As of Monday, June 1, all CareerSource Gulf Coast locations will resume in-person appointments.
“With support from Governor DeSantis, we will continue seeing customers in-person by appointment,” said Kim Bodine, Executive Director of CareerSource Gulf Coast. “Our staff has done an incredible job assisting our customers virtually by phone and email. Seeing our customers again by appointment will allow us to maintain that momentum to continue meeting the needs of our community. We will also keep assisting customers virtually; our Job Center capacity is limited for in-person appointments due to COVID-19 safeguards.”
On May 10, 2020, the waived requirement for Reemployment Assistance recipients to claim their weeks ended. This means these individuals now need to have access to the CONNECT system to submit biweekly requests for benefits. This feature, “claiming weeks”, notifies the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity of recipients who are still unemployed and in need of benefits.
“Not everyone has access to a computer to log in to the CONNECT system,” said Bodine. “It is important that we provide this resource to keep our customers’ benefits from being interrupted.”
Governor DeSantis also directed the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) to extend the waiver that exempts claimants from completing the work registration and work search requirement for Reemployment Assistance to Saturday, June 13, 2020.
CareerSource Gulf Coast understands the difficulties Floridians have been experiencing while applying for and maintaining Reemployment Assistance benefits.
“We know that our partner agency, the Department of Economic Opportunity, is working tirelessly to improve the system and get Floridians their benefits. While we have knowledgeable staff available to assist those who need help understanding or filing their Reemployment Assistance claim, we do not have the same level of access to the system as DEO. We are here to help, but there are some matters that only the DEO agency can resolve,” stated Bodine.
For individuals who wish to make an appointment with CareerSource Gulf Coast, please visit careersourcegc.com and click on the COVID-19 banner on the homepage.
For business partners who have been impacted by COVID-19, resources are available from DEO and the Small Business Administration (SBA). Information on these resources can be accessed on our website at careersourcegc.com/ by clicking on the COVID-19 web banner. CareerSource Gulf Coast is still offering its services to employers, including posting jobs, talent recruitment and more.
We want the community to know that we are here for you. We will do all that we can to see our area job seekers, businesses, community partners and community members through this trying time. We will be posting frequent updates to our social media (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn), as well as to our COVID-19 webpage www.careersourcegc.com/Coronavirus.aspx. You can contact us via email at customerservice@careersourcegc.com or phone at (850) 872-4340.
