FOLLOW me on my popular Twitter feed. Just click this photo! @hbbtruth - David - Common sense on #Politics #PublicPolicy #Sports #PopCulture in USA, Great Britain, Sweden and France, via my life in #Texas #Memphis #Miami #IU #Chicago #DC #FL ๐Ÿ›ซ๐ŸŒ๐Ÿ“บ๐Ÿ“ฝ️๐Ÿˆ. Photo is of Elvis and Joan Blackman in 'Blue Hawaii'

Beautiful Stockholm at night, looking west towards Gamla Stan

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Info re interest-free loans avail. to businesses from the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program due to the #COVID19 #coronavirus pandemic, Update on closures in city via City of Hollywood’s Office of Communications, Marketing and Economic Development



After speaking to several longtime property owners, restauarnt and store owners/managers and stakeholders of businesses throughout Hollywood and Hallandale Beach, esp. in the Downtown Hollywood area, I had lots of thoughts, news, photos and harrowing anecdotes I had planned to share with you all about how #HollywoodFL and #HallandaleBeach are already being adversely affected financially by the #COVID19 #Coronavirus.

My intention had been to post some of that today, but following a hunch -my intuition is my strongest instinct- I went over to Hollywood City Hall this afternoon, after a short visit to the "Take-out only" McDonald's on Hollywood Blvd. near the Target and Publix on N. Park Road.


Well, it's a good thing I swung by City Hall when I did to scan the Sunshine Board outside of the City Clerk's office for news of upcoming meetings and announcements because while I was there, I found out that after closing tonight, Hollywood City Hall will be closed to the public until at least April 7th.




So in lieu of me sharing my news -that'll be in a few days- I'm now going to be sharing this important news from the The City of Hollywood’s Office of Communications, Marketing and Economic Development about ways that perhaps some of you reading this can possibly benefit from interest-free government loans due to the virus and its aftermath.

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Hollywood Business Resources

We Are Here For Your Hollywood Business


 The City of Hollywood’s Office of Communications, Marketing and Economic Development is compiling information to assist businesses throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Contact our team at 954.921.3620 or by email with your business-related questions. 

Business Recovery Resources

Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan

Florida Small Business
Emergency Bridge Loan Program

Managed by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), this bridge loan program will provide short-term, interest-free loans to small businesses that experienced economic injury from COVID-19. Applications are now being accepted through May 8, 2020. This will provide a source of working capital intended to help the business "bridge the gap" between the time of impact and when federal assistance is available. Apply here.

Loan Details:
  • Amount: Up to $50,000 per eligible small business. Loans of up to $100,000 may be made in special cases as warranted by the need of the business.
  • Term: Loans may be made for periods of up to one year.
  • Interest: Loans will be interest-free for the term of the loan.
  • Payments: Loans must be repaid in full by the maturity date of the established term.
  • Qualifications: Applications will be accepted by qualified for-profit, privately held small businesses that maintain a place of business in the State of Florida. All qualified applicants must have been established prior to March 9, 2020, and suffered economic injury as a result of the designated disaster. Qualified small business applicants must be an employer business with 2 to 100 employees.
Short Time Compensation Program for Employees
The Short Time Compensation program helps employers retain their workforce in times of temporary slowdown by encouraging work sharing as an alternative to layoff. This program permits prorated reemployment assistance benefits to employees whose work hours and earnings are reduced as part of a Short Time Compensation plan to avoid total layoff of some employees. Apply here.

 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program
The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering designated states and territories low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). The program makes loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to small businesses and private, non-profit organizations in designated areas of a state or territory to help alleviate economic injury caused by COVID-19. Apply here.

COVID Business Survey

Has COVID-19 affected your business?
This survey will help activate resources to help!


 The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) issued the Business Damage Assessment Survey to evaluate businesses affected by COVID-19 and the impacts the virus has had on the local economy. The survey’s feedback allows State Government to fully assess the economic impact COVID-19 is having on Florida businesses and industries, in order to mobilize the appropriate resources to help alleviate those pressures. The Business Damage Assessment Survey can be taken online. Results will be shared with state agencies and local partners, including the Small Business Administration. For inquiries and assistance with the survey, please contact ESF18@em.myflorida.com.
Available Assistance

I was laid off from my job or am not being paid because of COVID-19. What can I do?

The Reemployment Assistance program provides temporary and partial wage replacement for qualified workers who have become unemployed, through no fault of their own, during this public health emergency. You can apply online for Reemployment Assistance (formerly known as unemployment compensation) if you were working in Florida and are now:
  • Temporarily unable to work due to a positive COVID-19 test result.
  • Quarantined by a medical professional or a government agency.
  • Laid off or sent home without pay for an extended period of time because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Caring for an immediate family member diagnosed with COVID-19.
Learn more about Reemployment Assistance and how to apply here. 

Additional Social Assistance Resources


 As the City of Hollywood continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, we understand the importance of a focused response to assist those impacted by this public health emergency. Please click here for a summary of social assistance resources gathered to assist those in need.

Hollywood Restaurants, Bars & Nightclubs

Business Closures & Guidance


Effective at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 in the City of Hollywood, the following closures are mandated through and including Thursday, April 16, 2020:

Bars and Nightclubs
All bars, pubs, nightclubs, cocktail lounges, breweries, and taverns in the City of Hollywood closed at 5:00 p.m. on March 17 and must remain closed.

Restaurants 
All restaurants, cafeterias, and other food service establishments must cease all on-premises services. However, such establishments may continue to operate their kitchens for drive-thru, delivery, and curbside pick-up of food orders.

Other Businesses
All gyms, fitness centers, fitness studios, dance studios, and gymnasiums are closed. This does not apply to gyms or fitness centers that are an amenity of a hotel or office building and which have a capacity of 10 persons or less, or are an amenity of a residential building.

All dance halls, movie theaters, banquet halls, auditoriums, bowling alleys, video arcades and other like entertainment facilities and businesses, including but not limited to those contained within a hotel or other enclosed facility or structure, are closed.

Hollywood Beach, Broadwalk, Parks and Recreational Facilities
The Hollywood Beach and Broadwalk are closed to recreational activity. Access to the barrier island will be restricted to residents, business owners, business employees, hotel guests and patrons coming to pick up carry-out food orders from barrier island restaurants.  All City community centers, parks and recreational facilities are closed. Public boat ramps at Holland Park will remain open, but the rest of the park will be closed down.

Additional Restrictions
Grocery stores, gas stations, convenience stores, banks, credit unions, financial institutions, hardware stores, auto supply stores, hospitals, healthcare and medical facilities, pharmacies, drug stores, medical supply stores and companies, land or facilities owned or managed by Broward County, the Broward County School Board, the South Broward Hospital District, the State of Florida, and the Federal Government.

Schedule of Events 


• As a part of the Neighborhood Pride Program, the City of Hollywood’s Economic Development team launched its first series of Work Skills Training Scholarship Programs. All programming scheduled for the month of April is currently on schedule as planned. As the COVID-19 emergency continues to evolve, registered participants should continue to monitor the City’s website for the latest information regarding classes and workshops.

• In partnership with the Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the City’s Economic Development Team is planning a Facebook LIVE “COVID-19 Business Resources” event for a date and time this week. The goal of the event will be to address small business disruptions due to the outbreak. The discussion will focus on disaster programs currently available to small businesses at the State and Federal level and what information is needed to apply. Once the Facebook LIVE event is confirmed, we will share the day and time for business owners to participate.

• Staff will continue to post the most up-to-date information on the City’s main website and our Economic Development website.
COVID Business Resources


 Links to these established programs can be found on the City's Economic Development website. 
Please continue to monitor www.hollywoodfl.org and www.choosehollywoodfl.com for the latest updates.



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Dave
David B. Smith




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Thursday, March 5, 2020

#SUP - City of Hollywood approves recommendations for outdoor water activities at Hollywood Beach: paddleboarding, kite boarding, surfing, and surf fishing. But it was not without some heated debate about public safety on the beach, and the role of city staff's recommendations in elected officials' deliberations and actual votes on public policy

#SUP - City of Hollywood approves recommendations for outdoor water activities at Hollywood Beach: paddleboarding, kite boarding, surfing, and surf fishing. But it was not without some heated debate about public safety on the beach, and the role of city staff's recommendations in elected officials' deliberations and actual votes on public policy

 I'm curently re-editing this post because of some technical issues but here are the main points









Hollywood Beach was just voted number 7 beach in the nation. Let us enjoy it! The City of Hollywood Commission voted on a new water recreation ordinance on February 5th. The second reading is coming March 4th, so there is still time for minor changes. ๐ŸŒŠ Here are some of the key points from the vote: ๐ŸŒŠ ๐Ÿค™๐Ÿพ๐Ÿค™๐Ÿพ Positive: • More sensible hours for shore fishing • Stand up paddling allowed anywhere before 10 am. • Stand up paddling allowed anywhere after 5 pm. • North and south recreation areas expanded. • Expansion of surfing area: Increased from 800 yards to 1.36 miles. • Stand up paddling area: Increased from 100 yards to 3 miles of beach. • Distance from shore requirement in banned areas decreased from 300 yards to 100 yards. • Foam boogie/bodyboards will be allowed anywhere. * Swimming will no longer be prohibited at the Azalea Terrace area. ๐ŸŒŠ ๐Ÿ‘Ž๐Ÿพ ๐Ÿ‘Ž๐Ÿพ Negative: • Stand up paddling banned from 37 blocks of beach from 10-5. Most restaurants and restrooms are within those 37 blocks. • Distance from shore in banned areas will be 100 yards. We prefer maximum 50 yards from shore. • No surfing will be allowed south of Eucalyptus. The south surfing area should extend down to the Hallandale border. • Chief Bruce Wilkie did not seem open to lifeguards using discretion and common sense when the ocean is flat and empty (something that other ocean rescues in FL do without a problem). . ๐ŸŒŠ The vote is at City Hall, March 4th at 1 pm. ๐ŸŒŠ @cityofhollywoodfl #hollywoodbeach #hollywoodfl #browardcounty #florida #sup #paddle #standuppaddle #lifeisbetterinabikini #paddleboarding #meetmeatthebeach #adventureculture #optoutside #gopro #goprooftheday #protectandenjoy @surfriderbroward #surfriderbroward
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My last post about the subject of paddleboarding in Hollywood, as well as the role of my enthusiastic and driven friend, Catherine "Cat" Uden in creating a very effective, grassroots coalition in our area of Southeast Broward County supporting more #SUP freedom and common sense ease-of-use at the beach, was last June:
Update on #SUP use at #HollywoodBeach under City of Hollywood's experiment that still falls far short of what Hollywood residents expect and want for using their own beach; Haulover Sandbar - a South Florida slice-of-life that makes people who have never been here wish that they were; Cat Uden, Josh Levy, Surfrider Broward, Standup Paddleboard
https://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2019/06/update-on-sup-use-at-hollywoodbeach.html

I also did an update of sorts a few weeks later on August 14th on Hollywood's then-pilot program:
Update re #HollywoodFL & #Broward: Growing citizen frustration with flooding in #HollywoodLakes, the city's #SUP experiment at #HollywoodBeach is nearing an end, so what's next?; practical efforts to improve beach conditions.
https://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/2019/08/updates-re-hollywoodfl-broward-sense-of.html






Hollywood Beach Now Offers More Room For Stand Up Paddling, But Some Say It's Still Not Enough
By Caitie Switalski
June 13th, 2019
https://www.wlrn.org/post/hollywood-beach-now-offers-more-room-stand-paddling-some-say-its-still-not-enough#stream/0


Draft-in-progress

So, now back to some observations about what actually did and did NOT take place at Wednesday afternoon's City of Hollywood City Commission meeting, and my own particular take on what was really taking place in front of the cameras and public, as well as what appears to be some genuine behind-the-scenes anxiety, drama, and internal division on the seven member commission, and why I think that's so.

To those more discenerning regular readers of the blog out there now whom I regularly meet and interact with everyday thoroughout South Florida, and in particular, on the beaches and in the stores, restaurants and at meetings throughout Hollywood and Hallandale Beach, I'm now going to share something here publicly that I'd previously only mentioned to you and close friends and family.
An observation I've generally shied away from discussing here on the blog largely because I didn't want to seem like a I was calling anyone in local government or media out for something other than them simply being well... human.
Of their having a normal ego and degree of vanity.

I've mentioned to some of you that one of the things that's been much more obvious to me since I returned to Hollywood last April -after being away for nearly ten months- compared to when I lived in Hallandale Beach and Hollywood the previous 15 years was my sense, after following this issue more closely, in part from seeing Cat in person more frequently and speaking to her at greater length at various places around the city, is that Hollywood's Commissioners, like all elected officials, are used to enjoying some perks and prerogatives I don;t usually mention here, since we take it for granted.
That is, they are used to being deferred to, if not exactly being given the benefit of the doubt,.
Not excessive egos, you understand, but normal egos where they

very invested in their roles as reps of the people and when smart, articulate and persuasive people from the community have the means to hold the city up to scrutiny on matters or issues where perhaps the city is underperformning or not eeally in line with the longterm best intreests of the citizens, they are concerned that those people represent a threat to the system that that are an important part of.
one of SoFlo's most high-profile ocean advocates. ๐Ÿฌ .
city's











Dave
David B. smith






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