Patch Survey: Florida Small Businesses Eager To Reopen

MIAMI, FL — Florida small businesses overwhelmingly told Patch in a new survey they plan to reopen as soon they are permitted to do so and don't plan to hold back.

Based on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' phased reopening plan announced earlier this week, most retail businesses and restaurants can reopen starting Monday. Businesses in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties will have to wait longer.

Patch invited small-business people who participated in our free business guides to answer four questions on the governor's handling of the health crisis that has shut down our tourism industry and forced unprecedented numbers of Floridians to apply for unemployment, some for the first time in their lives.

"We were almost making it when this hit," confided Rick Oliveros of Hillsborough County, who opened the Calif Cafe in January with his wife, Claudia Durango. "As soon as we shut down, we started trying to figure out how to pay the bills. We started contacting the landlord. We started contacting the utilities. Most people were willing to work with us. The one group that was unable to work with us were the financial institutions — people that were tapped to loan out the moneys."

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The Patch survey found 52.9 percent of respondents agreed with the governor's timeline for reopening the state's businesses while 31.4 percent did not agree. Another 15.7 percent of respondents were unsure whether they agreed or did not agree.

Courtney Atkins owns a massage therapy clinic called TherapyWorks Clinical and Wellness Massage in New Port Richey. Her business has been closed for more than a month and there's been no timetable announced for it to reopen.

"I’ve been unhappy through the whole thing. There’s just been too much confusion," Atkins shared. "Through March, we weren’t even sure if we needed to close."

But another respondent feels the governor is moving too fast.

"I think that this decision will be very detrimental to the communities everywhere," the respondent said. "The governor needs to reconsider."

Another business owner felt businesses that cater to one client at a time should not be lumped in with big spas, salons and gyms.

"Single provider businesses have more control of sanitation and sterilization between clients and our own environment," that person wrote.

Someone from a large salon with five private suites and six "very large" stations felt they too could open safely.

"More contact happens at the grocery store," that person wrote. "None of us have received stimulus, break from landlord or any kind of funding."

Another person said the state should reopen all businesses immediately. "Too many people are out of work and many are unable to collect unemployment," they said, noting some people have not gotten stimulus checks.

Patch sent out the survey invitations on Thursday and received about 70 responses within the first 24 hours.

About 69 percent of respondents to the email survey said they plan to open as soon as allowed. Another 24 percent said they will wait until public health experts say it's safer. Some 7.5 percent were unsure if they would reopen or wait.

"I'm not waiting for public health officials, but I'm also not opening right away because the 25 percent rule will cause more issues for me, though I do fully support a progressive reopening versus an all-or-nothing approach," penned one respondent, who found the question to be biased.

Respondents overwhelmingly agreed with the governor's decision to temporarily exclude Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties from the first wave of openings.

Slightly more than 85 percent of respondents said they agreed with the governor's decision to exclude the South Florida counties while 14.5 percent did not agree with the decision.

When asked how satisfied they were with the governor's performance during the pandemic, about 33 percent said they were very satisfied. Another 31.4 percent said they were somewhat satisfied while 15.7 percent said they were dissatisfied and 14.3 percent said they were very dissatisfied. Only 5.7 percent said they were neither satisfied or dissatisfied.

"I feel the shutdown order came too late and the reopen timeline is too accelerated," one respondent asserted. "As a business owner, I'm concerned about the viability of my business, but the idea that we're risking a repeat by jumping the gun is foolish. The fact that he has a staggered timeline is at least more promising than his lack of other actions."

One person accused the governor of allowing political pressure to drive his choices instead of hard science.

"This has been a textbook example of what the lack of real leadership looks like," that person wrote.

Another accused the governor of political pandering to the Trump administration.

"I think that the governor was irresponsible in not closing down earlier, essential business being churches and other places of assembly, being excluded from the lockdown," the person insisted.

Still another person disagreed with the governor's authority to close businesses without compensating them.

"For the most part, I believe the governor acted accordingly to the way the rest of the country dealt with this, and with the information that was presented to him," countered another respondent.

One person said the governor was doing the best he can during an unprecedented time, while another said the governor should have closed beaches and enforced the closures from the start.

"Our state was proactive vs. reactive, which has kept us in good standing," shared another respondent. "I'd like to see better support for mental health as many aren't able to afford it, and yet are begging/needing the help."

One business person was critical of the guidance coming from the governor's office specifically for businesses.

"This is a definite failure in leadership," they wrote. "He could have been much more reasoned and forthcoming with details in his approach to this."

Another person said the coronavirus case numbers in Florida do not warrant the continued shuttering of Florida businesses and one person felt that liberty has been sacrificed.

"Let individuals make the final decision as to how to, or if, to follow" guidelines," they wrote.

Oliveros is optimistic for the future of his small business as much of the state springs back to life.

"The economic harm that the scare of the pandemic has caused is unbelievable," he said. "We may not make it, but I'm hopeful. But, if we don't make it, it's because of that."