💸9,000 lotto winners on debt list!

Hello, it’s Mike Holfeld with another edition of Make Ends Meet.

Do you have an open unemployment overpayment with the DEO?

Make Ends Meet has learned from January 1, 2022, to April 7, 2023, the Florida Lottery “was alerted to a total of 9,093 winners showing a potential outstanding state-owed debt balance due to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.”

The surprising data was released to News 6 following an open record request completed last week by the Office of General Counsel.

During our last review of the lottery’s data, 5,060 lotto winners were flagged between January 1, 2022 to January 10, 2023. The new number represents a jump of 4,000 winners!

DEO Press Secretary Leigh McGowan tells me an overpayment is established when the “DEO does not receive sufficient information to determine eligibility for a claim.”

According to McGowan, the DEO finds that most overpayments result from incomplete claims, which can be resolved by completing the required steps to verify eligibility on your DEO account page.

In every story we have investigated so far, waivers were issued and the checks were made available at the local lotto office.

It’s still happening!

Next Tuesday at 5 p.m., we feature a single mother of five who needed her $25,000 Pick 4 prize to cover back-bills and her move into a new apartment.

She asked Make Ends Meet for help, and the day she was moving, the call came from the DEO that her check was ready. She had been waiting for that money since March 17!

$100,000 salary not good enough?

I had to post this item.

“CouponBirds,” a real-time coupon and deals site, surveyed 3,000 people and asked which cities they would pass on if they were making $100,000 per year.

When considering cost of living , Palm Beach was No. 1, Bal Harbour was No. 6 , and Pinecrest, just south of Miami, was No. 22 as the least desirable places to live on a $100,000 annual salary.

In case you’re wondering, New York City was ranked as the fifth least desirable city to live. According to Coupon Birds, the Big Apple is frequently ranked as the world’s most expensive city.

More jobs coming to Orlando!

We have a new company on Transport Drive.

International Insulation Products, a company that specializes in reflective insulation manufacturing, cut the ribbon on a new location for corporate headquarters in the Orlando region.

The company relocated its HQ in Atlanta, investing about $350,000 into its new facility at 8695 Transport Drive. The company is projecting to add two dozen jobs by the end of the year.

If you have an unemployment or investment issue, email [email protected] or text the words Make Ends Meet to 407-676-7428.