Miami-Dade County Residents Have Until Dec. 15 to Apply for CARES Relief Funds

The most populous county in Florida still hasn’t doled out an undisclosed amount of its $474 million in CARES Act relief money to the businesses and residents that need it.

The good news: While a memo released Monday said Miami-Dade would stop processing requests on Dec. 15 ahead of the Dec. 30 federal deadline to assign the CARES Act funds to 2020 COVID expenses, applications are still being accepted.

At this time, county commissioners are working to allocate that money to the tenants, landlords, and residents in need of financial assistance.

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Read here for more information on COVID-19 relief programs, including financial, housing, food, and employment assistance, among others, and here for information on local nonprofits that facilitate access to the funds.

Housing Relief

Miami-Dade set aside roughly $35 million for its rental assistance program, but so far has spent approximately $7 million of that amount. Looser rules for landlords were announced Monday, as Commissioner Raquel Regalado stated that she wants more CARES money assigned to rent.

According to a memo by Ed Márquez, Miami-Dade’s Chief Finance Officer, Daniella Levine Cava, the newly elected Mayor of Miami-Dade County, broadened the rules so that “owners or ownership groups of larger apartment complexes can participate” in the program.

As of Tuesday evening, the current rules, still published on miamidade.gov, state landlords applying for CARES relief through Miami-Dade must own five or fewer rental properties anywhere in the country. However, a new, amended press release (not on the site) states that as of Dec. 7, there is no longer a limit to how many units an eligible landlord may own. 

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The document also adds that “to be eligible, the current income of the tenant household must be at or below 140% of the area median income (AMI) for Miami-Dade County (current income refers to the household’s income following any job loss or income reduction due to COVID-19), and that the tenant household does not receive any other rental subsidy.” 

Read here for more general information on housing and rental assistance. However, as the income requirements have also changed, please read here to be directed to the most appropriate program based on your specific situation.

Business Loans

Although all RISE funds have been spoken for, because businesses who don’t qualify for the assistance are turned down, some funds are likely to become available again. To qualify, a business must have been in operation for at least two years, and the owner’s credit score must be greater than 520.

Read here for more information on small business loans and deadlines.  

Requirements May Change

As requirements and conditions to apply to all these programs may have changed or may change, please make sure to contact the correct agencies for the latest information.