Downtown Tampa Businesses Receive 5K Grants

• Author: Jacob Greene
• Posted: 2024-07-27

When the pandemic struck America in 2020, many people who had big plans for their businesses had to wait. In fact, over 80% of all small businesses were forced to close due to both federal and state-based mandates, and many of them never were able to open back up. Prior to the pandemic, there was a business boom going on in downtown Tampa, Florida, where businesses were having the outsides of their restaurants and store-front shops renovated. This was not only increasing the value of these businesses, but also their reputations as professional establishments. COVID put a halt to all of that, but Tampa is now issuing grants for $5,000 to qualified area businesses for exterior renovations.

For many businesses, this is unfortunately too little, too late. There were hundreds of once-thriving businesses in the Tampa area that qualified for COVID relief grants just to stay afloat, but unfortunately they did not meet the criteria needed for help. As with most of America's business grants, a business not only had to be struggling but also needed to be minority-owned or in a downtrodden, economically disenfranchised community to receive grant assistance. For most of Tampa's businesses that closed down, they did not fit that bill.

However, for the businesses that were lucky enough to open back up, these new proposed grants for exterior renovations might be exactly what they need to really spruce things back up and get customers excited about doing business once again. One of the things that business owners appreciate about these rounds of grants is that they're specifically for the businesses that fell on hard times during the pandemic. So, for business that have already received grants to save their operations, and for businesses that operated as essential during the pandemic, they are unlikely to qualify for or receive grant funds.

These grants are available through the Tampa Downtown Partnership, which is a private group that lends its aid to the area to help improve the general business atmosphere in Tampa. According to the private group, they are awarding $5,000 in grants for "street level repairs" for the exteriors of some businesses. These grants, even if they could be used for payroll and supplies, etc, would likely not be enough to cover such expenses.

The thinking behind this is that these $5,000 grants impact more than just the businesses that receive them. Sure, it's a big boost for an establishment that is awarded the $5k to do some repairs, but it's also a boon for the local businesses who will be hired to handle the job. So, in essence, the money given to these businesses will be spread around the area, and giving a grant to one business will actually touch two or more to ensure that the money makes its way through the local economy.

The stipulations for these grants, other than having to show how the hardships of COVID have negatively affected them, include also being a street level (ground floor) business. If there's a business somewhere on the 4th floor of an office building, the business is obviously ineligible to receive the grant money. Another stipulation for the grant money also includes businesses that already have the permits and permissions to have construction work done on their property. So, these grants are not given on spec, with the promise that a business will put the five grand toward exterior repairs. Instead, the private group is making sure that these businesses are already permitted and ready to make such repairs.

Tampa Momentum May be Short-Lived

The fact of the matter here is that these projects may be shut down before they get started. Though it's certainly not written in stone at this moment, Joe Biden and his administration are undoubtedly looking to close the nation up again, just like in the earlier parts of 2020. Only this time, governors like DeSantis will not be able to override the order(s). If President Joe Biden acts, it's going to be through an executive mandate for all 50 states, and legally speaking all states will have to shut down and abide the order, at least until it goes through the courts. Though, regardless, the order will stick if given initially.

What this means is that even if a Florida business has a permit for construction on their business, the federal government could easily deem these projects as nonessential and have them shut down. SO, if Floridians want to make the most out of these grants, they need to act quickly.