Jacksonville FL — This week, St. Johns County Commissioners approved the first phase of CARES act funding that will be used for coronavirus related expenditures. The county says the $29.5 million of $46 million that has been allocated to them will be focused on small business recovery, resident assistance and non-profit organizations.
$10 million will be applied to the Back to Business Grant Program which launched in May to help short-term assistance to businesses within the county that were financially impacted due to the virus. The county says the additional money will go towards expanding the program and decrease the criteria needed to apply which will help out more businesses.
The county says $3 million will be going towards individual resident assistance programs that will help with mortgage payments, rent and other personal expenses allowing people to stay in their homes. Another $5 million will go towards nonprofit agencies that have suffered due to the pandemic. The county says they will begin to actively solicit proposals from nonprofits for that $5 million.
$2.5 million will be going towards expanded contact tracing and 1.5 million will be allocated for social distancing and decontamination efforts.
The deputy county administrator says the cities of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach made requests to the county on their coronavirus related expenses and both cites will be receiving money for those requests. St. Augustine will get $1.5 million and St. Augustine Beach will receive $125,000.
Commissioner James Johns says the funds are audited and the county has to submit documents to prove that the money was spent properly.
“It’s not free money that we’re just giving out like candy.” Commissioner Johns says.
The county says all the funds are subject to a vetting process to make sure the money spent follows local, state and federal regulations.
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