Dear Clients and Friends,
Below please find the tenth edition of Stearns Weaver Miller's COVID-19 Legal Compass, highlighting government updates, alerts on critical topics, and resources to help you navigate and adapt to this rapidly changing environment.
All actions described below have been ordered or updated between May 22, 2020 and May 28, 2020. We have done our best to include significant, timely information, although new orders and actions are being introduced continuously.
View a comprehensive listing of the government actions pertaining to COVID-19 that we have collected to date.
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RECENT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
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Changes to Payment Protection Program ("PPP")
: The House passed HR 7010, the Payment Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, which is legislation that would provide more flexibility in how PPP funds are used by small businesses. The bill would reduce the share of PPP funds small businesses are required to spend on payroll from 75% to 60%, extend the window to use the funds from eight weeks to 24 weeks, push back the deadline to rehire workers from June 30 to the end of the year, and extend the time recipients have to repay the loan. The Senate will consider the bill when they return from Memorial Day recess.
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PPP Funds Set Aside
: The SBA and the U.S. Treasury Department
announced that they are setting aside $10 billion of funding for the PPP to be lent exclusively by Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), to ensure funds are available to small businesses in all communities. CDFIs, which have already approved more than $7 billion in PPP loans, work to expand economic opportunity in low-income communities by providing access to financial products and services for local residents and businesses.
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RECENT STATE OF FLORIDA GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
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Youth Activities Order: All youth sports, clubs, teams, leagues and programs may operate normally. Additionally, recreation and summer camps may operate in spite of COVID-19 orders. Click for more.
View an easy-to-read matrix of the Florida government agency orders that we have collected to date. Highlighted actions are new (May 22-28) since last issue.
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RECENT COUNTY AND CITY GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
Our
comprehensive listing
includes the latest updates on the actions of 59 local governments throughout the state of Florida, as well as permitting information and a virtual meetings database. Grouped by region and with an easy-to-navigate table of contents, the listing is filled with links to each government's orders, organized by date.
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| Photo Source - Florida's COVID-19 Data and Surveillance Dashboard, Florida Department of Health, Division of Disease Control and Health Protection, May 28, 2020 |
LOCAL GOVERNMENT REOPENING PROCESS CONTINUES
Local governments are following the State's lead in following the Governor's Executive Order 20-112 (Phase 1: Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step. Plan for Florida's Recovery), particularly with the reopening of vacation rentals. Vacation rental reopening plans are required to receive approval from the State. Many gulf coast counties have sought and obtained approval for their vacation rental reopening plans from the State, thereby allowing rentals to resume.
Local governments continue to meet virtually and are finding ways to host virtual quasi-judicial meetings as well. Our
comprehensive listing
includes a virtual meeting database, as well as the latest update on Local Government Actions.
On April 22nd, our team presented a webinar wherein we discussed the practical and legal challenges presented in a virtual land use public hearing and the best practices to proceed in these virtual times. You can view the webinar here!
If you have questions about a local government order or an upcoming virtual public hearing,
email
us.
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