County Awards $620,000 in CARES Funding to Small Businesses for Round One

$620,000 in Small Business Grants has been awarded to 62 small business owners as part of Round One of the Nassau CARES Small Business Grant Program. That’s what Taco Pope, Assistant County Manager, presented to the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners at a special meeting yesterday morning.

The program, which was executed in two rounds, offered small business owners who were negatively affected by COVID-19 the chance to apply for a $10,000 grant that did not have to be paid back. The program, which closed on August 31,2020, received 191 applications – 73 in the first round and 118 in the second round. At this time, the second round of applications are still being processed, but the County is expecting around 180 of all applications to be approved.

Final exact numbers will be available the week of September 14, 2020, when all applications are expected to be reviewed and processed. However, first round applications, which have been completed, had an 85% approval rating.

Approved business owners will begin receiving checks after September 8, 2020.

As part of the Nassau CARES program, the County allocated $2.2 million to the Small Business Assistance Grant Program. Each business owner whose application is approved will receive $10,000.

In order to be eligible for the grant, applicants had to meet the following requirements:

• Business has nineteen (19) or less employees or full-time equivalent (FTE) employees.
• Business has not received funds covered by insurance or reimbursement from the Federal Payroll Protection Program (PPP), or other local, state or federal sources in excess of $100,000 related to COVID-19.
• Business has earned less than $2.0 million in gross annual income for 2019.
• Business has been operating and can prove ongoing business operations since August 1, 2019 (1 year).

In addition to the Small Business Grant Program, 86 residents have applied for rental and mortgage assistance from the Nassau CARES funding. Applications are currently under review and checks should start going out in the coming weeks.

About Nassau CARES
Nassau CARES provides for the efficient, targeted distribution of $15.5 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds allocated under the Federal CARES Act (H.R. 748). Nassau CARES provides funding for essential public health and safety expenditures related to COVID-19 including a variety of human service needs, critical economic relief to the local business community, and direct COVID-related costs incurred by the County, Constitutional and Judicial Offices, and the municipalities within Nassau County.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the CARES Office at (904) 530-6800 or email cares@nassaucountyfl.com.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office

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