Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes ofwebsite accessibility

South Florida man walks to Tallahassee to raise awareness about unemployment


{p}Laid-off hospitality worker walks to Tallahassee to raise awareness for the unemployed (WPEC){/p}

Laid-off hospitality worker walks to Tallahassee to raise awareness for the unemployed (WPEC)

Facebook Share IconTwitter Share IconEmail Share Icon

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A Palm Beach hotel worker spent 27 days walking 417 miles to the state Capitol, frustrated over the lack of state unemployment benefits amid the pandemic.

Beau Guyott spent the night in Tallahassee before taking a 6 a.m. bus home in case he is recalled to work. He filed for unemployment in late March and hasn’t seen a dime, despite being told his application is complete.

“I have no state benefits," he says. "I have no idea [why]. My application is currently eligible and active. I don’t have an answer."

Guyott says he filed on March 17.

Governor Ron DeSantis says 99.9 percent of the people who filed in March have been paid -- which would put Guyott as one of the one tenth of one percent that has not.

“I assume so," he says. "I’m not sure where the fact-checking happened on that one, but I can assure you this: When I was going over several of the applications with my co-workers, they are filled out completely and they are not paid.”

Guyott is one of dozens of people who have traveled to the Capitol looking for relief.

He has spent most nights sleeping in a sleeping bag, with an occasional hotel room. His journey is chronicled on the website WalkTallahassee.com.

Loading ...