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July 2022

The City of Miami Beach Economic Development Department is pleased to provide you with this monthly business newsletter that includes the latest information and resources available for our business community.

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The City of Miami Beach Economic Development Unveils New Campaign

The City of Miami Beach Business Newsletter has a new look! After a comprehensive marketing and media campaign, to attract local, regional and national businesses, entrepreneurs, and talent, meet the Make a Bold Move campaign. The promotion focuses on marketing Miami Beach to companies, of all sizes, as a top destination that caters to the evolving lifestyle expectations of employees and the work/life balance experience.

Click here to learn more.

MB BIZ BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Meet Harry's Pizzeria

The creation of James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz, Harry’s Pizzeria marks a return of the nationally recognized chef to the Miami Beach culinary community with his South Beach eatery in the heart of the Civic Center and Lincoln Road neighborhood. Schwartz dishes on his Miami Beach venture here.

BUSINESS & WORKFORCE TRAINING

Miami Beach Business Academy

Upcoming Seminars

Growth Strategy and Analysis

August 2 and August 25

Do you feel like you’ve reached a plateau in your business? Do you want to keep growing your business but don’t know if it’s sustainable? Learn strategies to help you grow your business effectively and sustainably step by step.

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY AVAILABLE

Looking for retail space? Consider this South Beach location at 1000 17 St or this corner space in the heart of Mid Beach at 3801 Collins Ave. If North Beach is on your list consider this location at 7305 Collins Ave.

To view other available properties, click here.

RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES

Over 16,000 free online training courses available from LinkedIn Learning with Miami-Dade Library Card

In 2015, LinkedIn announced that it was acquiring online learning company, Lynda.com and its comprehensive catalogue of high-quality online courses, then available only to paid members. In 2019, LinkedIn discontinued Lynda.com and migrated its content to LinkedIn Learning, which Miami-Dade Public Library patrons can now use, at no cost, to access more than 16,000 online courses on a vast array of career and professional development topics.

To learn more click here.

Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce Small Business Meet-up

With the rapid pace of things changing for small businesses, the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce invites you to meet other business owners, talk strategy, and get the latest on COVID-19 recovery. Events are held every Tuesday and Friday at 4 p.m. via Zoom.

Click here to register.

Gale Business: DemographicsNow Gives Small Business Owners a Powerful and Easy Way to Conduct Market Research

A powerful online resource, Gale Business: DemographicsNow connects users with a wealth of highly detailed demographic data on more than 24 million U.S. businesses and 206 million consumers—making it ideal for gaining consumer and market insight.

The product's superior reporting capability enables users to easily and rapidly produce a variety of compiled reports—both standard and custom—to help make informed and accurate decisions.

Click here to learn more.

SBA Lender Match Connects You to Lenders

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps small businesses get funding by setting guidelines for loans and reducing lender risk. These SBA-backed loans make it easier for small businesses to get the funding they need.

In order to get an SBA-backed loan:

Visit our Loans page to find the loan that best suits your need
Enter your Zip Code on Lender Match to find a lender in your area
Apply for a loan through your local lender
Lenders will approve and help you manage your loan

Click here to learn more.

Wish Local Still Accepting Empowerment Program Grant Program Applications

Black-owned businesses can still apply for Wish Local’s Empowerment Program, which rewards selected applicants with grants ranging from $500 to $2,000 to help sustain and grow their small business.

To be eligible, small businesses must:

Be Black-owned (18+ years of age)
Have a brick-and-mortar store in the United States
Have 20 or fewer employees
Have an average annual revenue under $1 million
Join Wish Local, if selected for the program

Click here to apply.

LOCAL EVENTS

City of Miami Beach

Weekly Meetings

Stay up to date on all of our upcoming meetings. From Commission meetings to committee meetings, please click here for a full list with links to participate.

ADA Celebration & Expo

July 26, 2022

11 AM to 2 PM

Please join the City of Miami Beach and our Disability Access Committee as we celebrate the 32nd Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Learn about a variety of community programs, ADA access features, city initiatives as well as accessibility and inclusion solutions for businesses.

Exhibitors include several city services (Parks & Rec, Police, ADA Coordinator, etc.), Center for Independent Living and the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce.

This event will take place on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 from 11 AM to 2 PM at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden located on 2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL, 33139.

Refreshments will be generously provided by Starbucks.

Miami Beach Convention Center

The Florida International Medical Expo - FIME 2022

July 27 - 29, 2022

The premier health care exhibition destination for all things medical with more than 700 exhibitors with and products ranging from rubber gloves to robotics. Visit the Innovation and Technology Hub, and the Healthcare Transformation Zone with nonstop events, such as the Innov8 start-up competition, product showcases and keynotes by international industry experts and healthcare influencers. Plus, complimentary educational opportunities, talks and conferences. Network with investors, manufacturers, distributors, VIP’s, and trade representatives from over 118 countries. Stop by the City of Miami Beach's Booth #V65 to meet city representatives. Stop by the Transformation Zone at 4:15pm on July 27, 2022 to hear the city's Director of Economic Development, Rickelle Williams, and Beacon Council Executive Vice President, James Kohnstamn, discuss Make A Bold Move – Business Opportunities, Incentives & Solutions.

Ambetter Classic

August 4 - 7, 2022

The Ambetter Classic will serve as the premier basketball tournament for all youth travel teams to finish their season. It will feature some of the top teams from the southeastern region and across the US. Teams will play in front of national media and gain invaluable exposure in a non-certified event.

For more information visit here.

BUSINESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

Miami Beach Emergency Small Business Expense Reimbursement Grant — Funding Still Available

Small businesses in Miami Beach are encouraged to apply for a $20,000 emergency grant to cover rent, mortgage, utilities, payroll and operating expenses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The grants are awarded on a first-come, first-qualified basis. Interested businesses may apply here.

Miami Beach Expedited Plan Review and Permitting Incentive Program

The City of Miami Beach is committed to diversifying the local economy by attracting and retaining companies in targeted industries like, financial services and technology.

As part of this effort, the city is also offering an Expedited Plan Review and Permitting Program to incentivize targeted relocations, including expansions and associated development for companies.

Click here to review full program guidelines.

Miami Beach Film & Production Incentive Program

Making movies and other film projects in Miami Beach has never been easier! A new incentive program brings new guidelines, and fewer restrictions.

To review program guidelines and apply, click here.

Miami Beach Job Creation Incentive Program

The City of Miami Beach is offering the Job Creation Incentive Program (JCIP), a performance-based incentive adopted by the City Commission. The program aims to strategically attract new financial service companies and technology firms while helping existing businesses expand in Miami Beach to increase the number of high-wage jobs.

Click here for more info and application details.

How to Apply for a Business Tax Receipt and a Certificate of Use

The choices you make affect your business operations, taxes, legal requirements, and revenue. View what you need to operate a business in Miami Beach here.

Plastic Free Miami Beach

PlasticFreeMB showcases businesses that have taken action to reduce plastics from their establishment and to help organizations learn and implement best practices in the area of environmental stewardship.

It takes more than 100 years for plastic to disintegrate. Learn why and how we're combating single-use plastic here. Interested businesses can register here.

Pop-Up Venue Permit

Pop-up venues are temporary retail spaces that can be used to promote and sell products of all types, ranging from food and beverages, clothing or unique gifts. The concept has the potential for low overhead, low risk and is a great way to introduce yourself to the market, generate buzz, increase sales and extend the reach and exposure of your business. To apply for a City of Miami Beach Pop-Up Venue permit click here.

Miami Beach Vacant Storefront Cover Program

The City of Miami Beach relaunched the Vacant Storefront Cover Program in a continued effort to improve the appearance of vacant, street-level commercial buildings and support the lease-up of retail spaces throughout the city.

First unveiled in 2019, this initiative supports property owners, brokers, realtors and property managers by wrapping vacant storefront windows free of charge with one of five artistic designs preapproved by the city.

Click here to learn more about the program and how to get started. Interested brokers, realtors, property owners and managers should apply here and email the completed application to Mbbiz@miamibeachfl.gov.

PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Become A Registered City of Miami Beach Vendor

The city has finalized the transition to a new financial software system. One of the many new features now available is our online Vendor Self-Service webpage, allowing city vendors to easily update contacts, attachments (W-9) and commodity information. The Vendor Self-Service (VSS) webpage will also provide you with purchase orders and payment information.

Click here to register

Looking for Bid Opportunities?

If you would like to be notified of available competitive solicitations released by the City of Miami Beach, you must register your company through Periscope S2G, Supplier-to-Government by clicking here.

Registration is easy and will take only a few minutes. Refer to the guide for instructions on how to register and submit an electronic bid here.

COVID-19 TESTING & VACCINATIONS

COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination Site Near City Hall

Nomi Health continues to operate the testing and vaccination site located on the first floor of the Pennsylvania Garage (G9) at 17 Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. The site operates seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with no appointment necessary. Vaccines are administered until 5 p.m., while testing continues until 6 p.m.

The site is also administering the COVID-19 vaccine for ages 6 months+ and offering single booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to those eligible to receive them.

Nomi Health has opened an additional walk-up testing site at 8400 Collins Ave for ages 5 and up. This location also operates seven days a week from 8 a.m.to 6 p.m. with no appointment necessary. It offers both rapid and PCR tests.

Click here for more information.

Hurricane Preparedness for Small Businesses

A Business Emergency Response Team training program can support and enhance your capabilities in an emergency situation. BERT volunteers can participate in efforts to increase the preparedness and resilience of the workplace and community. A BERT program equips employees with skills that enable them to perform basic disaster response operations in an emergency. Having trained volunteers on staff helps protect the health, safety, and lives of people at your workplace. Volunteers are trained using the FEMA Community Emergency Response Team basic Training curriculum.

Ready.gov provides excellent resources for developing preparedness plans. You can find these resources listed under “Ready Business."

Visit MBBIZ.com or contact the Economic Development team here for more information on resources, finding the perfect location(s) for your business expansion or sharing ideas for future topics.

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

Missed a prior edition? Check out previous newsletters and business spotlight stories here.