Our Florida is a federally-funded rental assistance program which provides rent and utility relief to those who are in danger of failing to meet living costs due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

If you, or anyone in your household, have experienced any financial impacts such as reduction or loss of income, increased expenses, or qualified for unemployment benefits due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, you may be eligible for assistance through Our Florida.

Other eligibility requirements include owning or renting a home in Florida, earning an income which is at or below 80% of the area median income (which can be found on the Our Florida website), and being at risk of losing your home, experiencing housing instability, or living in unsafe or unhealthy living conditions.

Please click here for more information on how to apply, or call the toll-free number 833.493.0594

Beginning May 29th, Floridians must begin looking for employment in order to receive unemployment benefits.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the work-search requirement in which five (5) employers must be contacted each week by an individual in order to receive unemployment benefits was waived.

The federal government's $300 boost to the state-paid weekly benefits resulted in a possible weekly income of $5.73 per hour higher than Florida's minimum wage, which is set to increase from $8.65 to $10 per hour on September 30th, 2021.

In response to the reopening of businesses across the state, the state government has reinstated the work-search requirement.

This month we are honoring long time paralegal, Denice Garza, as she celebrates 15 years with our office. Denice is an amazing paralegal and staff member.

Staff Attorney Sue Selsky said that "Denice is the one behind the scenes who keeps me on schedule, catches errors, helps clients, and goes above and beyond when necessary. She is always ready to assist both clients and me with a friendly smile and can do attitude!

Her vast knowledge and expertise as a paralegal, coupled with her easy going personality, have made her an invaluable asset to Legal Aid, and to me."

Executive Director Silvia McLain said that "Denice is the first staff member to arrive in the morning, and the last to leave at the end of the day. She may have called out sick only 3 to 4 times in the last 15 years! She mentors the new staff members with a positive attitude and in a sincere manner."

Denice is committed to her clients, and to our mission to provide free legal service to impoverished members of our community. We are thankful for her hard work and dedication to Seminole County Legal Aid.

Congratulations Denice, and thank you for a GREAT 15 years!

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) subsidy program directed at providing emergency discounts on internet services and technology to low-income households across the nation.

The program can provide up to $50 per month towards broadband services for eligible households, and up to $75 per month for low-income households on Tribal lands. Additionally, eligible households may receive a one-time $100 discount towards purchasing a laptop, desktop, or tablet.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.

You may be eligible if a member of the household either is on SNAP or Medicaid, receive Pell grants, have children on free or reduced lunch plans, meet eligibility requirements for existing internet provider's low-income or COVID-19 plans, or experienced substantial loss of income due to job loss or furlough since February 29th, 2020.

For more information on how to apply, please click here.

Getting and maintaining a bank account can be an important step in establishing financial control.

If you are one of seven million households in the United States without a bank account, now is a good time to open one. Bank accounts can help in keeping your money safe, allows ease of access, and helps with building a relationship with the bank in order to access other financial products like credit cards or auto loans.

To learn more about FDIC-insured banks, and for more information on finding the right bank account, please click here.

In Re:  County Court – Code Enforcement Civil Citations Pursuant To Chapter 162, Part Ii, Florida Statutes (F.S. § 162.21 Through F.S. § 162.30)