SURFSIDE, Fla. – In the hours and days after the sudden collapse of a condo in Surfside, neighboring business owners didn’t immediately think about their rent and the sudden end to their income. They moved to help their neighbors.
Restaurants such as Josh’s Deli prepared and delivered 300 meals to evacuees’ families and first responders. Then they opened their doors on a usual off day and fed more than 100 police officers and rescue workers that sat down for lunch.
Next door, The Carrot delivered platters of food daily to family members awaiting word at the community center. And Mendel’s Backyard Barbecue, a Kosher restaurant one block from the synagogue, offered free Shabbat dinner to anyone impacted by the condo collapse.
LAHH hair salon stopped taking appointments, volunteered to have donations of everything from clothes to phone chargers sent to the store, and the owner and her staff delivered them to survivors and their families.
But now, two weeks after the Champlain Towers South fell, a different kind of reality is starting to take hold of the businesses in the two-block Surfside downtown.
Checkpoints had ground traffic to a crawl. Streets were rerouted. Regular customers stayed away. Owners who were struggling to recover from coronavirus losses face their own version of disaster recovery.
“There is no rule book for this, and I get it,” said Josh’s Deli owner Josh Marcus. “For some of us, we’ve watched our businesses disintegrate.”
For now, the only real option available to Surfside businesses are more loans — low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, including an economic-impact disaster loan. But several of these businesses already took on disaster loans a year ago after governments ordered many to close to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Now they are faced with another loan stacked on top of a year-old loan — and no bailout.
“I’ve talked with business owners, and they don’t want another loan,” said Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett. “And it should not go unnoticed that even though they’ve been badly affected, they have been hugely supportive of relief efforts.”
Burkett said he spoke to the executive director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Dane Eagle, about the businesses’ specific needs. The Federal Emergency Management Administration does not offer business grants nor does the SBA, according to spokespersons for both agencies.
“He understands the dilemma,” Burkett said. “They don’t necessarily have the type of tools we need to support our impacted business district. And they really need help.”
Yaffa Tenami moved her 40-year-old business, Yaffa Wigs, from Sunny Isles Beach to 9515 Harding Ave. in January after she could no longer afford her rent and her landlord wouldn’t offer her relief during the heart of the pandemic. Now she is fielding calls from clients from Aventura to Kendall, who are worried about enduring snarled traffic to visit her shop after the collapse.
“I should close the store for one or two months. But I can’t close the store. No business, no income,” she said.
Emily Wands has considered dipping back into the federal disaster loan she took out last year to keep her LAHH salon afloat. But she knows that will only sink her further into debt.
“Eventually loans have to be paid back, and everyone is still paying back the SBA disaster loans,” she said. “We want to eventually prosper instead of paying back debt.”
The South Beach Wine & Food Festival has offered to donate $30,000, evenly split among the 25 restaurants in the Surfside business district at $1,200 apiece. Florida International will handle the payout. Restaurants interested in receiving the grant must fill out a questionnaire by July 30.
Burkett said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis promised him help for Surfside’s affected businesses. He said Eagle is looking into whether the businesses are eligible for grants.
“We’re going to know that answer sooner rather than later,” Burkett said.
After visiting Surfside, Eagle tweeted: “The economic impact in Surfside is felt throughout the community, blunting their recovery from COVID. While our number one priority remains the victims & their families, @GovRonDeSantis is ensuring the surrounding businesses & community are not forgotten.”
Marcus is especially torn. He opened his non-kosher deli nine years ago in the heart of the Surfside business district and drew outside interest to the quiet town of 5,600. His restaurant was one of the first to respond with comfort food to those in need after the collapse. So he is conflicted about talking about his business needs as others deal with the death of loved ones.
He had to cut down opening from seven days to four with staff shortages over the last year. And this latest disaster may push him past the brink. He fears he may not be able to be of service to his neighbors for much longer.
“I’ve lost that revenue forever,” he said. “I can’t sit more people in my restaurant or charge $10 more for the income that disappeared. It’s just difficult.”
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