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The state’s unemployment compensation hotline is bogged down with people applying for unemployment benefits. The Agency for Workforce Innovation added more lines and more people to keep up with the call volume, but as Whitney Ray tells us with unemployment at a 13 year high in Florida, it’s getting hard to keep up with the calls.

Hear it Here: State Unemployment Hotline Flooded With Calls

Lamar Bivins says it took him weeks to get someone one on the phone at the state’s unemployment hotline.

“I started calling it, was like, three weeks, three and a half weeks and I never got through,” said Bivins.

Calls to the hotline have more than doubled since Florida reached a 13 year unemployment high. The State Agency for Workforce Innovation hired 200 extra operators and activated 70 additional lines to help field the calls.

“Agents are working 7 days a week to process claims,” said Robby Cunningham, a spokesman with the state Agency for

Nicole Valdez is working overtime to answer phones. She says the unemployment crisis is hitting every job sector.

“A lot of people who’ve had jobs for years are just unable to find work, because there’s not many new jobs out there for them,” said Nicole Valdez.

With so many Floridians in the same boat, call operators are asking people filing claims to be patient. Monday and Tuesday are the call center’s busiest days, since people with active claims have to certify their claims at the first of the week. The Agency is asking people to call Wednesday through Sunday if possible or to go to their website, www.fluidnow.com and make a claim online.

People ripped off by construction companies will have to wait on state help to cover their losses. A slowdown in development has depleted Florida’s Homeowners’ Construction Recovery Fund. The fund is financed through building permit fees. The money is used to pay people who have been ripped off by state licensed contractors. Director of Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation Jenn Meale said even though payouts have been suspended, victims should still file claims.

“People who are currently making claims with the recovery fund will have their claims processed up until the point of completion and then on a quarterly basis the department will review the revenue that’s been generated by the surcharge and schedule claims to be heard. So claims will still be processed with the department,” said Meale.

There’s only $4,464 left in the fund.

Florida’s Division of Elections is asking county election supervisors to help shoulder the flood of new voter registration forms. In one day alone this week, the state received 25,000 registration applications. Because of a new requirement that applications to be checked and match with a state database, processing the applications has slowed down. Some election supervisors say they don’t have the resources to verify the applications with the database, and fear the no-match, no vote law could make it harder for some people to cast a ballot. Governor Charlie Crist said the law is meant to deter voter fraud.

“This is meant to preserve the integrity of our elections process and again I had a very good meeting with Secretary Brown this morning. It affects registration, not voting and I think there’s a misconception by some. You just want to make sure that people are who they say they are,” said Crist.

The Division of Elections has hired 25 additional employees to help process the registration forms.

House lawmakers voted to let a federal ban on offshore drilling expire. If the ban expires, states would have the final say so on drilling near their coasts. Governor Charlie Crist said the ban needs to be lifted.

“I feel like states ought to have the right to have that determination about offshore drilling. It helps the economy, it gives people more choice. It’s also, I think a national security issue, and creates a more independent America and Florida, but I’ll reserve judgment till I see that in my view, its far enough, safe enough, and clean enough,” said Crist.

Even if the ban is lifted, a different ban adopted in 2006 would still prohibit drilling off of most of Florida’s gulf coast.

Records from 16 gas suppliers are starting to show up at the state capitol after being subpoenaed by the state when prices jumped dramatically as Hurricane Ike approached the US coast. Gas in some stations jumped a dollar fifty overnight. But as Mike Vasilinda tells us, the state isn’t holding out a lot of hope that many will be prosecuted.

The phones have all but stopped ringing with price gouging complaint at two consumer hot lines

Operator “And does she have her receipt still?”

But not before 15 thousand people called and more than 5 thousand complaints were made.  Even as gas prices come down, many motorists like Kima Williams believe they got taken.

“I do think a lot of people might have done some things like change prices early”, says Williams

Connie Humphrey, a retiree, agrees “People try to make a killing…in a hurry”.

While it is still early, the initial indication is that retailers were just passing on the higher prices that there were paying suppliers.

10 of 16 oil suppliers still have not provided sales records to the state and have asked for an extension. Agriculture and Consumer Services spokesman Terry McElroy says one they are in, they will be thoroughly examined. “If the oil companies…if there terminal operations, if they didn’t incur any increased costs merely because a hurricane came ashore, it’s Commissioner Bronson’s position that they can not hike their wholesale prices”.

Attorney General Bill McCollum says if there are any successful cases for price gouging, they will likely be against suppliers, not stations. “I think we do have a basis for doing it, but that’s never been tested. We’ll have to wind up and see if that happens or not.”

Past experience has shown that proving price gouging are difficult. After Katrina in 2005, just 2 companies were charged with overcharging.

Price gouging convictions carry a maximum $25,000 dollar a day penalty, which some say is too little to stop the practice.

About a dozen people gathered in the rotunda of the state capitol at noon today to call for an end to executions. Yesterday, Richard Henyard became the 65th person executed by the state since executions resumed in 1979. Henyard was convicted of kidnaping and killing two young girls after raping their mother and leaving her for dead. Sheila Hopkins of the Florida Catholic Conference says modern penal facilities offer an alternative to death.

“What we are hoping is that people will understand is that this execution is not going to solve the problem…as the victims husband testified. This does not bring her daughters back. What we are saying is lets get rid of executions, have a moratorium, keep people in prison for the rest of their lives. That is punishment, and that is justice”, says Hopkins.

After yesterday’s execution, there are still 387 people on Florida’s death row.

Debris from Tropical Storm Fay still litters parts of Florida. The cleanup efforts will take months, but as Whitney Ray tells us, the process is being fast tracked by a federal grant to hire the state’s unemployed to pick up the mess.

Hear it Here: Fay Funds Put People Back to Work

Trees downed by Tropical Storm Fay still litter parts of Florida. A 20 million dollar Federal disaster grant will help park directors, like Pat Plocek of Leon County, hire people to clear debris off walking trails.

“It will be an independent crew, that we’ll give them directions on what to do, but basically that crew goes out on its own and does the work, and our normally crews can continue doing the work they need to be doing to keep the rest of the train system in shape,” Plocek said.

The grant could put 6-thousand unemployed Floridians back to work. So far, more than a hundred people have been hired to help clean up the mess.

Some debris cleanup will have to wait until waters from Tropical Storm Fay finally recede. The State Agency for Workforce Innovation says the damage is still being assessed.

“We’re doing ongoing assessments, working closely with FEMA and the Department of Labor to ensure that the aid that’s necessary to help get Floridians back on their feet is available for them,” said AWI spokesman Robby Cunningham.

The grant help Pat Day get back on her feet. Pat was unemployed for three months. This week federal funds were used to hire her to help coordinate cleanup efforts.

“I’m just glad I was able to assist the community,” Day said.

While the jobs created with the grant are temporary, every little bit helps at a time when the state’s unemployment rate exceeds the national average. To apply for a disaster recovery job you can visit one of the state’s 12 disaster recovery centers. A list of the center can be found at www.floridajobs.org.

The Department of Children and Families awarded seven (m) million dollars in grant money to help get Florida’s homeless off the street. An estimated 60,000 people are living in Florida without a home; One in three are kids. Some of the seven (m) million dollar grant will go to building and repairing affordable housing. Tom Pierce, Executive director of the state’s homelessness office, said the grant focuses on helping the mentally ill, veterans, and children who grew up in foster care.

“The purpose of this is getting them back in a place of their own and these grants will build that kind of housing that will stabilize them back in their own apartment as opposed to living in some kind of emergency shelter,” said Pierce.

An estimated 23,000 homeless people will be helped with the grant money.

Florida is one of only three states that doesn’t offer financial protection to victims of fraudulent loans. We’re also first in the nation for mortgage fraud. The Florida Association of Mortgage Brokers and AARP are calling on lawmakers to revive the Mortgage Brokerage Guaranty Fund. The fund was quietly cut in the 90’s. It would pay some victims or mortgage fraud 20,000 dollars for their losses. AARP Spokesman Dave Bruns said if the program hadn’t been cancelled, today the state would have 24 (m) million dollars to help victims.

“We could put that money toward helping people qualified for mortgages or get credit counseling it could be a very good start on a program that could benefit 10’s of thousands of Florida victims,” Bruns said.

The fund would be created by making mortgage brokers buy bonds to insure against fraud.

Palm Beach County is still struggling to come up with an accurate count from the August 26th Primary. And with the general election just 44 days away, Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama is preparing to deal with any voting problems that may arise at Florida polls. As Whitney Ray tells us, Obama will have a team of lawyers overseeing the vote.

Hear it Here: Extra Eyes on the Presidential Election in Florida

Thousands of people crowed around a stage in Jacksonville on Saturday, to hear Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama talk about the economy.

“It’s never been harder to save. It’s never been harder to retire,” Obama said in his Jacksonville speech.

Obama has motivated some Floridians to sign up to vote for the first time. The state Democratic Party has registered 300,000 new voters this year alone, but will their votes be counted?

With the 2000 election still fresh on the minds of many Democrats and recent problems with missing votes in Palm Beach County, Obama isn’t taking any chances in Florida.

“I’m not going to anticipate a problem. I’m just going to prepare for a problem by making sure that we’ve got lawyers in precincts all across the state. We are going to make sure the election is run the way it’s supposed to be run,” Obama said.

Leon County Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho said a reenacted state law requiring voter registration forms to be typo free could make it harder on some people to cast ballots.

“Florida’s laws are not considered voter friendly because in fact rather than placing the burden on the state, the state has chosen to put the burden on otherwise legal citizens,” Sancho said.

The Secretary of State’s office is working to fix typos on voter registration forms. They’re also sending letters to people whose voter registration information is wrong. Another state law only allows over and under votes to be manually recounted, not all of the ballots, which could cause controversy in a close election.

The state is set to execute Richard Henyard for the 1993 murders of two young girls. Henyard was also found guilty of raping the girls’ mother and leaving her for dead. His appeal to the State Supreme Court in September was denied. Henyard will become the 2nd person executed in the state since Florida resumed Capital Punishment this July. The Florida Catholic Conference is asking the state to spare Henyard. Conference spokeswoman Shelia Hopkins said Henyard shouldn’t pay for his crimes with his life.

“We believe this was a heinous crime and we feel sorry for Dorothy and the loss of her children, but however society can be protected by Henyard being in prison the rest of his life,” said Hopkins.

Henyard’s execution is set for Tuesday. Florida has more than 380 inmates on Death Row.

Chancellor Mark Rosenberg of the University System’s Board of Governors announced his resignation today. Rosenberg served as chancellor for three years. He plans to return to Florida International University as a professor. This spring Rosenberg led the board in a fight with lawmakers to keep the board’s authority to raise tuition. He also oversaw the board through two consecutive years of budget cuts at the state’s 11 public universities. Rosenberg said he thinks the state’s universities will survive the budget cuts of the last two years.

“Even though we have significant financial problems in the state, I’m cautiously optimistic about the future of the state university system, and I have two kids in the state university system, so I not only have a professional interest I have a personal interest,” said Rosenberg.

Rosenberg stayed in the job a year longer than he planned. He will step down in February. The board has already begun searching for his replacement.

Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama says he’ll have a team of lawyers watching Florida on election night. Obama was in Jacksonville today. Whitney Ray had an exclusive interview with the presidential hopeful and tells us how Obama plans to tackle the problems plaguing Florida.

Hear it Here: Preparing For a Problem: Obama’s Florida Election Day Plan

Exclusive: Full Obama Interview

A sea of more than 10,000 people waited for hours to hear Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama.

“The stakes of the election couldn’t be higher,” Obama said during his Jacksonville speech Saturday.

After two weeks of trailing Republican rival John McCain in Florida polls, Obama has taken a slight lead. In a one-on-one interview with the presidential hopeful we asked him how he would tackle the problems facing Florida, like the state’s skyrocketing unemployment rate.

“If you become President what specifically could you do to put those people in Florida back to work,” asked Capitol News Reporter Whitney Ray.

“A lot of this has to do with the housing market, so we’ve got to shore that up. There’s a lot of things we could immediately do. Obviously we’ve got to solve this short term financial crisis,” Obama answered.

Obama said he’ll support a national catastrophe fund and work to lower property insurance rates.

“It’s very important the people of Florida are able to get insurance and I think the national government has to provide some help,” said Obama.

If things get out of hand in Florida on election night like they did eight years ago, Obama says he’s ready to go to court.

“If it comes down to Florida and it’s close, and Florida is given to McCain in the end. Do you concede or do you question that given the problems we’ve had,” Ray asked.

“Well I’ll tell you I’m not going to anticipate a problem, I’m just going to prepare for a problem by making sure that we’ve got lawyers in precincts all across the state. We are going to make sure the election is run the way it’s supposed to be run,” Obama answered.

Obama hopes the election isn’t decided in court. He’s calling on the state’s 300,000 newly registered Democrats to vote early to try to avoid any mix-ups. Obama will be in Florida longer than expected. Sources close to the campaign say the presidential hopeful will be in Tampa next week to prepare for his Friday presidential debate.

Soon you’ll have to bring extra ID to get your driver’s license renewed in Florida. It will also cost more. Starting October 1st, The Department of Motor Vehicles will adopt several new policies. Whitney Ray tells us what drivers need to know.

Hear it Here: New Drivers License Policies

Brittany Hughes just passed her driving test.

“I parked up a hill, down a hill, then I did a three point turn,” said Brittany.

In six years Brittany will have to renew her license and when she does she’ll be asked to bring more ID than is currently required.

Starting October 1st you’ll no longer be able to get a new license just using your old one. Now drivers will be asked for proof of their social security numbers.”

DMV Spokeswoman Ann Nucatola says the new policy will help the state keep better records.

“These changes are going to help us strengthen our ability to verify identification and legal presence and its going to help us continue in our efforts to protect our customers, our citizens, and our visitors while improving domestic security,” said Nucatola.

Zachary Walker is using his Virginia drivers’ license as his main source of ID to get his Florida license. But in two weeks that changes. People will need a birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers as their main source of ID when applying for a Florida license.

“Reporter: Are you glad you got in here before October 1st? Yes, now that I hear about this yes,” Answered Walker.

One change already in affect, drivers can now renew their tags every other year instead of annually.

“I would love it, you know to be able to pay one fee and then wait two years to do it,” said Doug.

The changes should shorten lines in driver’s license offices across the state.

Florida’s Attorney General wants Vegas-style gaming stopped at Indian casinos. In July, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the compact Governor Crist signed with the Seminole Tribe to allow class three gaming needed legislative approval. The games continue to be played despite the court’s ruling. Today, Attorney General Bill McCollum sent a letter to the National Indian Gaming Commission asking the chairman to stop the tribe from operating what he calls an illegal casino. AG’s spokeswoman Sandi Copes says if the Seminole’s don’t stop the games, her office will try and get the courts to stop the action.

“We’re really looking to the chairman to do the right thing and encourage the Seminole Indians to do the right thing. The Attorney General is the top legal officer in the state and it is concerning him that the state Supreme Court’s ruling is being flouted at this point,” said Copes

Governor Crist says he’ll work with lawmakers to enter into a new compact with the tribe.