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HomeMy WebLinkAboutExhibit ARESOLUTION NO. 036/2021 A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE MIAMI DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA ("MIAMI DDA") ESTABLISHING A FLAGLER RECOVERY GRANT PROGRAM ("PROGRAM") TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO SMALL BUSINESSES NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY COVID-19 WITHIN THE FLAGLER STREET BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT'S IMPACT ZONE; ALLOCATING AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ($300,000.00) ("ALLOCATION") TO THE PROGRAM; RETROACTIVELY RATIFYING, CONFIRMING, APPROVING, AND AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO ISSUE GRANTS IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($5,000.00) PER ELIGIBLE BUSINESS UPON APPROVAL OF SATISFACTORY DOCUMENTATION; RETROACTIVELY RATIFYING, CONFIRMING, APPROVING, AND AUTHORIZING THE PROGRAM'S GUIDELINES, IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE ATTACHED FORM, PURSUANT TO ESTABLISHED GUIDELINES, GRANT FUND AVAILABILITY, AND MIAMI DDA BUDGET APPROVAL. WHEREAS, the Miami Downtown Development Authority of the City of Miami, Florida's ("Miami DDA") 2025 Downtown Miami Master Plan calls for the promotion of clean, safe, and active retail corridors in Action Items 1.2 - "Grow & attract business enterprises and catalytic national retailers;" 3.1 - "Elevate Brickell Avenue to Iconic Status;" 3.5- "Activate Biscayne Boulevard and Brickell Avenue with Ground Floor/Outdoor Dining and Retail;" and 4.6 - "Enhance basic community services"; and WHEREAS, the Miami DDA provides funding for property incentive grant programs within the Miami DDA's boundaries; and WHEREAS, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 ("COVID-19") a pandemic; and WHEREAS, to help curb the spread ofCOVID-19, on March 12, 2020, the City of Miami ("City") declared a State of Local Emergency resulting in the closure of non -essential businesses and stay at home orders; and WHEREAS, during March 2020, Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis issued several Executive Orders restricting non -essential local businesses within the City and Miami DDA area, restrictions that specifically and uniquely affected numerous small businesses; and WHEREAS, the public health emergency caused by COVID-19 has also had an immediate and serious economic impact on the hospitality and tourism industry which led to a significant decline of tourists and business visitors in the City and, particularly, in Downtown Miami; and WHEREAS, closures of the office buildings left streets of Downtown deserted and businesses without any customers; and WHEREAS, unbale to sustain sales, small businesses had to lay off increasingly large number of employees; and WHEREAS, consequently, due to loss of customers and employees and a sharp decline in revenue, many small businesses faced a dire threat to their survival and many were forced to shut down; and WHEREAS, the COVD-19 pandemic has left Downtown small business community financially devastated; and WHEREAS, as soon as the re -opening of the City had started and post-COVID-19 recovery efforts had begun, a major construction project has begun on Flagler Street which is the heart of the Downtown District; and WHEREAS, On May 3, 2021, the City of Miami's Office of Capital Improvements, in partnership with the Miami DDA, started the Downtown Flagler Street Beautification Project ("Flagler Project") which eventually will transform Flagler Street into an iconic, festival -style boulevard, enhance its operations and activities, and improve the quality of life for the downtown residents; and WHEREAS, while the Flagler Project is on -going, it has temporarily reduced visibility and access to the ground level businesses within the construction zone which has resulted in a further decline of the revenues of affected small businesses; and WHEREAS, the Miami DDA recognizes the importance of business retention and seeks to mitigate the negative impacts of the Flagler Project on small businesses which continue to struggle through the post- COVID-19 recovery; and WHEREAS, the Miami DDA wishes to establish a Flagler Recovery Grant Program ("Program") to provide financial assistance to eligible small businesses within the Flagler Project's impact zone as defined by the Program's Guidelines; and WHEREAS, the Miami DDA's Board of Directors wishes to allocate three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000.00) ("Allocation") to the Program; and WHEREAS, the City of Miami has agreed to provide a matching contribution of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000.00) to the Program; and WHEREAS, the Executive Committee of the Miami DDA has reviewed the Program and recommends approval of the Program; and WHEREAS, each eligible small business shall receive an amount not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) from the Program; and WHEREAS, due to the immediate and emergency needs of all the eligible small businesses affected by the construction and the recent surge of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths affecting Florida residents, visitors, employees, and businesses, the Executive Director is requesting retroactive ratification, confirmation, approval, and authorization for the immediate disbursement of funds for the Program to eligible businesses within the Flagler Projects impact zone and the continued operation of the Program and disbursement of funds upon presentation of satisfactory documentation without further approval from the Board of Directors; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE MIAMI DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA: Section 1. The recitals are true and correct and are adopted by reference and incorporated as if fully set forth in this Section. Section 2. The Board of Director's hereby establishes the Program with funds in an amount not to exceed three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000.00) allocated to the Program to assist small businesses located within the Flagler Project's impact zone as defined by the Program's guidelines. Section 3. The Executive Director is retroactively ratified, confirmed, approved, and authorized to negotiate and execute any and all documents necessary to effectuate the Program, all in a form acceptable to the City Attorney. Section 4. The Executive Director is retroactively ratified, confirmed, approved, and authorized to disburse funds for the Program to eligible businesses within the Flagler Project's impact zone upon presentation of satisfactory documentation without further approval from the Board of Directors. Section 5. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon adoption. PASSED AND ADOPTED this 17th day of September, 2021. Commissioner Manolo yes. Chairman Christina Crespi, Executive Director ATTEST. Ivonne de la Vega Secretary to the Board of Directors M AM DDA DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Flagler Recovery Grant Program On May 3, 2021, the City of Miami's Office of Capital Improvements has started the Downtown Flagler Street Beautification Project (Flagler Project). The Flagler Project will transform Flagler Street into an iconic, festival -style boulevard, enhance its operations and activities, improve quality of life for the downtown residents and spur economic growth. Once the construction is complete, the road improvements will help small businesses prosper as part of a more resilient and vibrant community and thriving business ecosystem. For now, the Flagler Project has temporarily reduced visibility and access to the ground level businesses within construction zone. While businesses are still recovering from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Miami DDA recognizes that they need some extra assistance. As a part of the agency's business retention strategy, and construction mitigation efforts, the Miami DDA adopted a Flagler Recovery Grant Program to assist small businesses which continue to struggle through the post-COVD-19 recovery. The goal of the Program is to support healthy downtown business community and limit negative economic impact of the Flagler Project on small businesses withing construction impact zone. For the purpose of the Flagler Recovery Grant Program, the construction impact zone is defined as an area with complete street closures and includes the following sections: • Biscayne Blvd to NE 2nd Avenue along the Flagler Street corridor • Ne 3rd Avenue from NE 1st Street to Flagler Street • SE 3rd Avenue from SE 1st Street to Flagler Street Grant Amount & Eligible Expenses: Eligible small businesses may receive a grant in the amount of $5,000.00 to be used for the following business expenses: - Rent or mortgage payment - Utility bill(s) - Purchase of business equipment - Business marketing or advertisement - Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) or cleaning/disinfecting supplies Grant funds cannot be used for non -business -related expenses, private debts or legal costs. Grant recipients will be required to submit a proof of purchase(s) and payment(s) within the deadline provided by Miami DDA staff. Flagler Recovery Grants are limited to one per business. Each application will be reviewed for eligibility using the following criteria: Applicant must be an owner or authorized representative of business Business must be located on a ground level within construction impact zone Business must be open and operating Business must be established prior to May 3, 2021 M AM DDA DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Non -eligible: - Non -profits - National chain franchise businesses Application documentation: 1. Business entity formation document from Secretary of State (sunbiz.com) 2. Copy of a fully executed Rental Lease Agreement where the lease is in the applicant's name Application Review Process: Miami DDA will review applications submitted and funding will be received on a first -come, first - served basis. Applications will be reviewed by Miami DDA staff for completeness and eligibility. Grants will be awarded in the sole discretion of the Miami DDA based on the submission of the required documentation and the responses provided in the application. Miami DDA staff may contact the business' landlord for verification of information provided in the application or for assistance with collection of supporting documentation. Once Approved, the Applicant must: - Sign a Grant Acceptance Agreement - Fill out a completed W-9 (grant awards are reported as income per IRS) - provide a proof of business expenses paid within designated time Miami DDA may, but is not required to, provide a reason for the denial of an application. Submitting an application is not a guarantee of a grant award and the Miami DDA may terminate the Program at any time, for any reason, or when available funds are depleted. Applicant submittal checklist: o Verify that your business is within Flagler Construction Impact Zone (map attached) o Complete Application Online o Upload proof of business ownership (Division of Corporations, FL Department of State) o Certify commitment to Program guidelines o Upload current executed lease agreement under business's name Note: Pursuant to Chapter 112 of the Florida Statues, Miami DDA employees, directors, vendors, contractors and any of their relatives or business associates are not eligible to receive funding through the Program.