by: Victoria Price
Posted:
/ Updated:
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A community activist is petitioning to amend Florida law in an effort she hopes to will lead to Governor Ron DeSantis’ recall from office.
Vanessa Brito has become the patron saint of Florida’s unemployed, dedicating the last five months to helping people navigate the state’s broken unemployment system and putting pressure on officials to fix it.
“People just need to feel like they’re empowered, you know?” Brito told 8 On Your Side via Zoom.
Last week, Brito gave the governor an ultimatum: give the people an answer about expanding unemployment benefits, or else she’d launch an effort to recall him from office.
DeSantis did not provide any update regarding Florida’s plans for the LWA, or Lost Wages Assistance program that would provide $300 in federal funds to those out of work due to the pandemic. In response, Brito mailed off the forms Monday to petition for a constitutional amendment.
Florida recall law currently only applies to locally elected officials, but if Brito’s efforts are successful, it would be expanded to included state elected officials.
“This isn’t just about Governor DeSantis,” she said. “This is about accountability at the state level.”
Unlike the majority of states, Florida has yet to apply for the LWA program. The $600 a week CARES Act bonus that kept many out-of-work Floridians afloat for months ran out at the end of July.
DeSantis has previously stated his team has concerns about the funding and legality of the LWA program. A spokesperson for his office told 8 On Your Side Friday that the state is still exploring its options.
Meanwhile, Florida remains one of the hardest hit states by pandemic unemployment and has one of the nation’s lowest weekly pay caps at $275 a week.
With grace periods for bills plus an eviction ban set to soon expire, Brito says many are facing what she calls “extreme desperation.”
“The fear that I see now is not something I saw a month ago,” she said.
Brito will need 766,000 signatures by February 1 for her proposed amendment to make the 2021 ballot. With a reported million or so Floridians still waiting on unemployment benefits to be paid in full, she aims to land a million signatures at least.
“I have no doubt it will be successful,” she said.
If Brito’s amendment makes the ballot and is approved by voters, she says she will then petition for the governor’s recall. DeSantis is up for reelection in 2022.
A spokesperson for the governor’s office said they were not aware of Brito’s proposed amendment.
“We cannot go down the rabbit hole of responding to every activist that attempts a cheap political stunt such as this one,” the email read.
