LATER. EMPLOYEES WHO WANTED TO
WORK FROM HOME FOR THE REST OF
THE DAY WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO SO
AND THE DEO HAS BEEN UNDER
FIRE SINCE THE START OF THIS
PANDEMIC BECAUSE OF THE MANY
ISSUES THAT HAS HAD AND
HELPING THE UNEMPLOYED. WELL
TONIGHT THE AGENCY'S EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR CALLING IT QUITS KEN
LAWSON IS RESIGNING AFTER ONLY
ROUGHLY A YEAR AT THE FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC
OPPORTUNITY 8 ON YOUR SIDE
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
VICTORIA PRICE OBTAIN LOST HIS
RESIGNATION LETTER. SHE JOINS
US NOW WITH MORE FROM TAMPA.
THE LETTER MAY BE DATED
AUGUST 31ST BUT FOR ALL
INTENTS AND PURPOSES LAWSON
HAS IT HELD HIS POSITION SINCE
APRIL WHEN THE DEO WENT INTO
FULL ON CRISIS MODE.
IS THIS. YOU KNOW TOO
LITTLE TOO LATE AT THIS POINT.
ABSOLUTELY I MEAN AT THIS
POINT AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED
DIRECTOR KEN LAWSON WAS EVEN
AT DEAL ANYMORE. THE HEAD OF
FLORIDA'S UNEMPLOYMENT AGENCY
NOW OUT OF A JOB HIMSELF
DIRECTOR KEN LAWSON RESIGNING
MONDAY AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC
OPPORTUNITY IN HIS LETTER OF
RESIGNATION OBTAINED BY 8 ON
YOUR SIDE LAWSON WRITES QUOTE.
IN THE SPIRIT OF TURNING
THE PAGE AND MOVING FORWARD MY
RESIGNATION WILL BE EFFECTIVE
BY THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS ON
SEPTEMBER FIRST GOVERNOR RON
DESANTIS SAID PREVIOUSLY
SIDELINED LAST AND WHEN
CONNECT THE STATE'S
UNEMPLOYMENT SITE SUFFERED A
TOTAL SYSTEM MELTDOWN IN APRIL
SECRETARY JOHN SATTER HEAD OF
THE STATE'S TECHNOLOGY AND
MANAGEMENT AGENCY HAS OVERSEEN
A FLORIDA UNEMPLOYMENT EVER
SINCE DESANTIS REACTING TO
LAWSON'S RESIGNATION WHILE
SPEAKING IN TAMPA ON MONDAY
AFTERNOON. WE OBVIOUSLY ARE
HAVING MAJOR ISSUES THERE ARE
SOME THINGS THAT NEED TO
CHANGE IN THAT AGENCY.
AND WE WANT TO WE WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN IN THE
LAST 9 YEARS LOST AND ALSO
SERVED AS CEO OF VISIT FLORIDA
AND SECRETARY OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS AND
PROFESSIONAL REGULATION STATE
REPRESENTATIVE ANNA ESKAMANI
WHOSE OFFICE HAS BEEN
INUNDATED FOR MONTHS BY
UNEMPLOYED, FLORIDIANS
STRUGGLING FOR BENEFITS SAYS
DEO NEEDS MORE THAN JUST A
CAREER BUREAUCRAT AT THE HELM
IN MOMENTS OF CRISIS OF
LEADERSHIP EITHER RISES OR
FALTERS AND I THINK WE SAW
THIS MOMENT DIRECTOR KEN
LAWSON WAS NOT THE RIGHT
PERSON TO LEAD DEO.
THE GOVERNOR SAYS HE DOES
HAVE A REPLACEMENT LINED UP
