Residents lined up on Wednesday in Hialeah, Florida to pick up unemployment forms at a pop-up drive-thru.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday announced changes to help processing applications for unemployment benefits.
According to local media, more than 520,000 Floridians have applied for unemployment since March 15, compared to 326,000 in all of 2019.
That surge has been echoed throughout the U.S..
Job losses suffered in March as the U.S. economy shut down in the face of the coronavirus pandemic were widespread.
In all, 701,000 jobs were reported lost last month, according to the U.S. Labor Department, but even that massive number - the largest since the financial crisis 11 years ago - did not capture the true depth of the losses because the monthly survey was conducted too early in March.
Florida is expanding testing for the deadly coronavirus and trying to make the process easier for residents.