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Fla. Unemployment Boss Quits Amid Claims He Collected It

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) – Amid allegations he collected unemployment overseas, the man charged with lowering those claims in Florida resigned.

Hunting Deutsch served as executive director of Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), which aims to attract new businesses and help job creation in Florida.

Deutsch gave up his six-figure salary job on Tuesday while facing media scrutiny about unemployment claims he collected while traveling in Europe, the South Florida Business Journal reports.

In a letter to Gov. Rick Scott, Deutsch said, "I find the current media attention on my personal matters a distraction to the agency and your administration."

Senate President Don Gaetz told CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald that Deutsch's resignation "was the right decision"

Gov. Scott must now search for a new DEO chief for the second time in less than a year.

Even more interestingly, Deutsch's resignation may now qualify him to collect unemployment from the very organization he oversaw.

The Department of Economic Opportunity was created to attract new businesses and help job creation in the state.

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