BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — Earlier this year, Dante Taylor was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a highly treatable blood cancer of the lymphatic system.

Taylor, a flight attendant, had worked for Spirit Airlines for about seven years when he found out that his health insurance had expired, and he was jobless on Saturday.

“I wanted to retire here. I love this job ... It really felt like somebody stabbed me right here in my chest ... What are we supposed to do when coverage from Marketplace or COBRA ... is not effective until June 1. We need coverage now,” Taylor said.

Related fundraiser

Joe Lopez joined Spirit Airlines in 2011. In an instant, he said he lost the seniority and benefits that took him years to build.

Lopez said that after he was laidoff he applied for unemployment benefits, and he has applied for other jobs to stay in the industry.

“I am so grateful that I still have some savings,” Lopez said.

Taylor and Lopez both wished they could have had more time to prepare.

“I want to know why not give us a better heads up,” Taylor said. “Why lead us on to the fact that we thought it was safe to continue working there.”

Rick Beasley, the executive director of CareerSource South Florida, is hoping to change lives on Thursday with a job fair.

“American Airlines has jumped in,” Beasley said, adding that the list of employers also includes Miami Dade College, Atlantis University, and Miami Dade County Public Schools.

It’s from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Miami International Airport’s South Terminal Auditorium’s Concourse J, third level. For more information, call 1-800-385-3920.

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LOCAL LAYOFFS

With more than $2.5 billion in losses since 2020, the bankruptcy filings followed in 2024 and 2025, and the shutdown was on Saturday after a last-minute $500 million government bailout failed.

“We have 18,000 people that live in this country that are great people and great employees,” President Donald Trump said about Spirit Airlines employees nationwide on April 23 at the White House.

Spirit Airlines filed the layoff notices on Monday with the FloridaCommerce, the state’s lead agency for workforce, and reported laying off more than 4,850 employees in Florida.

That included more than 3,260 layoffs in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. There were 2,529 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, 551 at the Spirit Support Center in Dania Beach, and 181 at Miami International Airport.

Related document: Notice of layoff (May 2-13)

Helpful link: Spirit Airlines restructuring page

Related stories

• Commissioner: Family Success Centers ready to help ex-Spirit Airlines employees living in Broward
• Spirit Airlines reports over 4,850 job cuts in Florida
• While still wearing Spirit Airlines uniforms, job seekers start asking for help
• Jobless former Spirit Airlines employees march in Dania Beach
• Spirit Airlines asks guests not to go to the airport, or expect rebookings

Upcoming job fairs

CareerSource South Florida is hosting a job fair for former Spirit Airlines employees from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Miami International Airport’s South Terminal Auditorium’s Concourse J, third level. For more information, call 1-800-385-3920.

Miramar is hosting a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 20 at the Miramar Cultural Center, at 2400 Civic Center Place. Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit the Evenbrite page.

The Port Everglades Career Fair & Expo is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 27 at the Broward County Convention Center at 1950 Eisenhower Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. Admission and parking are free. Here is a list of the participating companies >

Resources

• Broward County has four Family Success Centers to help with housing and utilities.
• Department of Labor: Rapid response services includes guidance on COBRA continuation coverage
• American Airlines launches “Supporting Spirit” career page
• United Airlines launches program to prioritize former Spirit Airlines employees when hiring. Here is the career page >
• Southwest Airlines was recruiting on this page.
• JetBlue’s jobs page
• JetBlue announced an extension of the “jumpseat agreement for the next two weeks, subject to space availability and limited to cabin seating” for those who were stranded while working for Spirit Airlines, and also announced “preferential employment interviews.”
• Delta releases statement of help
• For more information about help from the Association of Flight Attendants, call 1-800-385-3920
• CareerSource Broward offers services such as job placement and career coaching at three centers at 4941 Coconut Creek Parkway, 2550 West Oakland Park Boulevard, and 7550 Davie Road Extension in Hollywood.
• Employ Miami-Dade has services for job seekers.
• CareerOneStop has a database for job centers
• To file an unemployment benefits claim in Florida, call 1-800-204-2418 or visit this page.
• Find your local food bank, on this Feeding America page

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