number of people filed for unemployment across the nation, exceeding the previous high set in 1982.
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