Commissioner Nikki Fried Requests Investigation of Florida’s Unemployment System

Tallahassee, Fla. — Today, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, an independently elected member of the Florida Cabinet, wrote to the state’s Chief Inspector General formally requesting an investigation into potential mismanagement of Florida’s unemployment system.

Following several audit reports detailing over 600 problems with the CONNECT unemployment system, about which the Governor was briefed in 2019, thousands of Floridians have struggled to receive unemployment assistance during COVID-19 due to technology and staffing issues.

The letter to Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel may be viewed here and reads in part:

“Despite these known failures, the Governor has not acted with the urgency or transparency that the situation necessitates.

Given these failures, I hereby request that pursuant to Section 14.32(2)(a), Florida Statutes, you initiate an investigation into potential mismanagement of the CONNECT unemployment system.

As head of the state’s consumer protection agency, I make this request on behalf of the thousands of Floridians who have been unduly frustrated by their state government’s inability to timely process requests for unemployment assistance, for whom economic recovery depends on the competent government response they deserve.”

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