The county of Palm Beach approved last Tuesday, unanimously, a fund $250,000 to help businesses that have been without customers for more than a week after the accident down Learjet and Military Trail– Each eligible business can apply for a one-time grant of up to $5,000 through the Military Trail Business Interruption Grant Program.
Applications opened Thursday, the day after the Veterans Day holiday, and are processed on a first-come, first-served basis until the available budget is exhausted.
The affected corridor covers Military Trail from Broadway Street in the south to Kelly Drive and Sussex Avenue in the north, where more than 80 businesses—many Latino-owned—have remained closed or with severely restricted access since Learjet 60 crashed into the entrance to the Green Acres Mobile Home Community on Nov. 1, leaving nine people dead.
Among those businesses is the spa of a Cuban businesswoman whose premises were just ten meters from the point of impact. She herself reported it days after the accident: «Literally, the plane fell ten meters further to the side and fell on top of the spa. I, in fact, had to be there early because we are doing some renovations on the premises. Thank God, the weather didn’t let us leave the house, because I was going there with my mother, my father and my child.
Your business, located within the county-bound corridor, may qualify for assistance.
The commissioner of District 3, Joel Floresexplained that the program was born from an avalanche of calls from desperate owners: «We have received hundreds of calls about when we are going to reopen. We have employees, we have people who need to be paid and who are not getting paid. “They are family businesses, and we want to make sure we take care of them.”
The losses reported by some owners illustrate the magnitude of the blow. Fathi Itayemowner of Hair Depot Beauty Supply, estimates about $30,000 in lost revenue and acknowledges that the grant “helps a little bit, but it doesn’t really cover much.”
Hector Sanchezfrom Sign Connection USA, estimates losses of about $10,000—a single vehicle wrap can generate between $3,000 and $5,000—and awaits without a reopening date: “We have to try to recover when they open.
“We don’t know when that will be.” Kim Winfrom Lovely Nails, sums up the situation with resignation: “It’s not much, but it still helps.”
To Eddie Riveraowner of Señor Lechón —a Puerto Rican restaurant opened just three months before the accident with 15 employees in charge—, the $5,000 has a clear destination: “That at least helps for half of the payroll, so that we can help them move forward, because I have employees who also have bills to pay.”
To apply for assistance, businesses must submit a signed application, W-9 form, most recent tax return, proof of address, photo identification, business registration and proof of business license, and register as a county supplier.
The funds cover rent or mortgage, payroll, utilities and essential inventory, but not personal expenses, expansion or items already covered by insurance or other assistance. The amount is calculated based on the business’s last tax return, assuming 30 days of interruption.
The information is available in the Department of Housing and Economic Development site of the county. For inquiries, contact Meri Weymer: [email protected] o 561-233-3675.
At the close of this edition, Military Trail There was still no date for a complete reopening between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane, pending the Florida Department of Transportation to begin repairs to the crater left by the impact.
Source: www.cibercuba.com
