Florida Chamber COVID-19 Membership Update: March 19, 2020

March 19, 2020

A Message from the Florida Chamber: COVID-19 Update

Yesterday, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee, proposed a $300 billion relief package to aid small businesses.

“The goal is to keep employees connected to their employers,” Senator Rubio said as he unveiled the plan .

During a call with Senator Rubio’s office, the Florida Chamber learned that the relief package plan will likely target all employers with less than 500 employees. This will help Florida’s small businesses who employ more than 6.4 million Floridians.

Florida Chamber Chief Economist Dr. Jerry Parrish has developed maps to show the number of businesses in each county that will likely qualify. This is important information for Florida Chamber members, and therefore we’re sharing Dr. Parrish’s information with you.

The Rescue Businesses Act of 2020 will provide federally guaranteed loans through approved banks for about six to eight weeks for employers to use for payroll and other typical expenses to stay afloat.

As you know additional congressional relief efforts are underway and those details and more are highlighted in today’s COVID-19 Membership Update.

Please share this message with other business leaders, and encourage them to sign-up to receive their personal copy, and remember you can always get the latest updates from the Florida Chamber's COVID-19 Resource Center.

Have questions or want to share information, contact our COVID-19 point of contact Greg Blose at gblose@flchamber.com.

My Best,

Mark Wilson

President and CEO

Economic Relief

Business Response

Florida’s Farmers Helping to

Sustain America’s Food Supply

In addition to citrus, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates, Florida is the second largest producer of fresh vegetables in the United States, including fresh broccoli, lettuce, sweet corn, radishes, and green beans. Here is what Florida farmers and ranchers provide our national food supply:

Florida citrus accounts for 56 percent of the total U.S. citrus production
Florida is the second leading provider of fresh-market snap beans, which are grown in Alachua, Dade, Hendry and Palm Beach counties
Florida produces 280.8 million pounds of cucumbers annually
Florida is also home to many cattle and dairy farms:
Beef cows: 882,355
Dairy cows: 125,055
Annually, Florida produces 1.2 million tons of rice
Florida farmers produce 15.7 million tons of sugarcane for sugar, which is used in many food and drink products
In total, Florida farmers harvest 245,375 acres of fresh vegetables, making them a top 10 state for production

Sources: USDA , FarmFlavor

In South Florida alone, farmers produce enough food to feed nearly 180 million Americans. Here’s a breakdown of what is grown by South Florida farmers:

Sweet Corn – enough to feed more than 16.5 million people
Sugar—25 percent of America’s sugar production
Rice – enough to feed 25 million people
Lettuce – enough to make 1 billion salads
Cabbage – enough for 250 million servings of coleslaw
Fresh Green Beans – enough for 350 million servings
Celery – enough for more than 120 million stalks

Source: Florida Farm Bureau estimate

Thank a farmer today.

Share Your Story : Businesses of all sizes and sectors are stepping up to address this crisis. Share your company’s story by emailing Christi McCray at cristimccray@flchamber.com .

Top Stories

COVID-19: Number of Cases in Florida

Data Source: Florida Department of Health’s COVID-19 Dashboard

SBA Disaster Assistance Available for Florida Small Businesses

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced that small businesses located in Florida adversely impacted by COVID-19 can now apply for disaster loans. For small businesses, small ag cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations, the SBA is offering Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs. SBA Resource Partners info can be obtained from the SBA website at: www.sba.gov/local-assistance/find/ .

Field Hospitals Being Deployed to Florida

The Florida Division of Emergency Management announced Florida will be receiving field hospitals to combat the outbreak of COVID-19. One will be in Broward, one in Orlando, and one in Ocala. More here .

Public Schools

Closed Until April 15

Governor Ron DeSantis announced all K-12 public schools will be

closed until April 15. DeSantis

also announced the cancellation of standardized testing for this

academic year. More here .

Trump Signs Off on Coronavirus Aid Bill

The Senate on Wednesday approved a House-passed measure to provide help for families impacted by the coronavirus and President Trump signed the measure on Wednesday night. More here .

$1 Trillion Spending

Package Proposal

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Wednesday unveiled to GOP senators a plan to spend $250 billion in direct payments to Americans this spring. An outline of the new package calls for a total of $1 trillion in spending, which would also include %50 billion for secured loans or loan guarantees for other parts of the economy. More here .

POTUS Invokes Defense Production Act

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday his administration is invoking the Defense Production Act, ensuring the private sector can ramp-up manufacturing and distribution of emergency medical supplies and equipment. More here .

American Manufacturers Agree on Precautionary Measures

Early this week, major American automobile manufacturers agreed on implementing new precautionary measures for their employees in an attempt to continue factory production during the coronavirus outbreak. Unfortunately for Fiat Chrysler, one employee tested positive for COVID-19, and entire factory is shut down. More here .

99% of Italians Who

Died From COVID-19

Had Other Illnesses

According to a new study from Italy’s national health authority, 99% of Italian coronavirus fatalities had previous medical illnesses.

More here .

Florida Chamber of Commerce www.FloridaChamber.com/Coronavirus