WASHINGTON – Congressman Vern Buchanan today sent a letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis applauding the announcement that his administration will soon begin disbursing unused coronavirus relief funds to Florida counties and requesting a significant portion to be directed to Manatee and Sarasota counties, which have been hit hard by the deadly coronavirus.
“Manatee and Sarasota counties have been severely impacted by coronavirus and continue to deal with the devastating health and economic effects of the virus,” Buchanan said. “This funding is desperately needed in our community to help keep residents safe and ease the significant economic burden that our local governments are facing due to coronavirus.”
Buchanan noted that of the Florida counties that have not yet received any federal funding in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Manatee and Sarasota Counties have the first and second highest number of coronavirus deaths, according to data published by the Florida Department of Health. Twelve counties in Florida have already received a total of more than $2.4 billion in coronavirus relief funds directly from the federal government, including counties with far fewer coronavirus cases and deaths than Manatee and Sarasota.
Gov. DeSantis announced on Wednesday that the Florida Division of Emergency Management will begin distributing more than $1.2 billion in federal coronavirus relief funding to smaller counties across Florida. Under the CARES Act passed by Congress in March, a county or city must have at least 500,000 people to be eligible for direct financial assistance related to coronavirus.
Local governments with populations below that threshold, including Manatee and Sarasota, are dependent on the state government to disburse those funds. Hillsborough County, part of which is represented by Buchanan, has a population of 1.4 million and qualifies for direct federal aid.
In his letter, Buchanan noted that “The funding provided to states and local governments under the CARES Act can be used in a wide variety of ways including the purchase and distribution of personal protective equipment and medical supplies for first responders and front-line health care workers, increased testing, COVID-19-related expenses of public hospitals and health clinics, as well as for food delivery to area residents, including seniors and other vulnerable populations.”
According to the Florida Department of Health Manatee County has 1,236 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 112 deaths while Sarasota County has 705 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 88 deaths.
According to one economic forecast, the combined Sarasota-Manatee economy is facing the possibility of a massive $2.3 billion economic slump over the next 90 days because of the coronavirus. StratoDem Analytics, an economic data firm located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, estimates Sarasota County’s GDP will decline by about 25 percent in the 2nd quarter of 2020 and for Manatee County, it is estimating a 28 percent GDP decline. Measured on a per household basis, that’s an $6,300 economic loss in Sarasota County and an $5,700 loss in Manatee County from April through June.
In April, Buchanan urged congressional leaders to lower the eligibility threshold for local governments to receive coronavirus assistance directly from the federal government in any future legislation passed by Congress.
Read the full text of the letter below:
Dear Governor DeSantis,
I applaud your announcement that your administration will soon begin disbursing unused coronavirus relief funds to Florida counties currently ineligible for direct federal aid and request that a significant portion of assistance be directed to Manatee and Sarasota counties, which have both been hit hard by the deadly coronavirus.
Manatee and Sarasota Counties have the first and second highest number of coronavirus deaths of all Florida counties that have not yet received any federal funding in response to the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Florida Department of Health Manatee County has 1,236 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 112 deaths while Sarasota County has 705 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 88 deaths.
These two counties are still trying to cope with high COVID-19 caseloads, rising costs and significant revenue losses. Manatee and Sarasota, are under the population threshold of 500,000, and were not eligible for direct coronavirus relief funds, even though then have two of the highest rates of coronavirus deaths of any Florida county.
This relief funding is a much-needed lifeline to these severely impacted counties. The funding provided to states and local governments under the CARES Act can be used in a wide variety of ways including the purchase and distribution of personal protective equipment and medical supplies for first responders and front-line health care workers, increased testing, COVID-19-related expenses of public hospitals and health clinics, as well as for food delivery to area residents, including seniors and other vulnerable populations.
According to one economic forecast, the combined Sarasota-Manatee economy is facing the possibility of a massive $2.3 billion economic slump over the next 90 days because of the coronavirus. StratoDem Analytics, an economic data firm located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, estimates Sarasota County’s GDP will decline by about 25 percent in the 2nd quarter of 2020 and for Manatee County, it is estimating a 28 percent GDP decline. Measured on a per household basis, that’s an $6,300 economic loss in Sarasota County and an $5,700 loss in Manatee County from April through June.
These two counties need the resources to be able to keep their residents safe and to help our local communities impacted by the deadly pandemic. We need to do everything we can to help Floridians and out state recover as soon as possible.
Again I urge you to prioritize coronavirus relief funding for Manatee and Sarasota counties and look forward to your prompt response on this very important issue.
