DeLand, FL - Three grants aimed at getting Volusia residents and businesses back on their feet make their way through the council chambers with approval from county officials.
Each grant will use a portion of Volusia's $96.5 million stimulus package, which the county was awarded following the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March.
The first will allocate $3 million towards the Relaunch Volusia: Home-Based Business Reopening Grant Program. The mission behind the program is to help support "local home-based businesses" that have been affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The distribution of that $3 million will come on a first-come, first-served basis. According to the agenda item, qualifying businesses may be eligible to receive a one-time reopening grant of $1,500.
Besides being a home-based business with 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees, businesses that wish to apply for the grant must also follow a set of other guidelines (see Exhibit A).
Businesses that want to apply must do so through the Volusia Business Resources website.
The second grant will make use of $1 million from the county's stimulus package to assist local businesses by purchasing and distributing a limited amount of personal protection equipment (PPE) at no charge.
Approximately 7,000 kits will be bought by the county. From there, the Volusia County Chamber Alliance will handle the distribution, which is expected to be spread out over 12 different dates at six different locations around the county.
Specific locations were not mentioned, but the resolution says that distribution will take place in DeLand, Orange City, Daytona Beach, Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach (which will also cover the southeastern part of the county) and Ormond Beach.
Each kit will contain a box of gloves, 50 masks, five hand sanitizers, three sanitation wipe packages (with dispensers) and one infrared thermometer, which is available upon request.
The Chamber Alliance will also be awarded $50,000 by the county for "business outreach, marketing, kit preparation, distribution and electronic business contact documentation."
The third grant is aimed at assisting residents who are suffering from "unreimbursed negative financial consequences" and have missed at least one mortgage or rent payment. It was actually approved by the county council back on May 19th, but it received a new amendment that helps with a minor conflict between it and the home-based business grant.
That revision makes it so one address cannot receive grants from both the home-based business program and the rent and mortgage program at the same time.
