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State's Online Jobless Claims System Up & Running

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) – Florida's unemployed were able to file jobless claims as of Tuesday morning, but the process was perhaps not as smooth as some had hoped.

The new $63 million online system, according to state officials, that is used to process the state's unemployment insurance claims was up Tuesday.

The state's old system was shut down last week.

Monica Russell, a spokeswoman for the Department of Economic Opportunity, said that at the end of the first day nearly 19,000 were able to file for assistance. An additional 2,400 people were also able to file for unemployment insurance for the first time.

But the agency's Facebook page was filled with complaints from people who said they were having problems filing claims.

An estimated 235,000 people in Florida receive unemployment benefits every two weeks.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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