DEO rules Uber drivers are independent contractors for employment purposes
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity issued a final order Thursday afternoon ruling that drivers for ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft are “independent contractors” rather than employees per se. As such, drivers for the transportation network companies do not qualify for unemployment benefits, which are paid in part by the former employers of laid off workers. “The Department finds that the drivers at issue here—providers of transportation services through the Uber software application—are independent contractors, not employees, and are therefore not entitled to…