November 2020
Pinellas: Residents, businesses can apply for more COVID-19 help
Pinellas CARES Programs offer rent, mortgage and utilities assistance for individuals and grants for small businesses impacted by COVID-19. Applicants may be eligible for additional assistance even if they’ve received help before. Additionally, $2 million in Pinellas CARES funding is supporting new training programs for local workers who lost their job due to COVID-19 through a new CareerSource Pinellas program. The PinellasWorks programs provide on-the-job training opportunities, direct job placement, short-term occupational skills training certifications and other services. The program also offers qualifying businesses 100 percent reimbursement for costs of training new employees.

For more information, visit www.careersourcepinellas.com/pinellasworks. 
Details about all Pinellas CARES programs can be found at: http://cares.pinellas.gov and the direct link for CARES business programs is pced.org/cares. 

Helpful links:
VOTE: Election Day is November 3
Find all the official information at VotePinellas.com. Make your vote count.
$25 million SPRINT Challenge announced in St. Petersburg
On Oct. 14, the Secretary of State chose St. Petersburg to announce the SPRINT Challenge, a $25 million national competition that seeks projects to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic and future pandemics. Projects proposals may include, scaling innovative biotechnology, health security, and supply chain technologies and solutions to market; increasing regional, national, and government connectivity across innovation clusters to support commercialization and entrepreneurship; developing new and unique investment capital models to address the financial needs of entrepreneurs; or developing and scaling innovative entrepreneurship support models to address the virtual and remote work environment of the pandemic. The deadline to apply for the Challenge is Dec. 3, 2020. Learn more at https://eda.gov/oie/sprint/ and read more about the announcement in St. Pete Catalyst.
Tampa Bay Innovation Center: B2B Accelerator and TECH Talk
B2B Accelerator
The Tampa Bay Innovation Center is now accepting applications to its Accelerator program. Don't miss the chance to apply to the 12-week, cohort-based high impact Accelerator focused on product-market fit and scaling. Tech startups may apply through Nov. 27.
  
To learn more about the program, acceptance criteria and to apply visit https://tbinnovates.com/accelerator.  

TECH Talk: Building a Powerful Tech Team in Tampa Bay presented by Paresh Patel, chairman & CEO, HCI Group Inc. - Nov. 17, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Paresh Patel, Chairman/CEO of Tampa-based insurance company HCI Group, Inc., has led the creation of one of the nation’s fastest-growing “insurtech” companies, HCI subsidiary TypTap Insurance. Hear how HCI has pulled this off, with Patel offering tips for entrepreneurs who are looking to develop that next great technology company right here in Tampa Bay. Learn more and register at https://tbinnovates.com/tech-talk.
News from the Florida Small Business Development Center at Pinellas County
Ohana Café
Learn how FSBDC clients Teresa and Phillipe Ohana utilized the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, Pinellas County's CARES Local Business Grant program, and the assistance of the FSBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development to keep their business, Ohana Café, going through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pinellas County Economic Development | (727) 464-7332 | econdev@pinellascounty.org
13805 58 St. N., Suite 1-200 | Clearwater, FL 33760