PBS and NPR for Southwest Florida
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

COVID-19 Relief Funds Now Available for Lee Residents

President Donald J. Trump’s signature is seen on H.R. 748, the CARES Act, the $2.2 trillion assistance package to help American workers, small businesses and industries crippled by the economic disruption caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Shealah Craighead
/
Flickr.com/photos/whitehouse
President Donald J. Trump’s signature is seen on H.R. 748, the CARES Act, the $2.2 trillion assistance package to help American workers, small businesses and industries crippled by the economic disruption caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Lee County officials are investing $57.5 million of federal CARES Act money to provide financial relief to local residents and small businesses impacted by COVID-19.

The LeeCares initiative aims to get federal relief funds into the hands of those who have been affected financially by business closures resulting from the pandemic.

Small businesses and nonprofit organizations based in Lee County with 25 employees or less can apply for $5,000 relaunch grants. The funds are to reimburse the cost of business interruptions caused by COVID-19-related closures.

The county initiative also allocates money to provide small businesses with personal protective equipment like surgical masks and hand sanitizer.

Lee County residents who have been financially derailed by the Safer-at-Home order can also apply for up to $2,000 in individual assistance for things like rent, mortgage and utility payments.

Applications open May 26, 2020 and county officials have said funds will be distributed until they run out.

Andrea Perdomo is a reporter for WGCU News. She started her career in public radio as an intern for the Miami-based NPR station, WLRN. Andrea graduated from Florida International University, where she was a contributing writer for the student-run newspaper, The Panther Press, and was also a member of the university's Society of Professional Journalists chapter.