Gov. Ron DeSantis is urging Congress to move quickly in passing an unemployment relief package to help the millions of struggling Americans.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody joined 48 other state attorney generals in a letter to Congress asking for an extension to spend $150 billion in COVID-19 relief included in the CARES ACT, which needs to be spent before the end of the year.


What You Need To Know

  • State AGs urging Congress to act on Covid relief measures

  •  Asking for an extension to spend $150 billion in COVID-19 relief included in the CARES ACT

  • Millions could lose unemployment benefits after Christmas

If a relief package is not approved, millions could lose their unemployment benefits shortly after Christmas.

“Evictions and foreclosures are coming up also and haven’t been extended,” said Florida Southern economist, James Farrell. “We could really see a big economic impact before we get these vaccinations.”

It will be a tough winter for Florida; snowbirds won’t be traveling to the sunshine state and the spike in tourism that the state normally sees during the winter won’t be the same this year.

“We haven’t seen anything like this in my lifetime,” said Farrell. “The 2008 recession was a challenging one but that one was based on fundamental disconnects to the economy.”

Farrell mentioned problems like high-risk loans and lending practices, which led to the 2008 recession.

“This is very much not that," he said. "This is an economic recession caused by an economic shock to the system.”

Raymond James economist Scott Brown said the economic effects of the pandemic disproportionately affect people who were struggling before the coronavirus hit.

“It’s the people who are the least able to handle loss of income, losing a paycheck, those are the ones who are the most affected,” said Brown.

Brown also said people are spending much more on leisure items like cars, jet skis, and furniture.