TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida man’s mission to raise awareness about unemployment during the coronavirus pandemic took him all the way to the state capital.
It took 27 days, three pairs of shoes and a battle with leg pain, but Beau Guyott made it to Tallahassee on Friday.
The West Palm Beach hotel worker, who was laid off in March, said he filed his jobless claim then but never received the benefit.
Guyott said he reached out to U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, as well as county and city commissioners, to no avail.
That’s when he came up with the idea of the walk in order to draw attention to the plight of unemployed Floridians frustrated by delays and breakdowns in the unemployment benefits system.
Guyott embarked on the 417-mile trek to the Tallahassee headquarters of the Department of Economic Opportunity on foot.
“That’s how this was born. It was no feedback, no communication from the DEO, no communication from officials, mixed messages,” he said.
State officials said they have received 1.9 million applications for unemployment help and have processed 1.4 million claims. That leaves hundreds of thousands still waiting.
In Tallahassee, Guyott learned there had been an issue that was holding up his claim. He was told that has been resolved, but he still hasn’t received a check.
Guyott will be taking a bus back to West Palm. He said he promises to continue the fight on his and others’ behalf for as long as it takes.
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