Community News During this time of "social distancing" - in the wake of the COVID-19 virus, we want to be sure you're updated with the latest information on what's going on in our community. If you would like to include any pertinent information regarding your business in the next couple of weeks, please reach out to Kevin or Fritzie via email at: Kevin@Gaykeywestfl.com or Fritzie@Gaykeywestfl.com

For the latest news and notices from the City click HERE Here are the other closures that occurred this week: • Mallory Square • Smathers Beach • The Southernmost Point • All parks and playgrounds • All recreational facility, including the PAL & Douglass gyms • Suspended the Duval Loop • Limited the Ferry Terminal outbound passengers only The City has established a hotline that is staffed 24/7: 305-809-1101

It is important to know the facts about Coronavirus (COVID-19) and how to protect yourself. Monroe County has partnered with the lead agency, The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County (FDOH-Monroe) to closely monitor the outbreak and communicate information regarding the current situation in Monroe County.

LIST OF KW RESTAURANTS OFFERING PICKUP OR DELIVERY. Will be updated frequently. * Ana's Cuban Cafe * Antonia's Restaurant * Bad Boy Burrito-Key West PICKUP & DELIVERY * Banana Cafe PICKUP & DELIVERY * Benihana PICKUP * Better Than Sex - A Dessert Restaurant PICKUP * Big John's Pizza PICKUP & DELIVERY * Blue Heaven PICKUP * BOs Fish Wagon PICKUP & DELIVERY * The Breakfast Club Too PICKUP & DELIVERY * The Cafe * Cafe Sole PICKUP & DELIVERY * Camilles PICKUP & DELIVERY * Caroline's Cafe PICKUP & DELIVERY * Charlie Mac's PICKUP & DELIVERY * Chef John Hines Meal Prep DELIVERY * Conch Shack PICKUP * Conch Town Liquor & Lounge PICKUP & DELIVERY * Courthouse Deli PICKUP & DELIVERY * Corner Sandwich Shop PICKUP * Delunas Cafe PICKUP & DELIVERY * Denny's PICKUP & DELIVERY * The Dirty Pig PICKUP & DELIVERY * Dolphin Deli * Domino's Pizza PICKUP & DELIVERY * Duetto Pizza & Gelato * El Siboney Key West PICKUP & DELIVERY * El Siboney Stock Island PICKUP & DELIVERY * Fernandy's Café PICKUP & DELIVERY * Firefly Key West PICKUP & DELIVERY * The Flaming Buoy Filet Co. PICKUP & DELIVERY * Frita's Cuban Burger Cafe PICKUP & DELIVERY * Garbos' Grill PICKUP & DELIVERY * Glazed Donuts PICKUP * Goldman's Bagel Deli PICKUP & DELIVERY * Hard Rock Cafe Key West PICKUP * Harpoon Harry's PICKUP * Havana Cabana Food Truck PICKUP * Kennedy Cafe PICKUP & DELIVERY * Key Plaza Creperie PICKUP & DELIVERY * La Crêperie - French Café Key West PICKUP & DELIVERY * La Trattoria Oceanside DELIVERY * La Trattoria Old Town DELIVERY * Little Pearl * Lola's Bistro PICKUP * Mangia Mangia PICKUP & DELIVERY * Margaritaville Restaurant, Key West * Mary Ellen's Bar and Kitchen PICKUP & DELIVERY * Matt's Stock Island Kitchen & Bar * Miami Subs Grill PICKUP * Misohappy PICKUP & DELIVERY * Moondog Cafe & Bakery PICKUP & DELIVERY * Mr. Z's - Old Town PICKUP & DELIVERY * New York Pasta Garden PICKUP & DELIVERY * Ocean Grill & Bar PICKUP & DELIVERY * Off the Hook Grill Key West DELIVERY * Old Town Bakery, Key West PICKUP & DELIVERY * Old Town Tavern & Beer Garden PICKUP & DELIVERY * The Original Sandy's Cafe PICKUP & DELIVERY * Outback Steakhouse PICKUP & DELIVERY * Pepe's Cafe PICKUP * Salsa Loca PICKUP & DELIVERY * Seven Fish PICKUP * Sister Noodle House PICKUP & DELIVERY * Smoked BBQ PICKUP & DELIVERY & LIMITED SEATING * Smoothie Shuttle PICKUP & DELIVERY * Southernmost Beach Cafe PICKUP * Subway PICKUP * Taco Express PICKUP & DELIVERY * Tavern N Town PICKUP * Thai Island Restaurant & Sushi Bar PICKUP & DELIVERY * Thirsty Mermaid * Tong's Garden Chinese Restaurant DELIVERY * Uva Key West DELIVERY * Vinos on Duval * Viva Saloon * ViV Wine Bistro PICKUP & DELIVERY

Key West Artisan Market Cancelled for Sunday, March 22. Farmers Market March 19 Will Provide Needed Consumer Supplies   The Key West Artisan Market: UpCycle/Recycle Edition will NOT operate Sunday, March 22 after a local emergency declaration today at 5 pm makes gatherings of over 250 people on County Property prohibited. The market is held at Higgs Beach. At this time organizers intend to still have the Key West Truman Waterfront Farmers Market on Thursday, March 19 as it is less than 250 people at one time in attendance, but stay tuned to social media for additional information as it may develop. The Farmers Market, held Thursdays at the Truman Waterfront, provides much needed consumable supplies to local residents. The decisions to cancel events are not made lightly and the Key West Markets are in full support of our public officials as we work together to help keep our community healthy

We all recognize the potential threat of the coronavirus (COVID-19), and the Tropic is committed to the health and safety of our patrons, volunteers and staff.  To do all we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Tropic Cinema will be closed from 6:00 pm today, until further notice.  All remaining events for March are canceled or postponed. • All tickets will be automatically refunded.  • If your ticket was purchased through Fandango, they will be processing your refund. • If your ticket was purchased in person (at the box office), please contact info@tropiccinema.com and we’ll follow up as soon as we can. Watch the Tropic Cinema Facebook page and Webpage for the most up-to-date information.  Sincerely, Tropic Cinema “Due to increased concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the decision to postpone all Stoli Vodka Key West Cocktail Classic events until further notice. The health and well-being of the bartending community, service industry employees, patrons, the LGBTQ+ community and its allies is our number one priority." Following today's executive order by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the City of Key West is directing all bars and nightclubs to cease operation by 5:00 pm today, and all restaurant facilities will be limited to take out and delivery only.  In addition to various volunteer opportunities that have been cancelled, the following actions have also been taken. CANCELLED - Howie Trio at Geiger Key on March 21 CANCELLED - Jump Up at Bobalu's on March 28 POSTPONED - Club Pub Kickoff Party at Rams Head Southernmost on April 1 CANCELLED - April Jump Up CANCELLED - Boys and Girls Club Fundraiser at Margaritaville on May 3 We will do our very best to keep you informed of any other updates, and stay safe! Your Community Foundation  Helps with COVID-19 Relief CFFK's Florida Keys Emergency Relief Fund is now accepting donations and will strategically disburse funding to address COVID-19 emergency response and relief efforts in Monroe County.    Members of the community who wish to support aid to those affected by COVID-19 may donate to the Fund.    All funds will be distributed through timely grants to charitable organizations for needs related to the impact of COVID-19 throughout the county. CFFK will not be giving money directly to individuals.  Donate Now "These are trying times for all of us. I was inspired by a news clip I saw with residents of an apartment building in Italy, standing on their balconies and serenading each other in the night. As devoted members of our community, let's find ways to sing out to our fellow Keys neighbors," said CFFK Board Chair Ron Burd.              Jennifer McComb, President and CEO of CFFK, credits Shery Cotton for her generous $25,000 contribution "which was the seed money to begin our COVID-19 relief efforts."             "The Coronavirus is already affecting locals who depend on the tourism industry for their livelihood, many of whom are living paycheck to paycheck in an area with a high cost of living. Parents may need to stay home from work with their kids while schools are closed," McComb said.              Florida Keys nonprofits that depend on event revenue to support their respective missions have had to cancel their shows and fundraisers.    In the event that funds raised through the Florida Keys Emergency Relief Fund are no longer needed for COVID-19 relief, remaining funds will be reserved for future local disaster relief efforts. Questions?  Call 305-292-1502 or email cffk@cffk.org  The Community Foundation of the Florida Keys is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit (EIN #65-0648968) and all contributions are tax deductible. Due to COVID-19, we have no choice but to postpone some of our upcoming shows. Ticket holders will be notified once we have postponement dates and at that time can keep their tickets for the rescheduled date(s) or receive a voucher.   An Update from Historic Tours of America After very carefully consideration, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close the Key West Historic Tours Attractions from today March 18th through the March 27. We plan on reopening our operations on Saturday, March 28 until further notice.   We will continue to update you as we know more but for now we hope you and your love ones stay safe and healthy.  Old Town Trolley Conch Tour Train Key West Aquarium Key West Shipwreck Museum Truman's Little White House  Ghost and Gravestones  Berenice Barber Vendor Representative (786) 847-3890 * (305) 292-8978 Due to the ongoing global health concerns related to the COVID-19 outbreak, we recently made the decision to make remote work the default for all Two Oceans Digital employees until it is safe to return to our normal office environment. This serves a three-fold purpose: To maintain the health and safety of our employees, To do our part to curb transmission of the virus, and To ensure that online-first and online-focused businesses like yours continue to receive the same high level of service and support that you’ve come to expect from Two Oceans Digital. We would also like to extend a 50% discount on all website development and site edits that you may need to effectively communicate with your clients.    Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time. We truly value having you as a partner. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. My cell phone is listed below.   Sincerely, Kelli Funkhouser 305-209-6523 DISTRICT ADVISORY COMMITTEE WORKSHOPS FOR APPLICANTS CANCELLED Workshops for 2021 Destination/Turnkey Event Funding have been CANCELLED along with the District Advisory meetings for April 8-9, 2020.  Please note that the applications will be available on Demandstar as of April 1, 2020. Ammie or Maxine will be available to meet with applicants individually to answer questions and walk you through the process. Please email ammie@fla-keys.com or maxine@fla-keys.com or call (305) 296-1552. Thank you. Dear Friends: We are reaching out to you regarding the rapidly evolving situation regarding COVID-19, and the impact to our operations at the Waterfront Playhouse. In accordance with the recommendations made by the President of the United States, and the City of Key West, to reduce gatherings of ten people or more, we are canceling the remaining performances of Priscilla Queen of The Desert. This includes tonight’s show on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. If you are holding tickets for Priscilla, we can offer the following options: You can donate your ticket(s) back to the theatre, and we can provide a letter confirming your tax-deductible contribution. (We would greatly appreciate your donation to the theatre. This extraordinary situation is having a major negative financial impact on the Waterfront Playhouse) You can exchange your Priscilla ticket(s), for tickets to one of our other upcoming shows We can provide you with a refund as soon as we are able to determine the full and rapidly changing impact of the virus on our operation and our employees As you know, this is a very difficult time for everyone. Our amazing staff will respond to your requests as quickly and efficiently as possible. We will continue to provide updates as the situation for our theatre evolves. As always, thank you for your support. Sincerely, Tom Thayer Managing Artistic Director Waterfront Playhouse Economic Impact Survey The State of Florida has activated a survey which will help determine the economic impact of COVID-19 on the state's businesses. This survey is now live. If your business has been impacted by COVID-19, we encourage you to fill out the survey. This will assist State/local authorities in determining the scope of impact and what type of financial assistance to provide to businesses. The survey is available online here:  https://floridadisaster.biz/BusinessDamageAssessments SBA Disaster Assistance As announced, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will be providing up to $2 million in low-interest Disaster Loans in designated states and territories for business impacted by COVID-19. The loans will be available for economic injury caused by COVID-19. Small businesses can use loan proceeds to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing. Eligible uses include paying fixed debts, payroll, accounts receivable, and other bills that cannot be paid because of COVID-19 impacts.  Loan terms can be up to 30 years and the interest rate is 3.75% for businesses determined to not have credit available elsewhere. Nonprofits are eligible for loans at 2.75%. More information is available here: https://www.sba.gov/disaster-assistance/coronavirus-covid-19 Although the program has been activated, Florida businesses cannot apply for assistance yet. The next step will be for Governor DeSantis to request an Economic Injury Disaster Declaration after conducting a business damage assessment survey of the state’s businesses.    Florida SBDC at FIU Resources ​​​​​​​Our team of experienced business consultants is available to offer confidential, no-cost advising to business owners impacted by COVID-19. More information on our program and the services we offer can be viewed here:  sbdc.fiu.edu  Florida SBDC at FIU has also set up a special email list for businesses that would like to receive regular updates from us on disaster-related information on the COVID-19 virus. If you would like to receive these periodic updates with additional COVID-19-related resources, please reply to this email and indicate your preference to be added to that list.   Additional Business Resources Florida Short-Term Compensation: The Short Term Compensation Program is a voluntary employer program designed to help employers maintain their staff by reducing the weekly working hours during temporary slowdowns instead of temporarily laying off employees. More information is available here:  http://www.floridajobs.org/office-directory/division-of-workforce-services/reemployment-assistance-programs/short-time-compensation-program-for-employers CareerSource South Florida: CareerSource South Florida administers programs to assist businesses with training needs and employees with re-employment. Contact CareerSource South Florida to learn more about its One-Stop services that may help you. More information is available here:  http://www.careersourcesfl.com/ . Additional Resources U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Website: http://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19/index.html Resource Toolkit: http://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/COVID-19/covid19-toolkit.html World Health Organization COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses U.S. Chamber of Commerce Coronavirus Website: https://www.uschamber.com/coronavirus National Grocers Association COVID-19 Guidance: https://www.nationalgrocers.org/news/national-grocers-association-coronavirus/ Food Industry Association COVID-19 Guidance: https://www.fmi.org/food-safety/coronavirus For up-to-date information on the status of Monroe County and COVID-19, go to www.Monroecountyem.com, in addition, The Florida Department of Health has put up a 24/7 information hotline: 1-866-779-6121. Delivering a Winning VC Pitch (Webinar) Date: March 25th, 2020  Time: 9:00AM – 10:00AM  Location: ONLINE Presented by: Florida SBDC at FIU in association with Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center Registration: go.fiu.edu/vcpitch   SBA Disaster Assistance & Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Webinar) Date: March 26th, 2020  Time: 9:00AM – 10:00AM  Location: ONLINE Presented by: Florida SBDC at FIU in association with Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center Registration: go.fiu.edu/assistance   Introducción a los Estados Financieros Webinar (Webinar) Fecha: 1 de abril del 2020 Hora: 9:00AM – 10:00AM  Lugar: ONLINE Auspiciado por: Florida SBDC at FIU in association with Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center Para registrarse: go.fiu.edu/financieros   Administrando su Flujo de Caja (Webinar) Fecha: 29 de abril del 2020 Hora: 9:00AM – 10:00AM  Lugar: ONLINE Auspiciado por: Florida SBDC at FIU in association with Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center Para registrarse: go.fiu.edu/caja See more upcoming events Volunteer opportunities Submit a prayer request Donate to keep our community thriving