The County’s Office of Management and Budget compiled the small business assistance grant distribution overview for both rounds of the program.

MONROE COUNTY DISTRIBUTES SECOND ROUND OF $1 MILLION IN CARES ACT FUNDING TO 268 SMALL LOCAL BUSINESSES

MONROE COUNTY, FL – Monroe County has allocated all $1 million in the second round of CARES Act Small Business Grant Program funding to 268 small local businesses that were affected by COVID-19. The County funded $2 million to 527 businesses in both rounds of the program.

In round 2, 159 sole proprietors received $2,500, 86 2-10 employee businesses received $5,000, and 23 11-25 employee businesses received $7,500. Funded businesses included retail, food, galleries, commercial and charter fishing, salons, photographers, property management companies, and fitness centers, among others.

A business that applied but did not receive funding may have had an incomplete application, were not eligible (too many employees, multiple business applications with the same owner), or the application was submitted properly but was later than other complete applications on the first-come, first-serve basis.

Some funding is still being processed, but to view a list of the businesses that received funding, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/bizcares.

The Monroe County CARES Act Program is a grant program funded by an allocation to Monroe County from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act through the State of Florida Division of Emergency Management to be used in assisting local governments in the recovery process from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to the $2 million business grant program, approximately $368,000 was distributed for utilities assistance to about 400 commercial and residential customer accounts that were in arrears, $1 million was distributed or set aside for critical needs like food and nonprofit grant assistance, and $1.4 million is being processed for those who applied for the rental and mortgage assistance program.

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