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County staff warns of rising COVID cases as chamber pitches incubator to help small businesses
Summary
Public‑health staff reported rising COVID‑19 cases and urged masks and testing; the Clay County Chamber and economic development partners outlined a proposed incubator to help struggling small businesses, prompting questions about timing and whether direct CARES grants should take priority.
Clay County health and emergency staff on June 30 reported a recent rise in COVID‑19 cases and urged residents to wear masks and use testing resources, even as the county debated whether to use CARES Act money for a proposed business incubator.
John Ward, speaking for county public‑health/emergency staff, said the county had seen double‑digit case increases and attributed the rise partly to greater testing and to more people gathering without masks or physical distancing. Ward urged residents to call the county testing line to schedule tests and asked citizens to take "personal responsibility" to wear masks and keep distance over holiday weekends.
At the same meeting, Wendell Shindra, president of the Clay County Chamber of Commerce, laid out an incubator model based on Tampa Bay Wave: cohorts of existing businesses would receive pro‑bono legal, accounting and business mentoring to move from idea or struggling operation to sustainable, brick‑and‑mortar businesses. Shindra said the chamber expects to raise sponsorships and that the incubator would aim to be low‑cost and scalable.
Why commissioners pressed for detail: several commissioners said immediate, small emergency grants (the phase‑1 $2,000 grants and other direct relief) should be prioritized for businesses and households that face immediate eviction or liquidity problems. Commissioners requested written white papers, success metrics and an explicit funding plan — including who would operate the incubator and how recurring costs would be covered — before committing county CARES funds.
Staff response and next steps: chamber and economic development representatives said the incubator could initially use existing chamber space, SBDC resources and pro‑bono networks and that they would provide white papers, success ratios and outreach to Tampa Bay Wave and other practitioners. Board members asked staff to bring back materials and to consider pushing the incubator discussion to a future meeting (targeting July 14) while accelerating the application process for direct grants to get money to businesses and residents as quickly as possible.
Public‑health context: county staff said testing capacity is expanding and that hospitalizations have not surged because many new positives have been younger adults; nonetheless staff emphasized masks and distancing to prevent spread and to protect vulnerable populations.
What comes next: staff will publish the phase‑1 application materials and vet nonprofit criteria for a portion of CARES spending; chamber and staff will provide a white paper and metrics about the incubator model to the board for further consideration.
