Manatee County asks for CARES Act extension

Manatee County Administrator Cheri Coryea said millions of dollars granted to Manatee County by the United States government will be returned if a federal deadline to spend the grants is not extended.

The county was granted $70.5 million through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. Coryea said up to $30 million could go unused if the federal government does not extend the Dec. 30 deadline.

She said, given extra time, the money can be used to support businesses that have lost revenue, provide food for families whose providers are out of work or not working full-time, purchase personal protective equipment and support the county’s housing assistance program for people who need help paying rents and leases.

“For all that money to get processed through for eligibility, the timeframe for just those short four months is really difficult,” Coryea said.

The county distributes its own money to approved CARES Act applicants first and is later reimbursed through the U.S. State Department Office of Emergency Management.

Manatee County's first application window opened July 14. The final of three windows for businesses to apply, which ranged in length from 11 to 21 days, closed Nov. 10. County deputy administrator Karen Stewart said it is “very possible” the county can open another application window if the federal deadline is extended.

One business owner who missed out on the application windows is Edward Goltsman, who owns Bottom Line Records and runs a DJ service called sarasotaparty.com. He hadn’t heard about the program until he saw a Facebook post through the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance about the final day to apply. By then, the window had passed.

“They didn't make a good effort of letting local businesses know about the program,” Goltsman said. “I could definitely use the money. We’re struggling here. To my dismay, I saw that it's already past deadline to apply. So it was very disappointing.”

However, the county launched an aggressive effort to reach the public about the funding.

In an effort to get the word out and promote the CARES Act program, Stewart said the county used its own website and social media, worked with local chambers of commerce, reached out to organizations such as the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance and organized “business walks” where representatives went out into the community to deliver facemasks and provide information about the CARES Act.

Goltsman said in recent weeks, as COVID-19 has surged across the country once more, his business has slowed down again because people are more concerned about going to weddings, parties and dances. He said he is sure he would be eligible for a grant because his business depends on people gathering, which has been restricted due to COVID-19 regulations.

The most recent application window produced almost 900 business applicants. The county has assigned staff to work overtime to ensure those applications are reviewed and processed before the federal deadline, according to Stewart. She has heard from one additional business owner who missed out on the deadline.

“We are committed to getting everything done on the current timeline if we have to as far as businesses go, but some of it will be out of our control,” Stewart said.

Delays can be caused by businesses who did not supply all the necessary information in their application, meaning they are in conditional denial.

“We'll have to go back to them at the end and work with them to get through the process,” Stewart said. “And having an extension would allow us to do that."

Another issue the county has with the current deadline is the procedure involving nonprofit program funding. Essentially, nonprofits have to provide their service or program and pay for it before they can seek their reimbursement from the county. This creates a lag that would put some programs in jeopardy without an extension.

In October, county commissioners voted to send a letter encouraging Florida political leaders to support a bill introduced by U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) that would extend the deadline through Dec. 31, 2021. The county said that even an extension through June 30, 2021 would make a substantial difference.

If you think you could be eligible for a CARES Act grant but missed your chance to apply, contact the Manatee Chamber of Commerce. According to Stewart, the chamber will take down your information and contact you if there are any future openings.