Dear Clients and Friends,

Below please find the twenty-fifth 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 changing environment.  

As businesses and individuals adapted to the "new normal", noteworthy federal, state, and local government mandates have slowed down a bit but we will continue to update you if significant actions that can affect your business are introduced.

Please email our team with any questions regarding the below information or any local government actions. Additionally, you can view a comprehensive listing of the government actions pertaining to COVID-19 that we have collected to date.


RECENT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
  • American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Signed Into Law: President Biden signed HR 1319, also known as the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, into law on Thursday, March 11. The $1.9 trillion relief package is the third major relief package passed since the start of the pandemic.

    The bill provides a third economic impact payment to qualifying Americans, provides weekly federal unemployment insurance payments of $300 through September 6, and temporarily expands the federal child tax credit. It also authorizes $7.25 billion for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans but does not extend the loans which are set to expire on March 31. Additionally, the bill provides $15 billion for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans, $10 billion for state governments to help leverage private capital and make low-interest loans, $29 billion to create a grant program that provides direct relief to restaurants, and $15 billion to the Shuttered Venue Operators Grants program. The bill also authorizes $350 billion to state and local governments to assist with lost revenues due to the pandemic and increased federal resources for COVID-19 vaccine research and distribution.

    For further information on these provisions, a title-by-title summary of HR 1319 can be accessed here.
View a comprehensive listing of Federal Government Actions that we have collected to date.

RECENT STATE OF FLORIDA GOVERNMENT ACTIONS
  • Civil Liability for Damages Relating to COVID-19: Bills have been filed in the Florida Legislature to address civil liability for businesses due to COVID-19. Click for more.
  • Vaccine Administration: Governor DeSantis issued an order regarding COVID-19 vaccine administration effective March 15. Click for more.
  • Remission of Fines: The Governor issued an order regarding the remission of fines for individuals and businesses. Click for more.
View a comprehensive listing of State of Florida Government Actions that we have collected to date.
RECENT STEARNS WEAVER MILLER COVID-19 UPDATES
About Stearns Weaver Miller
  
Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson is a full service law firm with offices in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Tallahassee, and Coral Gables, Florida. We offer multidisciplinary solutions with a focus on Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Business Restructuring, Corporate & Securities, Government & Administrative, Labor & Employment, Real Estate, Real Estate Finance, Commercial Finance and Loan Restructuring & Workouts, Land Development, Zoning & Environmental, Marital & Family Law and Tax. For more information, please visit stearnsweaver.com.

  

The information provided in this update email does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; it is for general informational purposes only. Information in this email may quickly become outdated. Readers of this email should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular matter. No one should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information in this email without first seeking legal advice from counsel. Only your attorney can provide assurance that the information contained in this email, as well as the reader's interpretation of that information, is appropriate to any particular situation.