74,000 Floridians seek benefits, critics demand reform

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — More than 74,000 Floridians applied for unemployment benefits last week, a tenfold increase from the previous week, as the spread of the novel coronavirus shut down the state's theme parks and visitors stayed away from its hotels and airports, officials said Thursday.

The extraordinary jump in unemployment benefits applications came the same week that the largest theme park resorts in Florida — Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa — closed their gates and emptied their hotels, cruise lines halted trips and Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended on-premise food and alcohol consumption at Florida restaurants and bars.

Disney World and Universal Orlando promised to pay workers during the first two weeks they planned to be closed, but secondary businesses such as nearby hotels and restaurants, event planners and caterers were hurt by the closures.

Across the U.S., nearly 3.3 million workers applied for jobless benefits.

Other states with smaller populations — Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio — had double the number of applicants for unemployment benefits as Florida, a state criticized by lawmakers and labor leaders for offering paltry benefits with burdensome conditions. Florida pays a maximum of $275 a week for 12 weeks.

Some applicants have complained that the process is too difficult.

Douglas Restrepo, 47, worked as an employee at a clothing store in an outdoor shopping center facing Biscayne Bay in downtown Miami until last week. When Miami-Dade County ordered non-essential businesses shut down, his manager let him and other employees go.

Restrepo tried to file his unemployment claim through an online portal run by the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity, but has been struggling to access his account...