Business Continuity and Recovery: A Message from St. Johns County Chamber
Dear Members,
As you might know, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the activation of the Business Damage Assessment survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 on Florida’s local business operations on March 12, 2020. If your business has been impacted by COVID-19 virus, we urge you to complete the state’s Business Damage Assessment Survey.
On March 16, 2020, Gov. Ron DeSantis activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program to provide short-term, interest-free loans to small businesses feeling the economic turbulence from the Coronavirus. The application period opened Tuesday, March 17, and runs through May 8, 2020. Up to $50 million has been allocated for this program.
The President also activated a presidential disaster declaration in response to COVID-19. Impacted businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and private nonprofit organizations may apply for low-interest loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). If your business has suffered substantial economic injury, you may qualify for an EIDL. The SBA can provide up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could have been met had the disaster not occurred.
Additionally, the U.S. Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and the U.S. Department of Labor announced that small and midsize employers can begin taking advantage of two new refundable payroll tax credits, designed to immediately and fully reimburse them, dollar-for-dollar, for the cost of providing Coronavirus-related leave to their employees.This relief to employees and small and midsize businesses is provided under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, signed by President Trump on March 18, 2020. More about these credits is online here.
The next two videos in our Chamber Conversations series will focus on the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan and SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan as well as a conversation with CareerSource Northeast Florida regarding the Short Time Compensation program and Disaster Unemployment Assistance. We will continue to share to current and relevant information regarding Coronavirus and business continuity. If there are specific topics or questions you would like us to address, please email Cathy Newman at cathy.newman@sjcchamber.com.
Finally, today we are supporting #TheGreatAmericanTakeOut effort by ordering take-out or delivery from local restaurants. If you are able to #supportlocal by ordering take-out today, we encourage you to do so. If you share this online, please join us in using #TakeOutStJohns.
For more information and resources regarding business continuity and resiliency visit http://www.SJCChamber.com/business.
Stay informed,
Isabelle Renault
President / CEO
St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce