$900 billion COVID relief package includes help for the unemployed, small businesses in Tampa Bay

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – The $900 billion COVID-19 relief package approved by Congress that awaits President Trump’s signature should provide economic assistance for small businesses and unemployed Floridians in Tampa Bay.

The second biggest stimulus bill in U.S. history includes a new round of up to $600 stimulus checks that Americans could start receiving next week.

Democratic lawmakers are already talking about another round of relief after President-elect Joe Biden takes office in January.

After losing her retail job with Dollar General early in the coronavirus pandemic, Betty Patterson from Lakeland filed for unemployment with Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity.

“It took a minute to go through quickly,” she said sarcastically, “but it went through, I got my payments on time. They still owe me three weeks of back pay.”

Patterson told 8 On Your Side she received an additional $600 a week after Congress passed the CARES Act in late March.

“It saved us to say the least,” she said.

But that enhanced federal benefit for millions of Americans struggling to find work ran out at the end of July.

Paterson found a temporary job with the census, but now she’s having no luck finding a new opportunity.

“I’m actively looking for work every day online submitting applications,” she said. “I get no response.”

The new round of unemployment relief from the federal government is less than before.

“$300 unemployment supplement or federal supplement is not enough,” said Vanessa Brito, a community activist from South Florida.

Brito said she’s helped guide and interacted on social media with about 280,000 Floridians trying to navigate through Florida’s unemployment system that was overwhelmed with the surge in claims last spring. She said she believes that system needs a major overhaul.

“I see this as almost like bridge bill that will get us through the next couple of weeks,” Brito said of the federal relief that offers benefits for 11 weeks until March.

Patterson said the stimulus bill could have been a Christmas miracle if lawmakers on Capitol Hill didn’t wait until now to pass it.

“I think they’re timing is a little bit off,” she said. “If they agreed to this a few weeks ago it would be a Christmas miracle. It would have come in time for all of us Americans to be able to pay our bills and have a little bit of a better Christmas than was anticipated.”

Kelly Hawaii and her husband are the only two employees at Lufka Refillables Zero Waste.

“Every paycheck we get we put it right back into our business,” she said.

Hawaii said they saved up to recently open a second store for customers in South Tampa on Bay to Bay Boulevard.

“We offer people alternatives and solutions to help them live a healthier lifestyle and also reduce their single use plastic and waste in general,” she said.

At this point in the pandemic, Hawaii tells 8 On Your Side there are still fewer customers coming to shop for eco-friendly bath, body and kitchen cleaning products at the new store and the original location in Seminole Heights.

“The whole premise of our business is that people come in here they refill those products to really help reduce their waste,” she explained.

Hawaii said she attempted to receive help after Congress approved the first round of relief for small businesses in the CARES Act.

“We tried to apply three times and three times we were denied and I’m guessing its because we’re such a small business we only have two employees,” Hawaii told 8 On Your Side.

Rep. Kath Castor (D-14) said lawmakers learned lessons from the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) in the previous coronavirus stimulus package.

“A lot of the larger businesses had these preexisting relationships with their lenders and community banks and it was very hard for a truly small business to access those funds so what we’ve done in this emergency aid packge is target a lot of those dollars to the truly small businesses,” Rep. Castor said on a Zoom call with reporters Tuesday.

Hawaii told 8 On Your Side accessing that assistance would be a blessing for her and her friends who own small businesses.

“I know there a lot of people who are in the same boat we’re in and we’re just hoping this time we’ll qualify,” she said.