Some Florida teachers got an unpleasant surprise when their bonus checks bounced: report

27 September 2021

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Last week in Florida, thousands of teachers were happy to receive bonus payments of $1,000. But some of them got an unpleasant surprise when, according to Tampa Bay Times reporters Lawrence Mower and Ana Ceballos, the checks bounced.

When the teachers went to deposit the $1,000 bonus checks, they were hit with an "insufficient funds" message. But that problem, Mower and Ceballos report, wasn't because Florida's state government is having a fiscal crisis. Rather, the problem is "being blamed on a 'banking error' by JPMorgan Chase," according to the Bay Times journalists.

Florida Department of Education spokesman Jared Ochs said the bad checks were sent to at least 50 teachers in 22 different counties.

In a statement to the Times, Allison Tobin Reed — vice president of communications for JPMorgan Chase — said, "We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and are working to correct it, including refunding any fees incurred by the recipients as a result."

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