Business Law 101 / Post-Hurricane services

By Albert L. Kelley

After Hurricane Irma passed, many people began by asking “What can I do to help?”. We all had our own yards to take care of and buildings to repair and lives to get back in order. But for many it was more about helping the less fortunate- those without the resources, or those who had more damage.   For many it was just walking around the neighborhoods offering to help with clean-up. For others it was taking in those who lost homes.   For others it was making a hot meal for the neighbors. The storm brought many of us together and strengthened the bonds of community.

In Key West, things are getting back to normal. According to Keys Energy, nearly everyone has power. Most of us now have phones and internet. But there are a lot of people who are still struggling with lost income, or unpaid rent. There are still those that lost possessions. And as you move up the Keys, the problems just increase. The need for help has not ended.

Shortly after the storm, I opened a pro bono legal clinic at my office. The first day we started with no power, phones or internet. One of my clients then loaned me a generator so we could get a computer and printer working. Today, the office is fully functional, but I am still continuing the pro bono clinic because I am still seeing a need for it. One of the issues I have found to be a benefit is in the identification of services being offered. Many people just need to know where to go for help. So I’m going to list below some resources I have found. However, I am asking each of you, if you know of a location people can go for assistance of any kind, contact me at [email protected] and I will post them.

Money:

FEMA- FEMA provides rent assistance and some damage losses. Apply at disastasterassistance.gov , call 1.800.621.FEMA, or go to the Key West Fire Department on Simonton St.

Small Business Administration (SBA)- low interest long term loans, Apply at www.sba.gov

Housing:

FEMA- provides short-term housing opportunities

Red Cross- provides temporary shelter assistance. Currently a shelter camp is located on Big Pine Key.

Samuel’s House- provides shelter assistance to women and their children.

Key West Housing Authority- provides long-term income based housing.

Food:

Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP)- this used to be referred to as Food Stamps. The D-SNAP program was just activated for Monroe County last week. This program may offer benefits, even if you do not qualify for food stamps. Apply at http://www.myflorida.com/accessflorida/

St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Outreach Mission- provides food and supplies. Located in the old Stick and Stein, next to K-Mart in Key West.

Red Cross

Roof tarps:

Operation Blue Roof, 30320 Overseas Highway, Big Pine Key

Legal Services:

American Bar Association and the Florida Bar’s Young Lawyer’s Division have joined up to start a pro bono legal hotline at 866-550-2929

The Cuban American Bar Association (CABA) has organized a series of pro bono clinics in conjunction with Senator Rubio, Congressman Curbelo, Senator Flores and Representative Raschein. These clinics appear throughout the Keys. Check with CABAprobono.com for more information.

Al Kelley is a Florida business law attorney located in Key West and previously taught business law, personnel law and labor law at St. Leo University. He is also the author of “Basics of Business Law” “Basics of Florida’s Small Claims Court” and “Basics of Florida’s Landlord/Tenant Law” (Absolutely Amazing e-Books). This article is being offered as a public service and is not intended to provide specific legal advice. If you have any questions about legal issues, you should confer with a licensed Florida attorney.

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