(L-R: Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, Sergio’s President and FRLA Executive Board Member Carlos Gazitua, and U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome Adams prepare to distribute donated masks to South Florida restaurant and hotel employees)

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY – Today, at Sergio’s Restaurant in Doral, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) hosted U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome Adams, Lieutenant Governor Jeannette Nuñez, and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez to announce a partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to distribute nearly one million reusable cloth masks to restaurant and hotel workers across Florida.

“Protecting our employees and guests is our top priority,” said Carlos Gazitua, President of Sergio’s Family Restaurants and Executive Board Member of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “We are incredibly grateful to Surgeon General Jerome Adams and HHS for donating these masks to our workers and to Lieutenant Governor Nuñez and Mayor Gimenez for participating today to bring awareness to these important efforts.”

“FRLA is so proud to partner with the HHS and the Surgeon General to distribute these masks to our great hospitality team members across Florida,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “I want to acknowledge Carlos Gazitua for his efforts to coordinate this critical partnership and thank Lt. Governor Nuñez, Governor DeSantis, and Mayor Gimenez for their leadership and efforts to keep our state and our businesses operating safely.”

As a follow-up to the event today, masks will be distributed regionally across the state. Distribution event dates and locations are forthcoming.

For more information, contact the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association at [email protected].

TALLAHASSEE –Today, the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA) announced the first 12 restaurants and hotels to achieve the FRLA Seal of Commitment, demonstrating their dedication to enhanced safety and sanitation practices. Establishments across Florida have achieved the Seal, with dozens more in progress, representing the statewide commitment of the hospitality industry to the health and safety of employees and guests.

Seal of Commitment Achievers:

Seaside Amelia Inn, an Innisfree hotel* (First Hotel Achiever)
Anna Maria Oyster Bar, Ellenton* (First Restaurant Achiever)
Okeechobee Steakhouse, West Palm Beach
Okeechobee Prime Meat Market, West Palm Beach
Grand Oaks Resort, Lady Lake
House of Leaf & Bean, Jacksonville
One Ocean Resort & Spa, Atlantic Beach
Don Juan’s Restaurant, Jacksonville
Shangri-La Springs/Harvest & Wisdom, Bonita Springs
Kyle G’s Prime Seafood & Steak, Jensen Beach
Burg’r Bar, Punta Gorda
Michael’s on East, Sarasota

“FRLA is incredibly proud to designate these establishments with our Seal of Commitment for their dedication to sanitation excellence,” said Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. “Through this achievement, they are prioritizing the safety and health of their employees and guests. We applaud them for their extraordinary efforts to go above and beyond to ensure cleanliness and safety while building consumer confidence. We encourage all of our wonderful hotels and restaurants to pursue the Seal of Commitment.”

“The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association and RCS have been performing safety and sanitation training for quite some time now,” said Olivia Hoblit, Regional Manager, Seaside Amelia Inn, Innisfree Hotels and first hotel Seal of Commitment achiever. “I am extremely pleased to see this additional program established. The safety of our guests and employees is our top priority. Receiving the Seal from FRLA gives our guests confidence that our business is sanitary, safe, and the staff is well trained. It plays a major role in our business and builds trust with our guests.”

“We wanted to be the first restaurant to receive the FRLA Seal of Commitment as we feel it is so important to not only talk the talk but walk the walk in keeping our restaurants safe and secure for our guests and our staff during these crazy times,” said John Horne, Owner and President, Anna Maria Oyster Bar. “Having the FRLA’s Seal behind us lets our guests know loud and clear that we are committed to everyone’s healthy return to our – and all – restaurants in Florida.”

Awarded establishments have invested considerable resources to ensure the establishment, staff, and guests remain safe and healthy. In a post COVID-19 atmosphere, when guests see an FRLA Seal of Commitment sticker on an establishment’s door, they can be confident that the business is committed to sanitation excellence and protecting employees and guests.

 To qualify for the FRLA Seal of Commitment, businesses must ensure that all managers have a current food manager certification, all employees have a current Florida food handler certificate, and all employees have completed the FRLA COVID-19 Sanitation & Safety Course. Additionally, establishments must meet specific sanitation standards outlined in the FRLA Seal of Commitment Guidelines. Once compliance with these guidelines is confirmed, FRLA will award the Seal of Commitment.

To learn more about the FRLA Seal of Commitment or to apply for designation, visit frla.org/sealofcommitment.

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Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, named Sergio’s Family Restaurant of Miami, FL as the U.S. Senate Small Business of the Week.

Rubio released the following video message to congratulate Sergio’s Restaurant as the Senate Small Business of the Week. A broadcast quality version can be found here.

“Hello, this is Senator Marco Rubio, I”m the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

“And today, I’m honoring one of my family’s favorites, Sergio’s Family Restaurant of Miami, Florida as the Senate Small Business of the Week.

“Since 1975, Sergio’s has served delicious, high-quality Cuban-American food

“And forty-five years later, this third generation family-owned small business has grown to include thirteen locations.

“Their professionalism, excellence, and community involvement has been recognized by local leaders and industry awards.

“Like many of Florida’s small businesses, Sergio’s Family Restaurant stepped up to support their community and advocate for small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.

“They donated thousands of meals to first responders, healthcare workers, and local families in need, as well as masks to local small businesses.

“A Paycheck Protection Program loan enabled Sergio’s Family Restaurant to keep their employees paid and adapt their business to follow all necessary public health procedures.

“So congratulations to one of my favorites, the entire team at Sergio’s Family Restaurant, on being named the Senate Small Business of the week!”

“I look forward to your continued success and service.”

As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Senator Rubio continues the tradition of honoring America’s small businesses and entrepreneurs. The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship oversees proposed legislation on matters relating to the Small Business Administration and investigates all problems relating to America’s small businesses.

~This pilot program will reduce wait time and expedite test results to symptomatic individuals~

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –  Today, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) announced that four state-supported drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites will begin offering separate, observed self-swab lanes to symptomatic individuals to reduce wait time at testing sites and to expedite their test results, beginning Friday, July 17.

This pilot program will begin at the following state-supported testing sites:

• War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale (Broward County)
• Regency Square Mall (Duval County)
• Orange County Convention Center (Orange County)
• Hard Rock Stadium (Miami-Dade County)

While appointments are not necessary to be tested, individuals going to the Orange County Convention Center and the Regency Square Mall sites can make an appointment at DoINeedACOVID19Test.com for their convenience. Appointments are not available at this time for self-swab testing at the Hard Rock Stadium or the War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale.

At the sites, symptomatic individuals will be directed to a separate lane for testing and will be provided an observed, self-swab test under the supervision of a health care professional.

Observed self-swab tests will be offered to those 5 and older with symptoms of COVID-19. Results from the self-swab test will be sent to a separate lab and will be available within 72 hours via e-mail. The Orange County Convention Center and the Hard Rock Stadium sites will be able to conduct up to 500 self-swabbing tests per day, the War Memorial Auditorium site will be able to conduct up to 1,000 self-swabbing tests per day and the Regency Square Mall site will be able to conduct up to 2,200 self-swabbing tests per day.

If the pilot program is successful, FDEM will expand this program to more state-run testing sites.

The state currently supports 50 COVID-testing sites across the state, with the capacity to conduct up to 29,000 tests per day. The state continues to expand testing capacity, in addition to supporting county-run testing efforts, to ensure all Floridians are able to receive a COVID-19 test. To date, state-supported testing sites has conducted more than 750,000 tests. A list of state-supported testing sites can be found here.

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TALLAHASSEE—Today, the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA) launched a new standard for hospitality safety and sanitation practices, the FRLA Seal of Commitment. The Seal of Commitment demonstrates that the establishment meets thorough safety and sanitation standards as designated by FRLA. Awarded establishments have invested considerable resources to ensure the establishment, staff, and guests remain safe and healthy. In a post COVID-19 atmosphere, when guests see an FRLA Seal of Commitment sticker on an establishment’s door, they can be confident that the business is sanitary and safe and the staff are well trained.

“Employee and guest safety is paramount for Florida’s hospitality industry,” said Carol Dover, FRLA President and CEO. “Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, our hotels and restaurants adhered to strict sanitation, food safety, and training guidelines. With the Seal of Commitment program, we have built on the foundation of those excellent standards to do even more to ensure cleanliness and safety and help build consumer confidence. Establishments can display their awarded Seal as a promise to guests of their strict adherence to these rigorous standards.”

To qualify for the FRLA Seal of Commitment, businesses must ensure that all managers have a current food manager certification, all employees have a current Florida food handler certificate, and all employees have completed the FRLA COVID-19 Sanitation & Safety Course. Additionally, establishments must meet specific sanitation standards outlined in the FRLA Seal of Commitment Guidelines. Once compliance with these guidelines is confirmed, FRLA will award the Seal of Commitment

To learn more about the FRLA Seal of Commitment or to apply for designation, visit frla.org/sealofcommitment.

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On July 1, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) released an Amended Emergency Order 2020-09 to amend and clarify operating restrictions for bars and restaurants set forth in Emergency Order 2020-09, which was issued on Friday, June 26.  This Order does not modify the exclusion of the South Florida counties who were not previously permitted to enter Phase 2 of Florida’s Re-Opening. Additional local restrictions may also apply.

The Amended order states the following:

For additional information, or to report violators of Emergency Order 2020-09, please contact the DBPR Customer Service Hotline at 850-487-1395.

FRLA has received numerous inquiries regarding DBPR Emergency Order 2020-09, which prohibits the on-premises consumption of alcohol at bars, effective Friday June 26, 2020.

It is FRLA’s understanding that Emergency Order 2020-09 does not alter provisions of Executive Order 20-139, section 4.A., effective June 5, 2020, which states in relevant part that “Restaurants and other establishments…may operate at fifty (50) percent of their indoor capacity, excluding employees, as under Executive order 20-123, Section 1. Bar areas may be open with seated service.”

THIS MEANS THAT RESTAURANT BAR AREAS ARE ALLOWED TO OPERATE AT 50% CAPACITY, WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING, AND SEATED SERVICE ONLY.

These two orders taken together mean SFS (Special Food Service) alcohol licensees, which must, as a condition of license, have sales greater than 50% in food and non-alcohol, remain status quo under EO 20-139, which allows bar top seating with proper party separation, social distancing, and occupancy restricted to 50%.

We caution that your local restrictions may supersede the above, and the overarching objective of EO 2020-09 is preventing crowds from gathering, which businesses have an obligation to actively control.

For additional information, or to report violators of Emergency Order 2020-09, please contact the DBPR Customer Service Hotline at 850-487-1395.

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BREAKING NEWS: Effective immediately, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) has suspended on premises consumption of alcohol at bars statewide.

On June 26,  DBPR issued Emergency Order 2020-09 prohibiting on-site consumption of alcohol for establishments who derive more than 50% of gross revenue from the sale of alcoholic beverages. Such vendors may continue to sell alcoholic beverages in sealed containers for consumption off-premises.

Restaurants may continue to operate for on-premises consumption of food and beverages at tables pursuant to the restrictions in Executive Order 20-139, so long as these vendors derive 50% or less gross revenue from the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption.

Read Emergency Order 2020-09 here.