Report: 25 state employees who filed workers' comp claims died from COVID-19
The crush of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the deaths of 25 state workers and forced the state to pay tens of millions in lost wages to workers ravaged by the virus that has also killed more than 62,000 residents.
But state workers who contract COVID-19 during the ongoing surge because of the omicron variant aren’t eligible for the same level of benefits because Florida no longer has added protections for state workers.
State economists earlier this month sought to put a price tag on the ongoing toll of COVID-19 for fiscal year 2021-22 and concluded that by June of next year the state will have paid out $43.1 million to sick workers who miss more than seven days because of the infect...
