Fort v. Florida Unemployment Appeals Commission
Docket: No. 2D99-3330
Court: District Court of Appeal of Florida; November 14, 2000; Florida; State Appellate Court
Clifford Fort's appeal of the Florida Unemployment Appeals Commission’s (UAC) order, which dismissed his appeal as untimely, was affirmed. The appeals referee found Fort disqualified from receiving unemployment benefits due to misconduct related to his work, with the notice of decision mailed on June 19, 1998. Fort filed his appeal 361 days later, leading to the UAC's dismissal based on the untimeliness of the filing. Under Section 443.151(4)(b)3. of the Florida Statutes (1997), appeals must be filed within twenty days of the decision notice. Fort provided no substantial explanation for the delay, only mentioning that he received bills and letters at his old address in December. Previous court decisions allowing exceptions to the statute did not apply here, as Fort failed to adequately justify his late appeal. The ruling was upheld by the judges.