Businesses begin reopening
Governor DeSantis began reopening the state for business this Monday, May 4, but many businesses remain closed. NFIB is encouraging officials to allow these businesses to open the moment that public health criteria allow.
NFIB State Executive Director Bill Herrle says the cost to the state has come into focus and that sales tax collections are down an estimated $770 million because of the drop in sales resulting from COVID-19-related closures. Herrle said the losses will be compounded by slower sales by businesses operating at reduced capacity.
Click here to read NFIB State Executive Director Bill Herrle’s statement on the governor’s reopening plan.
NFIB LC chairman address DeSantis’ re-open task force
Walter Carpenter, chairman of the NFIB Florida Leadership Council, addressed Governor DeSantis’ Re-Open Florida Task Force on April 21 and 22. Carpenter discussed the impact that social distancing and safer-at-home orders have had on small businesses. He said small businesses are eager to reopen but cautioned against one-size-fits-all regulations that would put an unfair burden on them. Read more here and here.
NFIB joins task force on reopening FL’s economy
NFIB said on Monday, April 13, that it had joined a coalition of business groups in launching a task force called RESET, or Restore Economic Strength through Employment and Tourism. Bill Herrle, NFIB’s state executive director, will serve as co-chair. He the task force will bring together representatives from different sectors to discuss ways to safely restart Florida’s economy and to serve as a resource for legislators and state officials. Learn more about it here.
DeSantis issues ‘stay at home’ order
Governor Ron DeSantis on April 1 announced an executive order instructing Floridians to stay at home for 30 days unless going out for “essential services or activities.” Read coverage here.
Executive orders aimed at out-of-state visitors, vacation rentals
Gov. Ron DeSantis issued two more executive orders today intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the Sunshine state.
One directs all people entering the state from with area with “a substantial community, to include the State of Louisiana,” to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days or the duration of their stay in Florida, whichever is shorter. Read the order here. The other bans new vacation rental bookings and prohibits new guests from checking in. Click here to read it.
The governor’s earlier executive orders are posted here.
Municipal updates
Click on the name to find the latest COVID-19 information for some of Florida’s cities:
Jacksonville
Miami
Tampa
Orlando
St. Petersburg
Hialeah
Tallahassee
Port St. Lucie
Fort Lauderdale
Cape Coral
Tax help
• Executive Order Closing Bars and Beaches
• Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program
• Schools Urged to Close Through April 15
• Get the latest information about the public health crisis from the Florida Division of Emergency Management
• Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Toolkit
• County-Specific COVID-19 Map
National
All resources, webinars, news releases, and lobbying activities can be found on this landing page. On it, you will find such information as:
- NFIB Small Business Legal Center article, How Small Business Can Prepare for Coronavirus
- NFIB Legal Foundation and NFIB Research Center webinar, How Small Business, Workers, and Workplaces Should Respond to Covid-19. Click here to listen to the 42-minute presentation
- The latest NFIB poll of its members about the coronavirus