Manatee-Sarasota population falls short of COVID-19 relief. Buchanan wants to fix that
Local governments in Manatee and Sarasota counties don’t qualify for any relief funds under the recently passed CARES Act, based on an “arbitrary” population threshold, U.S. Vern Buchanan said.
Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, expressed concern about the limitation in a letter Monday asking Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to reconsider the population requirement in the next COVID-19 relief effort.
“Both Manatee and Sarasota counties are straining to cope with growing COVID-19 caseloads, rising costs, and significant revenue losses,” Buchanan wrote. “They deserve assistance just as much as any city or county that has 500,000 people.”
Both Manatee and Sarasota fall short of the required 500,000 residents to receive financial aid from the federal government to help deal with the coronavirus pandemic. As Congress considers another relief bill, Buchanan suggested lowering that count to 400,000, which would make both counties eligible.
“This revision is fully consistent with the original intent behind the Coronavirus Relief Fund and would enable more local governments to receive aid,” he wrote.
Last week, Manatee County approved the expenditure of up to $100,000 to purchase COVID-19 specimen collection kits and personal protective equipment.
Economic forecasts indicate that the strain could be much worse in the coming months.
StratoDem, an economic data firm, predicts a 28 percent decline in Manatee’s GDP in the second quarter of 2020, and a 25 percent decline in Sarasota. Combined, the counties are facing a $2.3 billion slump in the next 90 days.
