Avoiding a Crisis Within a Crisis: How To Get Your Money & Should People Be Buying Guns
This weekend we started the #CovidHairChallenge, discussed NEW unemployment benefits for YOU, a consumer's septic tank nightmare, how renters can tour a home safely while practicing #socialdistancing, and a very special SURPRISE GUEST talks about GUN SAFETY during a time of soaring sales.
The CARES Act and What It Means About Your Unemployment Benefits
Attorney Cathleen Scott, the managing partner of the national boutique labor and employment law firm, Scott Wagner & Associates, joined Steve Warneke to discuss the new sick leave laws during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scott Wagner Law is a litigation firm with a strong emphasis on protecting employee rights and helping employers comply with employment laws. Ms. Scott is board certified in labor and employment law, practicing over 20 years.
How the CARES Act affects YOU: Relaxed Standards for Eligibility
Unemployment checks used to max out at $275 a week. The government is now giving out up to $875 a week.
The requirement that you need to be actively looking for work has been waived in light of the pandemic.
The two-weeks waiting period has been abandoned for the time being.
Even independent contractors are eligible. Apply online now at http://www.floridajobs.org.
Ms. Scott was also able to offer some valuable insight on the delicate tightrope between businesses and their employees. While unemployment pay rates might be more advantageous for the employees, there is also the option of paid sick leave if you or a family member has been exposed and you need to stay home. Employees can receive up to 80 hours of paid sick leave. And if businesses are able to retain 90% of their workforce, their loan is forgiven. Ms. Scott also emphasized that "The government is footing the bill" and that everyone should be looking into their options.
Ms. Scott also answered the most commonly asked question today:
"What do I do if I don't feel safe going into work because my company is an essential business like Amazon or a grocery store, and they're not offering me any type of protective equipment... Can I just not go to work and collect unemployment compensation?"
The answer: Yes.
Ms. Scott clarified the reasons for staying home:
A family member you need to take care of, i.e. a child since schools are closed.
If you subject yourself to self-isolation if you've been exposed.
If you subject yourself to self-quarantine because you have symptoms or are seeking medial attention.
If you need the advice of an attorney or have further questions, head to https://www.floridalaborlawyer.com/ or follow Scott Wagner & Associates on Facebook for their daily 12:30pm EST live broadcasts on Facebook!
How Renters Tour Homes Safely While Still Practicing #SocialDistancing
In February of 2020, home sales were up 9.4%!
Then, coronavirus hit, and the practices of quarantining, self-isolation, and social-distancing became the names of the game.
Realtors, homeowners, and renters alike are affected. Renters need homes, homeowners need the income, and realtors need to be able to market their properties safely. It's now impossible thanks to Rently, a company that utilizes self-touring innovative technology to help—a blessing, especially during today's crisis.
Enter Head of Product, Mr. Jared East to give us the lowdown on how to take full advantage of their ingenious system, "Rently was founded by renters for renters and homebuyers as well. It was founded by Merritt Lackner (CEO) back in 2011. He was a renter looking to rent a place when he was going to school..."
"He found it challenging trying to locate a property or get in touch with the property manager to lease a home on weekends, driving from LA to Berkeley."
Recognizing a problem he was passionate about solving, Merrick Lackner created Rently.
"It's a way for a renter to check-in online with their name and phone number and financials and get a one-time access code to physically tour the home themselves."
Rently allows prospective renters to instantly and securely self-tour a vacant property without an agent present. They simply sign-up with a credit card in case of damages, and then the Rently app gives you a one-time entry pass.
Rently can help property managers facilitate tours using smart digital lockboxes, Rently/Oaks Smart Locks, or Rently Keyless Smart Home.
Thanks to the safety of their program, Rently has had a huge increase in business and are in fact hiring!
News Reporting Rising Gun Sales- Our Surprise Expert Weighs In
Our next distinguished expert served 15 years as a cop. During that time he was a financial crimes detective, certified hostage negotiator, and police sergeant. He was also awarded two Distinguished Service Cross medals, and was nominated for a Presidential Medal of Valor. For his work telling the stories of police officers, he has won four Edward R Murrow awards and two Heartland Emmy Awards. He is currently speaking to police departments around the country helping reduce police suicides. So WHO WAS our special guest? Why our very own Detective of the Air, retired sergeant Steve Warneke!
While Steve strongly supports the second amendment and the right to bear arms, he cautioned against just anyone going out and buying a weapon.
"I'm in favor of gun ownership but with one big caveat— You've got to know how to use it."
Guns in the hands of unskilled people are dangerous. Even with training, accidents are still possible. Steve told stories of people TRAINED in how to effectively use a gun, who still have accidentally shot themselves. "I worked at a gun range before I was a police officer and there was a gunsmith there that had been handling guns for 20-some years and he came in one day and he's got this huge bandage around his arm and his fingers...
" 'I shot my finger off. I was working on a gun, and I shot my finger off.' This is a guy who had been handling guns for twenty years."
He also warned listeners against buying a gun whilst being ill-prepared with a terribly sad story about a young boy who found his father's gun... and while showing it to his friend, accidentally shot him in the head, killing the boy instantly.
Steve's main message hit home: If you buy a gun, you're now introducing it into every situation.
"This is my advice... If you don't know what you're doing and you go buy a gun and you end up in an altercation that otherwise would not have had a gun, what you have done is introduced a gun into every altercation."
Being a non responsible gun owner increases the danger to you and everyone else. Take the time to learn what you are doing.
Caller's Crazy Septic Tank Nightmare
Dena and her husband recently purchased a home in Jacksonville, with the condition that the previous owner replace the drain field for their septic tank in their backyard. Previous owners hired Anderson's Backhoe Services to complete the work.
Within a month after moving into their home, things started to go wrong for Dena's family. Among them was a problem with the high water alarm, rain eroding the drain field, the field then failing and blowing out sewage in multiple places, and a faulty septic tank that we believe should’ve been discovered by the company who replaced the drain field when they did their inspections upon performing their contracted work.
After repeated attempts to contact Mr. Anderson and have him correct his work, Dena had given up getting an honest result from him or his company. She started having to pay for the county to pump her backyard of the foul sewage.
Having basically been screwed by the previous owner’s choice in company, Dena's family has had almost no action from the party responsible to rectify the underlying situation. They have hired an attorney, had inspections done by county health officials and other companies who all failed the current drain field, and they have written a letter to the attorney general.
Captain Kelley attempted to contact Mr. Anderson herself, but he expressed zero interest in talking and hung up abruptly. WE ADVISE AVOIDING ANDERSON'S BACKHOE SERVICES IF YOU WANT SOMEONE YOU CAN TRUST WORKING ON YOUR SEPTIC TANK.
The Steve Warneke Show is LIVE SATURDAYS at 10AM EST to 850 WFTL on your South Florida AM dial or you can stream live during the show at www.850wftl.com.
If you haven't already, or need more information, listen to the recorded show HERE! or watch the show on Facebook!
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION YOU WANT ANSWERED, A PROBLEM YOU WANT US TO INVESTIGATE, OR A COMPLAINT TO SHARE WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS, TELL US HERE AND WE'RE ON THE CASE!
IF YOU ARE A TRUSTED BUSINESS, APPLY HERE TO BE ON STEVE'S TEAM OF EXPERTS!
Until next time...