The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by the 116th U.S. Congress and signed into law by the president. This federal legislation provided immediate cash relief for individual citizens, loan programs for small businesses, and support for hospitals and other medical providers, as well as various types of economic relief for affected businesses. Palm Beach County received approximately $261 million. The City of Riviera Beach received a direct allocation of approximately $25,000 from the federal government because of the legislation.
Other cities such as Boca Raton, Jupiter, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and West Palm Beach have communicated in writing their dissatisfaction regarding the lack of direct allocations to their municipalities. Palm Beach County asserts that it has already allocated the $261 million to programs countywide, but to my knowledge, no matrix was provided to ensure fair and equitable distribution of the funds the county received. In addition, Palm Beach County appropriated approximately $36 million in funding for itself with no direct allocations or appropriations for any municipality. It is the county's interpretation of the legislation that the State of Florida should allocate funds to local governments. Nevertheless, municipalities throughout Palm Beach County have incurred millions of dollars of expenditures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and taxpayers have been left to pay for these expenditures even though the CARES Act was intended to assist with all programs established because of the pandemic. Our taxpayers have seen that federal funds they paid into the system are not being distributed fairly and equitably within their municipal boundaries. Many municipal professionals with whom I have spoken recommend that we seek a direct allocation based on per capita population numbers. This is the only way to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of the funds the County received. To date, the City has expended $1.6 Million on matters exclusively related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unfortunately, the County may not be aware of all the support services and operations that our municipality has created to respond to the pandemic. In addition, even though nonprofits have assisted in accommodating our residents, thousands of staff hours related to planning and resources are being allocated to assisting philanthropic agencies within our community. If philanthropic agencies are eligible for direct funding, there is no reason municipalities should not receive the funds appropriated through the legislation.