Frustration over Florida's unemployment system prompts online protests

ORLANDO, Fla. - People on social media are puttig out a call, asking others to join a virtual protest using #FLDEOVIRTUALPROTEST. 

Fed up furloughed Disney planning manager Julie Gehring is one of the thousands who joined the cyber protest. 

“I’ve called Gov. Ron DeSantis. Sometime his mailbox is full. But I keep trying til I can get through I have been emailing gov. I sent him that time lapse on Monday this is what people are going through,” Gehring said. 

She shared a time lapse video on one of her Twitter posts, showing what she and others go through battling the state’s unemployment website.

“I just want confirmation that all this conflicting info…that I’m doing the right thing. And I’d actually like a timeline for when we will actually be getting a paycheck,” Gehring said.

Jessica Furtado started a Twitter account just to take part in the protest. 

“There’s power in numbers and there’s somehow we have to be heard,” Furtado said. 

She’s been Tweeting away all day. 

"We’re tagging Gov. DeSantis and Rick Scott and some of us the president,” Furtado said. 

She’s letting elected officials know that it’s been five weeks since she filed and that she’s not received any money or answers.  She was shocked to discover the state’s website which read, “currently processing payments...CONNECT will be available again at 8 a.m. Monday."  She said, in a way, she's a little happy that it’s down.

"Because I needed a little bit of a mental break for a day. It’s taxing. It's tiring it’s tough,” Furtado said.

Florida State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith wasn’t as forgiving about the site being down, he tweeted “there are no words” under a screen shot of the announcement.