Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program
Due to the widespread impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and small businesses’ need for emergency capital, the application process for the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program has changed.
Effective immediately, eligible small businesses interested in applying for the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program, a short-term loan designed to help business owners bridge the gap between the time of impact and when the business has secured long-term assistance, should apply for the program through one of two ways:
DEO is currently surveying businesses throughout the state of Florida who have been impacted by COVID-19. Businesses and non-profits can access the Business Damage Assessment survey at FloridaDisaster.BIZ Select “COVID-19” from the drop-down menu on the survey page. Response to the Business Damage Assessment survey is not an application for assistance. Businesses interested in the bridge loan program must fill out a bridge loan application.
To complete a Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge loan application by the May 8, 2020 deadline, and for more information about the program, please visit www.FloridaSBDC.org.
For application assistance, please contact the Florida SBDC office nearest you at www.FloridaSBDC.org/locations. For questions regarding the loan program, please contact DEO toll-free at 833-832-4494 or email FloridaBusinessLoanFund@deo.myflorida.com.
For assistance with the Emergency Bridge Loan Program, residents of Nassau County may contact Jodi Henson, Business Consultant with the Florida SBDC at the University of North Florida, at jodi.henson@unf.edu.
Effective immediately, eligible small businesses interested in applying for the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program, a short-term loan designed to help business owners bridge the gap between the time of impact and when the business has secured long-term assistance, should apply for the program through one of two ways:
- Apply online and upload required supporting documentation or
- Download an application, complete it and mail it with the required supporting documentation to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) at: Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, C/O Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan, 107 E. Madison Street, MSC-160, Tallahassee FL 32399-4120.
DEO is currently surveying businesses throughout the state of Florida who have been impacted by COVID-19. Businesses and non-profits can access the Business Damage Assessment survey at FloridaDisaster.BIZ Select “COVID-19” from the drop-down menu on the survey page. Response to the Business Damage Assessment survey is not an application for assistance. Businesses interested in the bridge loan program must fill out a bridge loan application.
To complete a Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge loan application by the May 8, 2020 deadline, and for more information about the program, please visit www.FloridaSBDC.org.
For application assistance, please contact the Florida SBDC office nearest you at www.FloridaSBDC.org/locations. For questions regarding the loan program, please contact DEO toll-free at 833-832-4494 or email FloridaBusinessLoanFund@deo.myflorida.com.
For assistance with the Emergency Bridge Loan Program, residents of Nassau County may contact Jodi Henson, Business Consultant with the Florida SBDC at the University of North Florida, at jodi.henson@unf.edu.
Additional Small Business Resources
The Restaurant Workers Community Foundation created a Restaurant Workers’ COVID19 Crisis Relief Fund as well as an information page to provide resources on how to receive assistance or to find ways to assist others affected by this crisis.
The One Fair Wage Campaign has launched an emergency fund for tipped workers and service workers affected by COVID-19. Click here to donate and here to apply for assistance.
In Georgia, Giving Kitchen provides emergency assistance to food service workers through financial support and a network of community resources. More here.
The One Fair Wage Campaign has launched an emergency fund for tipped workers and service workers affected by COVID-19. Click here to donate and here to apply for assistance.
In Georgia, Giving Kitchen provides emergency assistance to food service workers through financial support and a network of community resources. More here.
As communities throughout the world respond to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Google knows that this time presents unique challenges for businesses. Here are some tips and recommendations to help you navigate this for your employees and customers. For the most timely information and guidance on COVID-19, please monitor the World Health Organization website.
For more information, visit the Google for Small Business page.
- Communicating with your customers
- If your hours of operation have changed, edit your Business Profile on Google.
- Use Posts to communicate information directly on your Business Profile on Google, like special offers or inventory updates.
- Consider setting an email auto-reply with answers to frequently asked questions.
- Communicating with your employees
- Store contact information for your employees, vendors, and clients online so it’s accessible from any device.
- Make a business continuity plan, and share it with employees via an email address they can access outside of the office.
- If you have more than one business location, give local managers the authority to take appropriate actions based on conditions at their location.
For more information, visit the Google for Small Business page.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued guidance this week entitled “What You Should Know About the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and COVID-19.” This guidance focused on issues regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in the workplace related to the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, which it answered in light of its 2009 Guidance regarding pandemic preparedness. However, the EEOC updated its guidance today and added additional questions and answers related to COVID-19 (quoted verbatim):
How much information may an employer request from an employee who calls in sick, in order to protect the rest of its workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic? During a pandemic, ADA-covered employers may ask such employees if they are experiencing symptoms of the pandemic virus. For COVID-19, these include symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat. Employers must maintain all information about employee illness as a confidential medical record in compliance with the ADA.
When may an ADA-covered employer take the body temperature of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic? Generally, measuring an employee’s body temperature is a medical examination. Because the CDC and state/local health authorities have acknowledged community spread of COVID-19 and issued attendant precautions, employers may measure employees’ body temperature. However, employers should be aware that some people with COVID-19 do not have a fever.
Does the ADA allow employers to require employees to stay home if they have symptoms of the COVID-19? Yes. The CDC states that employees who become ill with symptoms of COVID-19 should leave the workplace. The ADA does not interfere with employers following this advice.
When employees return to work, does the ADA allow employers to require doctors’ notes certifying their fitness for duty? Yes. Such inquiries are permitted under the ADA either because they would not be disability-related or, if the pandemic influenza were truly severe, they would be justified under the ADA standards for disability-related inquiries of employees. As a practical matter, however, doctors and other health care professionals may be too busy during and immediately after a pandemic outbreak to provide fitness-for-duty documentation. Therefore, new approaches may be necessary, such as reliance on local clinics to provide a form, a stamp, or an e-mail to certify that an individual does not have the pandemic virus.
If an employer is hiring, may it screen applicants for symptoms of COVID-19? Yes. An employer may screen job applicants for symptoms of COVID-19 after making a conditional job offer, as long as it does so for all entering employees in the same type of job. This ADA rule applies whether or not the applicant has a disability.
May an employer take an applicant’s temperature as part of a post-offer, pre-employment medical exam? Yes. Any medical exams are permitted after an employer has made a conditional offer of employment. However, employers should be aware that some people with COVID-19 do not have a fever.
May an employer delay the start date of an applicant who has COVID-19 or symptoms associated with it? Yes. According to current CDC guidance, an individual who has COVID-19 or symptoms associated with it should not be in the workplace.
May an employer withdraw a job offer when it needs the applicant to start immediately but the individual has COVID-19 or symptoms of it? Based on current CDC guidance, this individual cannot safely enter the workplace, and therefore the employer may withdraw the job offer.
While this guidance provides additional clarity under the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act, employers should continue to keep in mind that the EEOC’s guidance does not negate a company’s obligations to comply with state-specific laws that may be more restrictive. If you have questions during this constantly evolving situation, please contact the Constangy attorney of your choice.
Please be aware that substantial changes in the governmental guidance and underlying laws are occurring on almost a daily basis, which will impact the analysis of the legal issues related to COVID-19. It is critical that you check the Resource Center often for the most recent information and stay in continual contact with your Constangy attorney.
Source: Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP Legal Bulletin - March 18, 2020
How much information may an employer request from an employee who calls in sick, in order to protect the rest of its workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic? During a pandemic, ADA-covered employers may ask such employees if they are experiencing symptoms of the pandemic virus. For COVID-19, these include symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat. Employers must maintain all information about employee illness as a confidential medical record in compliance with the ADA.
When may an ADA-covered employer take the body temperature of employees during the COVID-19 pandemic? Generally, measuring an employee’s body temperature is a medical examination. Because the CDC and state/local health authorities have acknowledged community spread of COVID-19 and issued attendant precautions, employers may measure employees’ body temperature. However, employers should be aware that some people with COVID-19 do not have a fever.
Does the ADA allow employers to require employees to stay home if they have symptoms of the COVID-19? Yes. The CDC states that employees who become ill with symptoms of COVID-19 should leave the workplace. The ADA does not interfere with employers following this advice.
When employees return to work, does the ADA allow employers to require doctors’ notes certifying their fitness for duty? Yes. Such inquiries are permitted under the ADA either because they would not be disability-related or, if the pandemic influenza were truly severe, they would be justified under the ADA standards for disability-related inquiries of employees. As a practical matter, however, doctors and other health care professionals may be too busy during and immediately after a pandemic outbreak to provide fitness-for-duty documentation. Therefore, new approaches may be necessary, such as reliance on local clinics to provide a form, a stamp, or an e-mail to certify that an individual does not have the pandemic virus.
If an employer is hiring, may it screen applicants for symptoms of COVID-19? Yes. An employer may screen job applicants for symptoms of COVID-19 after making a conditional job offer, as long as it does so for all entering employees in the same type of job. This ADA rule applies whether or not the applicant has a disability.
May an employer take an applicant’s temperature as part of a post-offer, pre-employment medical exam? Yes. Any medical exams are permitted after an employer has made a conditional offer of employment. However, employers should be aware that some people with COVID-19 do not have a fever.
May an employer delay the start date of an applicant who has COVID-19 or symptoms associated with it? Yes. According to current CDC guidance, an individual who has COVID-19 or symptoms associated with it should not be in the workplace.
May an employer withdraw a job offer when it needs the applicant to start immediately but the individual has COVID-19 or symptoms of it? Based on current CDC guidance, this individual cannot safely enter the workplace, and therefore the employer may withdraw the job offer.
While this guidance provides additional clarity under the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act, employers should continue to keep in mind that the EEOC’s guidance does not negate a company’s obligations to comply with state-specific laws that may be more restrictive. If you have questions during this constantly evolving situation, please contact the Constangy attorney of your choice.
Please be aware that substantial changes in the governmental guidance and underlying laws are occurring on almost a daily basis, which will impact the analysis of the legal issues related to COVID-19. It is critical that you check the Resource Center often for the most recent information and stay in continual contact with your Constangy attorney.
Source: Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP Legal Bulletin - March 18, 2020
Local Health Updates and Information
Pandemic Guidance
A brief outline of how to prepare before and respond during a pandemic by Ready.gov, official website of the Department of Homeland Security
Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
CDC recommended guidance for employers, including advice for developing a response plan and steps that all employers can implement now. Based on what is currently known about the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Feb 2020)
Official Government Coronavirus Links
A spreadsheet of links to include in chamber communications to members and online resource guides from the CDC, OSHA, FEMA, U.S. Chamber, WHO, Ready.gov, EEOC, and EPA.
Coronavirus Best Practices Guide for Businesses: Template
A template document of best practices and strategies for businesses to implement to protect their workforce from coronavirus while ensuring continuity of operations.
COVID-19 Safety and Health Standards, Control & Prevention
An overview of information for workers and employers about the evolving coronavirus outbreak. Includes links to OSHA standards, control and prevention, by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Coronavirus Resource Page
A resource page by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, including links to Resilience in a Box and Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Quick Guides.
A brief outline of how to prepare before and respond during a pandemic by Ready.gov, official website of the Department of Homeland Security
Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
CDC recommended guidance for employers, including advice for developing a response plan and steps that all employers can implement now. Based on what is currently known about the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Feb 2020)
Official Government Coronavirus Links
A spreadsheet of links to include in chamber communications to members and online resource guides from the CDC, OSHA, FEMA, U.S. Chamber, WHO, Ready.gov, EEOC, and EPA.
Coronavirus Best Practices Guide for Businesses: Template
A template document of best practices and strategies for businesses to implement to protect their workforce from coronavirus while ensuring continuity of operations.
COVID-19 Safety and Health Standards, Control & Prevention
An overview of information for workers and employers about the evolving coronavirus outbreak. Includes links to OSHA standards, control and prevention, by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Coronavirus Resource Page
A resource page by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, including links to Resilience in a Box and Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Quick Guides.
