Florida Reemployment Assistance requires 5 documented work search contacts per week — more than any other large state and double the 2 to 3 contacts required by most states. This requirement begins in the second week of your claim (after the waiting week) and applies to every week you certify for benefits. CONNECT may audit your records at any time, and contacts that cannot be verified are rejected, potentially triggering a disqualification for those weeks.
- Florida requires 5 work search contacts per week — the highest requirement among large states. Your biweekly certification covers 10 total contacts.
- Keep a detailed log of every contact: employer name, position, date, method, and result. CONNECT audits are common.
- Contacts must be with real employers for real positions. Generic job board browsing does not count.
Always verify exact numbers, deadlines, and forms on the Florida Department of Commerce's official website – this page provides general guidance, not state-specific legal advice.
Why Florida Requires 5 Contacts Per Week
Florida's 5-contact-per-week requirement reflects the state's policy emphasis on rapid reemployment. The legislature set this requirement specifically to push claimants toward active engagement with the job market. Given that Florida also offers the shortest benefit duration in the country (12 weeks), the state's expectation is that claimants will find work faster when actively making contacts daily. Plan to make roughly one contact per business day each week.
What Qualifies as a Valid Florida Work Search Contact
Florida accepts the following as valid work search contacts:
- Submitting a job application online, by email, or in person to a specific employer for a specific position
- Calling an employer's HR department to ask about open positions, with a real person engaged in the conversation
- Attending a job fair and submitting a resume or application to at least one employer
- Registering with a staffing or temp agency and actively participating in their placement process (counts as one contact per registration)
- Completing a job interview (in person or virtual) counts as a contact for the week it occurs
What does not count: updating your resume, creating or refreshing a LinkedIn profile, saving job listings, browsing job boards without applying, or re-applying to the same employer for the same position in the same week. Each of your 5 weekly contacts must be with a distinct employer or for a distinct position.
How to Keep a Florida-Compliant Work Search Log
For each contact, record:
- Date of contact
- Employer name and contact information (address, phone number, or website)
- Job title of the position applied for
- Method of contact (online application, email, phone, in person, staffing agency)
- Name of person contacted, if applicable
- Any response received
Save all confirmation emails and application receipts. If you applied through an online job board, note the URL of the job posting. Florida auditors cross-reference your records against employer postings and may contact employers to verify that you applied. Records that cannot be verified are rejected.
Maintaining Florida Connect's CareerSource Registration
Florida requires Reemployment Assistance claimants to register with CareerSource Florida (careersourceflorida.com) and use CareerSource resources to support their job search. This registration is a condition of continued eligibility — not optional. CareerSource provides job listings, resume workshops, and career counseling, and contacts made through CareerSource programs can count toward your 5-per-week requirement. Completing your CareerSource registration early in your claim prevents holds related to this requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why does Florida require 5 work search contacts per week when most states only require 2 or 3?
- Florida's 5-contact requirement is set by state law as part of the Reemployment Assistance program's design philosophy: shorter benefits, faster reemployment. Florida offers only 12 weeks of benefits (the national minimum) and requires intensive job searching. The state's position is that 5 contacts per week — roughly one per business day — represents a genuine full-time job search effort. Most other states set 2 to 3 contacts as the standard for a reasonable search. Florida's 5-contact requirement is one of the most demanding in the country and applies regardless of local job market conditions.
- Do I need to enter my 5 Florida work search contacts into CONNECT during biweekly certification?
- CONNECT asks you to confirm, during biweekly certification, that you completed 5 work search contacts per week. You certify by checking a confirmation box — you typically do not enter each contact individually during certification. However, the Florida Department of Commerce may audit your records at any time and request documentation for specific weeks. When audited, you must produce your work search log with all required details for the weeks in question. Certifying that you made contacts you did not actually make is considered fraud and can result in overpayment recovery and disqualification.
- I'm searching for work in Florida but the local job market is very slow. Does Florida waive the 5-contact requirement?
- Florida generally does not waive the 5-contact requirement based on local market conditions. The requirement applies statewide regardless of local unemployment rates. If you are in an area with limited job postings, broaden your search: apply to positions in adjacent counties, use online applications to apply to remote positions, register with multiple staffing agencies, or attend job fairs in nearby cities. Each of these counts as contacts and can help you reach 5 per week even in a slower labor market. Florida does waive work search requirements for approved training program participants — if you are in an approved program, verify your exemption status through CONNECT.
- I'm a specialized professional in Florida. Can I limit my search to my field for the whole 12 weeks?
- Initially, yes — Florida allows you to restrict your search to positions reasonably comparable to your prior employment. Over time, Florida expects you to expand your search if you are not finding work. The "suitable work" standard gradually broadens as your claim continues: after several weeks without success, you should be willing to consider positions in related fields, at somewhat lower pay, or requiring different (but related) skills. Indefinitely refusing positions outside your specialty — especially as weeks pass — can affect your eligibility. There is no exact week when the standard shifts, but Florida's standard is a "reasonable" search adapted to actual market conditions.
- Florida CONNECT audited my work search records. What happens if I can't document all 5 contacts for a specific week?
- If you cannot document a contact you actually made — because you didn't save a confirmation email, for example — that contact may be rejected by the auditor. A rejected contact counts as a missing contact. If your documented total falls below 5 for a specific week, you may be disqualified for benefits for that week and required to repay the amount received. The repayment is owed regardless of whether you genuinely made the contact. Prospective documentation — keeping records as you make contacts — is far more reliable than reconstructing records during an audit. If you receive an audit letter, respond promptly and completely with whatever documentation you do have.