TITLE
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ESTABLISHMENT OF A $35,000,000.00 BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAM FOR HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY RELIEF FROM THE 2020 CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF, AND ECONOMIC SECURITY ACT CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND, TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE TO LOCAL INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED RESTAURANTS AND NON-HOME BASED CATERERS IMPACTED BY THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) PANDEMIC; APPROVING TERM SHEET FOR GRANT AGREEMENT BY AND AMONG MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, THE SOUTH BEACH WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL, AND FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY CHAPLIN SCHOOL TO PROVIDE AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $5,000,000.00 IN FUNDS FROM THE BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAM TO THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY RELIEF FUND TO ASSIST ELIGIBLE ESTABLISHMENTS THAT HAVE HAD TO TEMPORARILY CEASE OPERATIONS, LAY OFF OR FURLOUGH EMPLOYEES, OR WHOSE BUSINESSES HAVE BEEN SEVERELY DIMINISHED DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC; AND DIRECTING COUNTY MAYOR OR COUNTY MAYOR�S DESIGNEE TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE THE GRANT AGREEMENT AND TO PROVIDE REPORTS

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WHEREAS, coronavirus disease 2019 (�COVID-19�) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, a novel coronavirus that was first identified in December 2019; and
WHEREAS, on March 9, 2020, Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order No. 20-52 declaring a state of emergency for the entire State of Florida as a result of COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, on March 11, 2020, Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez declared a state of emergency for Miami-Dade County as a result of COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, these orders have since been extended; and
WHEREAS, the disease has spread globally, and on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic; and
WHEREAS, as of July 14, 2020, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide is over 13 million, with more than 3.4 million of those in the United States; and
WHEREAS, to help curb the spread of COVID-19, many state and local governments throughout the country ordered non-essential businesses to close and strongly urged residents to be safe and stay at home; and
WHEREAS, consequently, many small businesses, and in particular independently owned and operated restaurants and non-home based caterers, are now facing a dire threat to their survival, and an increasingly large number of employees have been laid off or furloughed; and
WHEREAS, indeed, more than 44.2 million Americans have filed for unemployment since March 2020; and
WHEREAS, to help blunt the impact of the economic downturn set in motion by the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Congress passed, and on March 27, 2020 President Donald Trump signed into law, H.R. 748, the �Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act� (the �CARES Act�); and
WHEREAS, the CARES Act is a $2 trillion stimulus package which provided, among other things:
* one-time checks of $1,200 to Americans earning a certain income;
* $349 billion in loans to small businesses;
* $17 billion of assistance to companies deemed crucial to national security;
* grants of $25 billion for passenger air carriers, $4 billion for air-cargo carriers, and $3 billion for certain contractors; and
* a $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund for local governments; and
WHEREAS, the CARES Act requires that the payments to local governments from the Coronavirus Relief Fund only be used to cover expenses that:
* are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to COVID-19;
* were not included in the budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020 for the state or local government; and
* were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020, and ends on December 30, 2020; and
WHEREAS, the State of Florida was allocated $8.328 billion from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, of which the County received $474 million; and
WHEREAS, the Coronavirus Relief Fund monies must be used by December 30, 2020, and any residual must be returned to the federal government; and
WHEREAS, the public health emergency caused by COVID-19 has had an immediate and serious economic impact in the County, particularly the hospitality industry which has been impacted by lost revenues due to (i) mandatory closures, (ii) travel restrictions and cancellations, and (iii) quarantine and stay at home orders, as well as increased costs incurred to comply with the cleaning, spacing and operational requirements in order to reopen or operate; and
WHEREAS, the hospitality industry is a vital cog in the County�s economy; and
WHEREAS, this Board is concerned about the short-term and long-term economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to these businesses in the County; and
WHEREAS, the South Beach Wine & Food Festival (�SOBEWFF�), and Florida International University (�FIU�) Chaplin School have created a Hospitality Industry Relief Fund (the �HIRF Fund�), to provide immediate financial support to independently owned and operated restaurants, hotel restaurants, bars, and caterers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the County, and help their laid off or furloughed employees; and
WHEREAS, to assist in the economic sustainability of independently owned and operated restaurants and non-home based caterers in the County, this Board desires the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to (i) establish a $35 million business grant program, (ii) allocate $30 million in program funds for a County administered Hospitality Industry Grant Program (the �MDC Fund�), to assist local independently owned and operated restaurants and non-home based caterers, and (iii) negotiate and execute a grant agreement by and among the County, SOBEWFF, and FIU Chaplin School to provide $5 million in program funds for use by the HIRF Fund,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that:
Section 1. The foregoing recitals are adopted as if fully set forth herein.
Section 2. This Board authorizes the establishment of a business grant program in an amount not to exceed $35,000,000.00 for hospitality industry relief, from the 2020 CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund allocation to the County. Of this amount, not to exceed $30,000,000.00 in program funds will be used for the MDC Fund to provide immediate financial support and assist eligible local independently owned and operated restaurants and non-home based caterers throughout the County; and not to exceed $5,000,000.00 will be used for a grant agreement by and among the County, SOBEWFF, and FIU Chapman School (the �Agreement�).
Section 3. This Board approves the term sheet attached hereto as Exhibit 1 (the �Term Sheet�) for the Agreement in an amount not to exceed $5,000,000.00 in business grant program funds for use by the HIRF Fund, to assist eligible establishments that have had to temporarily cease operations, lay off or furlough employees, or whose businesses have been severely diminished due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Section 4. This Board directs the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to negotiate and execute the Agreement. The Agreement shall include terms that are consistent with those set forth in the Term Sheet and such other customary grant provisions in County grant agreements, including, but not limited to, provisions related to the Florida Public Records Act and the County�s right to audit, review and monitor the expenditure of the grant funds.
Section 5. This Board directs the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to provide a written report within 30 days of the effective date of this resolution detailing the status of the development and implementation of the program or explaining why it has not been developed or implemented. Upon implementation, the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee shall provide a written report to this Board every 60 days thereafter, detailing the status of the hospitality industry applicants that have received assistance from either the MDC Fund or HIRF Fund as a result of the $35,000,000.00 business grant program, until funding for the program is exhausted. The completed reports shall be placed on agendas of the Board pursuant to Ordinance No. 14-65.