Many residents and businesses in south Santa Rosa County were directly impacted by floodwaters, while others were flooded with customers needing to purchase products or services to recover from the flood.
In an effort to help businesses impacted by flooding, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at UWF is utilizing a mobile unit in some of the most hard-hit areas including downtown Pensacola. Additionally, the SBDC is working with local chambers of commerce to secure space for one-on-one counseling appointments with business owners.
According to Santa Rosa County, more than 50 businesses suffered some level of flood damage last week. Preliminary assessments completed by federal, state and local teams showed 32 businesses suffered major damage, 16 minor damage and 3 were inaccessible.
The Santa Rosa County Economic Development Office has put together a resource guide for those wanting to start a business in the county. The roughly 30-page brochure is available free from all five chambers of commerce in Santa Rosa County.
About 30 elected officials and business leaders attended a Florida Chamber of Commerce half-day conference in Pensacola April 18 highlighting the importance of trade and logistics to the region and the state. The conference was the third regional rollout for the chamber’s Trade & logistics Study 2.0.
The Navarre Beach Fishing Pier bar, Lagerheads on the Gulf, reopened April 19 after having been closed for about 10 days. County Administrator Hunter Walker and County Attorney Angie Jones advised the management team that their contract prohibited operating the bar without food being served.
After a complaint from William Phillips to Santa Rosa County Commission Chairman Jim Melvin, the county asked operators of the Navarre Beach Fishing Pier to close down a bar opened March 15 until the facility’s restaurant is up and running.
