ORLANDO, Fla. — As part of Orange County's Small Business BOOST program, checks totaling more than $600,000 will soon be mailed to numerous local businesses.

The BOOST grant program opened in July to fund small businesses and gig workers that suffered a negative impact because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What You Need To Know

  • As part of Orange County's Small Business BOOST program, officials say more than 90 grant checks have been mailed to area businesses

  • Abel Henriquez, whose business will get a $10,000 grant, said the money will help with operating costs and paying employees who assist in his real estate business

  • The county’s small business BOOST grant program that opened in July to fund small businesses and gig workers that suffered a negative impact because of the COVID-19 pandemic

The county originally allocated $26 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to help businesses become whole again. But officials say the county is now repurposing most of the original $26 million appropriated for boost grants toward another “pressing need” — programs and projects that benefit Orange County residents.

County officials say they have already sent more than 90 grant checks to area businesses.

Abel Henriquez, who owns American Realty Experts in Orlando, is one of the businesses owners who will soon be getting a cash grant.

All businesses approved for the grants had to show business losses before, during and after the pandemic.

“They contacted me, letting me know that our business qualifies for the grant that they’re going to be giving, so we’re very excited,” said Henriquez, who is the office manager and real estate broker at American Realty Experts.

Henriquez’s business will get a $10,000 grant and he said this money will help with operating costs and paying employees who assist in his real estate business. Henriquez says during the COVID pandemic, there were losses from his capital reserves, and this grant money will also help replenish them.

“In the pandemic there was a lot of fear — so all that uncertainty, a lot of homeowners, they didn’t want to sell right away," he said. "They wanted to keep holding on, which, in my line of work, in the real estate line of work, it’s going to equal to you making less commission because you’re closing less properties."

Henriquez said his real estate company had a loss in the range of 30% to 40% of his annual revenue during the pandemic, which forced him to let go of some of his office assistants. He said he plans to hire more when he gets the grant.

“The more businesses that they can help, the more those businesses are going to end up creating more jobs,” said Henriquez.

He said after the height of the pandemic the real estate industry changed in a way that made his job more difficult.

“We went kind of from COVID-19 into the inflationary process, and now since we have high interest rates this is kind of like a second pandemic,” Henriquez said.

He said real estate businesses like his are experiencing a second slowdown because of high interest rates.

“You went from people not wanting to sell because they were scared, to now people not wanting to sell because they have a 3% mortgage and they don’t want to get into a 7% to 8% mortgage when they sell to buy a new house,” said Henriquez.

Orange County officials say the grant program did not achieve the number of qualified applicants as anticipated because most of the businesses that applied have recovered from the pandemic.

Some 3,300 applications were initiated, but approximately 120 have been approved to get cash grants.

Officials say county administration will evaluate programs and projects needing funding as possible items to fund. Their recommendations will require approval from the Orange County Board of County Commissioners.