Leaders from several municipalities sent sent a letter Wednesday to the mayor of Palm Beach County, in an effort to recoup costs spent so far this year battling the coronavirus.
The group who signed the letter includes officials from various positions from Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Jupiter and West Palm Beach.
The letter explains that on June 10, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Florida counties that have already received payment from the U.S. Treasury should provide funds to their municipalities “on a reimbursement basis for expenditures eligible under the CARES Act.”
The CARES Act is a $2 trillion economic relief package that was passed by Congress in March. A portion of that money established the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund, which was designed to help state and local governments.
In May, Palm Beach County officials said they were given $261 million in funds related to the CARES Act.
Boca Raton Councilman Andy Thomson states in the letter to Mayor Dave Kerner that Palm Beach County has “already received direct payment from the U.S. Department of Treasury…” and the county “should be reimbursing municipalities for their eligible expenditures.”
In the letter, Boca Raton Councilman Andy Thomson said his city spent more than $2 million on supplies and personal protective equipment related to COVID-19.
Thomson said “we have not received any indication as to when Palm Beach County will be issuing these critical reimbursements” and “how such reimbursements will be processed.”
In addition, the letter was signed by Democratic U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch, Lois Frankel and Alcee Hastings.