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RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ESTABLISHMENT OF A HOTEL WORKER RELIEF GRANT FUND FROM THE 2020 CORONAVIRUS AID, RELIEF, AND ECONOMIC SECURITY ACT CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUND, TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE TO HOTEL EMPLOYEES IMPACTED BY THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) PANDEMIC; APPROVING FORM OF GRANT AGREEMENT BETWEEN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AND MIAMI DADE COLLEGE TO PROVIDE AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $3,000,000.00 IN FUNDS FROM THE HOTEL WORKER RELIEF GRANT FUND TO CREATE AND ADMINISTER A HOTEL EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM AND STIPEND FOR PROGRAM COMPLETION; 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 31, 2020, the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide is over 17.3 million, with more than 4.5 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 businesses, including hotels, restaurants, and bars 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, $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 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 hotel industry which has been impacted by lost revenues due to (i) vacant rooms and unused inventory, (ii) visitor 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 operate or re-open; and
WHEREAS, the hotel industry is one of the leading employment sectors, and a vital contributor to the County�s economy as the greater Miami area ranked in the top ten among the 25 leading United States hotel markets in 2019; and
WHEREAS, the greater Miami area attracted 24.2 million total visitors in 2019; and
WHEREAS, this Board is concerned about the short-term and long-term economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to the hotel industry and its employees; and
WHEREAS, Miami Dade College, in collaboration with the Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association, has developed a hotel employee training program (the �HET program�) to provide training and a financial stipend to approximately 2,500 hotel employees impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the County that complete the HET program; and
WHEREAS, the HET program will include a curriculum for the professional development of hotel workers, including employment skills training, opportunities for advancement in the hotel industry, and exposure to other career paths; and
WHEREAS, a $1000.00 stipend provided to furloughed or laid off hotel workers that complete the HET program will allow workers to pay for housing costs, basic needs, and health insurance while the hotel industry recovers; and
WHEREAS, Miami Dade College will administer the disbursement of the stipends for furloughed or laid off hotel workers, providing significant administrative efficiencies; and
WHEREAS, to assist in the furloughed and laid off hotel workers , this Board desires the County Mayor or County Mayor�s designee to (i) establish a hotel worker relief grant fund, and (ii) negotiate and execute a grant agreement between the County and Miami Dade College to provide $3 million in grant funds for use by the HET program,
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 hotel worker relief grant fund in an amount not to exceed $3,000,000.00 for a hotel employee financial support and assistance, from the 2020 CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund allocation to the County. The total of the not to exceed amount shall be used by the HET program through a grant agreement between the County and Miami Dade College (the �Agreement�).
Section 3. This Board approves the form of the Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit A, in an amount not to exceed $3,000,000.00 in hotel worker relief grant funds for use by the HET program, to provide training and a financial stipend to hotel employees impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in the County that complete the HET program.
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 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 30 days thereafter, detailing the status of the hotel industry applicants that have received assistance from the HET program as a result of the $3,000,000.00 hotel worker relief grant fund, until funding for the program is exhausted or returned to the County. The completed reports shall be placed on agendas of the Board pursuant to Ordinance No. 14-65.