Florida's Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday This Weekend

During the 2020 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday August 7 through 9, qualifying items will be exempt from sales tax, including certain school supplies selling for $15 or less per item; clothing, footwear, face masks, and certain accessories selling for $60 or less per item; and the first $1,000 of the sales price of personal computers and certain computer-related accessories purchased for noncommercial home or personal use.

School Information for Lee, Collier and Hendry Available Online

For both Lee and Collier counties, school starts back on August 31. This week, the Hendry County School Board moved learning to digital only, starting August 24. Each District has set up a web page to keep parents and students up-to-date on ongoing efforts. 

One Goal. One Florida. 

Last week, the Florida Department of Health issued an additional Public Health Advisory in response to COVID-19, providing recommendations to protect Floridians and visitors from this virus. This advisory is in addition to steps that the agency has taken to increase mitigation measures, including the purchase of more than 14 million cloth masks, which are actively being distributed statewide and an expanded statewide Public Service Announcement Campaign, which encourages Floridians to avoid the Three Cs:

• Closed Spaces. Avoid closed spaces with poor ventilation that could allow contagious droplets to linger in the air.
• Crowded Places. Avoid crowded places with many people nearby; the greater the number of individuals in an area, the greater the chances of COVID-19 spreading from person-to-person.
• Close-Contact Settings. Avoid close-range conversations and stay at least six-feet from others.

Collier Allocating CARES Act Money to Help Local Programs

Collier County is in the process of dispersing funds received from the Coronavirus Relief portion of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act federal stimulus package. You can call (239) 252-8999 or dial 311 within Collier County, for more information.

Application deadlines:

• Nonprofits, Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Community Health Care and Public Safety Assistance: Applications opened at 8 a.m. on July 27. Deadline is noon, August 10.
• Licensed Childcare Facilities: Applications open at 8 a.m. on August 10. Deadline is noon, August 24.
• Individual Assistance with Past Due Rent, Mortgage, Utilities and Childcare: Applications open at 8 a.m. on August 17. Deadline is noon, August 31.
• Small Business Relaunch and Rehire: Applications open at 8 a.m. on August 31. Deadline is noon, September 8.

Hendry CARES Provides Individual and Business Assistance 

Hendry County secured $7.5 million in funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. An immediate $1.8 million was allocated for efforts and programs to serve all Hendry residents impacted by the devastating effects of COVID-19.

CARES Program assistance through Hendry County will be used for those who have been directly affected by COVID-19.

The funding will be used to pay past-due utility, lease, and mortgage bills and possible workforce development opportunities. Residents who have been affected by COVID-19 will be assisted through Hendry County programs. 

LeeCARES Offering Financial Assistance to Individuals Impacted by COVID-19

Lee County Financial assistance is still available for individuals and businesses who have been affected by COVID-19.  Under the program, assistance with rent, mortgage or utilities (water and electric) may be provided if an individual has an unexpected loss of income due to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Safer at Home Order, including loss of job or reduced work hours.

Payment for those who qualify are made directly to the landlord, mortgage company and/or utility company. Household income must be less than $55,100 a year for a household of four, or up to $72,750 for a household of eight at the time of application. Assistance is limited to only one-time per household and assistance cannot exceed $2,000.

The Individual Assistance Program is one of five that commissioners approved for using funds from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Lee County is investing $57.5 million in Human & Business Services to provide immediate assistance for individuals, families and businesses.

Be Counted: Take a Few Moments to Fill Out Your 2020 Census

The 2020 Census takes just a few moments to complete.

Anyone with a computer and internet service can complete their census questionnaire at my2020census.gov.  Data from the U.S. Census will help guide over $675 billion in federal funding to communities for schools, roads, hospitals, and more.

You can see each state and county's census response rate on this interactive map.

Assistance Available to Apply For Florida KidCare Insurance 

Lake Okeechobee Rural Health Network, Inc. (LORHN) has partnered with Florida Healthy Kids Corporation to provide application assistance, education, and outreach for the program in Okeechobee, Glades and Hendry counties. Florida KidCare, the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP), exists to increase the number of insured children in Florida by offering affordable, quality health and dental insurance for children from birth through the end of age 18.

More than 179,600 children in Florida are currently living without health insurance but are eligible for low-cost or completely free health insurance through Florida KidCare. According to 2018 American Community Survey ZIP code data (5-year estimates), there are nearly 1,800 children combined in Okeechobee (588), Glades (32), and Hendry (1,173) counties that are eligible for Florida KidCare programs.  With many families unemployed, or facing financial hardships, due to COVID-19 we expect these numbers have increased.