Focus on Manatee | Resources available to help Bradenton businesses affected by COVID-19

Few, if any, Bradenton Area businesses are immune to the impact of COVID-19, leaving all of us focused on mitigating the short and long-term effects, protecting our workforce and ensuring we are prepared to bounce back as quickly as possible.

The Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau is tasked with supporting tourism industry partners, even more so during times of adversity. With tourism serving as the state’s top job creator and economic impact generator, we know that our destination’s full recovery will largely depend on seeing our hotels, restaurants and attractions through this hard time. We also know they are not the only ones struggling. So, to that end, I implore all to look into assistance and relief programs available and keep an eye out for information that your friends and fellow business owners might find of interest.

For weeks our team has been compiling some of this important information and sharing resources and reminders for our partners that could also benefit community residents and business owners outside of our industry. A few follow below.

Businesses experiencing hardship and in need of additional support should email Emergency Support Function 18 at ESF18@em.myflorida.com for guidance.

Though the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program and the Federal Government’s Paycheck Protection Program have closed, we remain hopeful that more phases are on the horizon. We learned from this first round that available funds can go quickly, so all in need of support should remain on the lookout for news and respond rapidly if another phase is announced.

In the meantime, a new grant opportunity – the Save Small Business Fund – was recently introduced by the U.S. Chamber Foundation. Funded by contributions from corporate and philanthropic partners, it will provide $5,000 supplemental grants to small employers in economically vulnerable communities. There are several eligibility requirements and applications open Monday, April 20 at https://savesmallbusiness.com/

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity has also rolled out a new website to sign up for unemployment. Any Floridian who hasn’t yet successfully applied should visit www.floridajobsresources.com to determine which items they will need. There they will also find additional information about other loans and programs available for Floridians.

We also continue to remind all to fill out and submit their 2020 Census paperwork by mail or online - this is especially important as an accurate report will ensure we receive the federal funding we need for our entire community in the future.

Though tourism industry specific, we have also created a landing page with information that can be utilized or referenced on an ongoing basis. Please visit https://www.bradentongulfislands.com/covid-19-industry for additional links to information on Business Recovery, Reemployment and Worker Assistance.

Though this is not an exhaustive list, we hope it is a good place to start. A great second step would be to look into programs for businesses in your specific industry.

Let’s all continue to share information and support one another as we all do our part to keep our community safe and positioned to recover together once we are through this unprecedented time.

Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, can be reached at Elliott.Falcione@BACVB.com or 941-729-9177, ext. 3940.

This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 5:00 AM.