PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — 60-million dollars all meant to help local businesses in need.
"Wow that's amazing," Michelle Lefkowitz said. That our county is stepping up that way, that our community leaders decided to invest that money into small businesses."
Lefkowitz and her husband own Salute Market in Palm Beach Gardens. They're grateful for the opportunity.
Palm Beach County received $260 million through the CARES Act. $60 million of that money is available for businesses big and small through the county's Business Restart Grants Program.
The application process opens Friday at 8 a.m.
"We went through the checklist again to make sure we have everything. Because the first come first serve is going to make it a bit challenging," Michelle said.
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The money is broken up into two categories. $50 million for businesses with 25 or fewer employees. The max payout for this division is $25,000. The Business Development Board said applicants need to provide a completed application, tax returns and payroll report, and a county business tax receipt plus a copy of their registered business on Sunbiz.org. The remaining $10 million is for companies with 25 or more employees. Again, the max payout is $25,000.
"So I'm absolutely happy about the grant money because it seems like I wasn't eligible for the federal grant money." Ryan Jaeger said.
He owns Vintage Craft Barbershop. He said he's lucky to weather the storm and hoped this opportunity comes through.
"Everybody was kind of blindsided by this whole situation and I'm happy they're helping out our communities," he said.
The county's Business Restart Grants Program ends June 12.