Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Utility Billing payments can be made by:

• Regular mail
  City of Margate
  PO Box 30318
  Tampa, FL 33630-3318
• Parking lot drop box (901 NW 66th Avenue)
• Online payments: https://eservices.margatefl.com/Click2GovCXP/index.html  
• AMSCOT: 670 N. State Road 7
  Open 24/7. There is NO FEE for payments at AMSCOT for the duration of this event. 

Cash and in-person payments at the DEES building are suspended until further notice.

New to Margate?

If you purchased a new house, please email the signed settlement statement and photo identification to waterbills@margatefl.com. A new account will be opened and an email will be sent with the account number, instruction on how to pay the deposit and useful information regarding water, sewer and garbage service.

If you are renting, please email a signed copy of the lease to waterbills@margatefl.com.

• The staff of the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) realize that the COVID-19 pandemic can strain existing food resources, especially for our senior population. If you are a senior, 60 years or older, please call ADRC (M-F, 8am-5pm) at (954) 745-9779 for more information or visit adrcbroward.org. Aging and Disability Resources of Broward (ADRC) at adrcbroward.org
• Department of Health in Broward County at 954-412-7300
• Florida Department of Elder Affairs: COVID-19 Call Center is available 24/7 | 866-779-6121 |  Covid-19@flhealth.gov
• If you are currently not the recipient of any meal programs and are experiencing a food shortage, you can call the Elder Helpline at 954.745.9779 for assistance.
• AARP Town Hall – Web-based or Call-in Information: https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2020/tele-town-hall-coronavirus.html?intcmp=ALRT-VIRUS-TOWN-HALL
• AHCA Guidance regarding Nursing Home/ALF Restrictions: https://www.fhca.org/facility_operations/ahca_covid_emergency_order_faqs
• Coronavirus-specific Consumer Scam Alert: http://www.myfloridalegal.com/newsrel.nsf/newsreleases/DDE8965546C4337E8525852D005583E9
• U.S. Census Consumer Scam Alert: http://www.myfloridalegal.com/newsrel.nsf/newsreleases/9B1D596BB3DACE9B852585120056D578?Open&
• The Northwest Focal Point Senior Center is closed until further notice.

Essential Operations Plan and Closure of Public Facilities

As of March 19, 2020   4:00PM

Effective Wednesday, March 18, 2020 City Operations implemented an Essential Operations Plan. Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines presently suggest canceling events/activities with 50 or more people. These guidelines are being updated periodically, with some suggestions to limit gatherings to no more than 10 or more.

Essential Operations Plan

Purpose The purpose of this Essential Operations Plan is to maintain the continuity of City services while facilitating measured social distancing recommendations. It is not intended for this plan to be solidified as it is expected for essential operations and directives to be flexible and change according to the conditions of the event.

The Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) poses a health risk to the City of Margate (the “City”) residents. Accordingly, a Declaration of a State of Emergency was declared by the Governor (Executive Order 20-52) and in the City on March 12, 2020. The City’s declaration has expired. The City is operating under the Governor’s Executive Orders. Pursuant to Section 33-7(d) of the City Code of Ordinances, the City Manager is authorized to issue orders in furtherance of the Declaration.

Work Schedules The City will continue normal operations during the current public health situation, subject to changing circumstances. The City is implementing certain procedures to comply with the Governor’s directive on social distancing. These procedures will include telework, staggered scheduling, a combination of these, and possible other measures. Employees will work their normal schedules and be compensated in the normal way. Although employees may be working remotely, they still must be performing the duties they are assigned and be available to communicate with their supervisors and managers during normal working hours. Normal leave procedures will apply. Any issues that may interfere with an employee’s ability to work remotely will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Police and Fire Rescue Emergency Services will operate normally.

Water and sewer treatment services will operate normally.

City Hall will be open for staff, but will remain closed to the public effective the start of business Thursday, March 19, 2020 and until further notice.

DEES/Building/Development Services Departments will be open for staff, but will remain closed to the public effective the start of business Wednesday, March 18, 2020 and until further notice.

Commission Meetings after March 18th will be postponed until further notice.

Special Commission Meetings will be called as necessary.

Board/DRC/Special Magistrate/P&Z, BofA Meetings are postponed until further notice.

Administrative staffing at all City departments will be operating with staggered shifts, approved leave, and/or telecommuting to facilitate social distancing. Essential personnel of each department are being provided with appropriate technology so they can work from home as needed.

Staff may be answering calls remotely, but the intention is to maintain a line of communication between the community and City under normal operating hours. During this time the caller may be asked to leave a message and call back number as the applicable department representative may not be immediately available.

Parks will be closed effective end of day March 19, 2020, and until further notice to comply with the Governor’s orders of social distancing.

Utility Billing will be restricted to making payments by regular mail, the parking lot drop box, online payments or at AMSCOT (assuming they remain open) We are waiving the AMSCOT fee for the duration of this event. Cash and in-person payments at the DEES building are suspended until further notice. Utility Billing administrative staff will be operating with staggered shifts, approved leave, and/or telecommuting to facilitate social distancing. All service disconnections will be suspended until further notice. Staff is preparing options for extended payment plans on a case by case basis.

Public Works and Parks and Recreation will be operating with staggered shifts, approved leave, and/or telecommuting to facilitate social distancing.

Building and Development Services Departments may be operating with staggered shifts, approved leave, and/or telecommuting to facilitate social distancing. Appointments for service, permit applications, plan reviews, inspections will be required until further notice. Inspections will be limited to commercial and emergency only. DSD is putting together a business outreach program designed to provide guidance and resources to small businesses that are effected by COVID-19.

Solid waste and recycling services will operate as scheduled.

Finance, Budget and Purchasing will be operating with staggered shifts, approved leave, and/or telecommuting to facilitate social distancing.

Clerk’s Office will be operating with staggered shifts, approved leave, and/or telecommuting to facilitate social distancing.

City Attorney’s Office will be operating with staggered shifts, approved leave, and/or telecommuting to facilitate social distancing.

Temporary Use Permits have been suspended until further notice.

Organized Sports Leagues are postponed until further notice.

City Events are canceled/postponed until further notice.

Facility Rentals are canceled until further notice.

Restaurants and Bars Per Governor Ron DeSantis Executive Order 20-71, temporarily suspending all dining in and consumption of alcohol at restaurants in the state of Florida.  

All other businesses and establishments Governor Ron DeSantis has issued an Executive Order 20-70 to close “all movie theaters, concert houses, auditoriums, playhouses, bowling alleys, arcades, gymnasiums, fitness studios and beaches to close in Broward County and Palm Beach County.”  All non-essential businesses are ordered closed by the Governor.

EVENT CANCELLATION:
Your safety and health and those of our employees are our primary concerns, and although we do not have any confirmed cases of coronavirus in the City, we want to take all preemptive measures to keep the risk of community spread to a minimum. Therefore, we have decided to cancel ALL upcoming events until further notice.

SENIOR CENTER CLOSED:
The Northwest Focal Point Senior Center in Margate is closed (effective immediately) until further notice for the safety and well-being of our most vulnerable population.

MARGATE CATHARINE YOUNG LIBRARY:
The Margate Catharine Young Branch Library is closed until further notice.

RESTAURANTS
Per Governor Ron DeSantis Order 20-68 restaurants and bars shall conform to the following:

• Limit customer entry to 50% of capacity.
• Stagger and limit seating to ensure seated parties are separated by a distance of at least 6 feet.
• Encourage restaurants to continue and expand take-out and delivery services.
• Screen all employees and prohibit entry for employees that answer “yes” to any of the following questions:
  • Have you returned from international travel or been on a cruise within the last 14 days?
  • Have you been in contact with anyone who has returned from international travel or been on a cruise within the last 14 days?
  • Have you been in any gathering of 50 people or more in the last 14 days?
  • Have you traveled to any area known to have high numbers of positive cases of COVID-19, including but not limited to California, Washington, New York, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.?
  • Have you experienced signs or symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, cough or shortness of breath?

BARS
Suspend all sale of alcoholic beverages for thirty days, effective 5:00PM, March 17, 2020.

ORGANIZED SPORTS LEAGUES
All organized sports leagues are postponed until further notice.

FACILITY RENTALS 
All facility rentals are canceled until further notice.

Practice everyday preventive actions to help reduce your risk of getting sick and remind everyone in your home to do the same. These actions are especially important for older adults and people who have severe chronic medical conditions:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and throw the tissue in the trash.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects
  (e.g., tables, countertops, light switches, doorknobs, and cabinet handles).

Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.  If surfaces are dirty, clean them using detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection. To disinfect, most common EPA-registered household disinfectants will work. See CDC’s recommendations for household cleaning and disinfection.

In an effort to connect the Margate business community with the latest information and resources available from the Governor’s office and the Department of Health, the City of Margate has compiled important contact information for accessing disaster recovery funding as well as business guides to help navigate through the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.

Updates from Governor Ron DeSantis (March 17, 2020):

• Governor Ron DeSantis activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program to support small businesses impacted by COVID-19. The bridge loan program will provide short-term, interest-free loans to small businesses that experienced economic injury from COVID-19.

The application period starts March 17, 2020 and runs through May 8, 2020. More information is at FloridaDisasterLoan.org

• Florida Department of Health (FDOH) Guidance for Business
  • FDOH COVID-19 Toolkit
  • Questions? Call 866-799-6121 or email COVID-19@flhealth.gov. The call center is available 24/7.
    
• Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) Guidance for Business
  • Damage Assessment Survey
    • For inquiries or assistance with the survey, contact Emergency Support Function 18 at ESF18@em.myflorida.com
• Financial Assistance for Businesses
  • Funding Programs
  • Disaster Loans

• Please take a moment to complete the State of Florida Business Damage Assessment survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 on Florida’s local business operations. The survey, managed by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), will evaluate businesses affected by COVID-19 and the impacts the virus has had on the local economy so actions to implement appropriate relief programs can begin: https://floridadisaster.biz/

The most up-to-date information can be found on the Office of Economic & Small Business Development website, www.Broward.org/EconDev, and Broward.org/Coronavirus.

As always, we are here to serve the businesses in this time of need; please do not hesitate to contact Paul Robinson at: probinson@margatefl.com or 954-884-3687 with any questions.

APRIL 1, 2020: Governor Ron DeSantis has ordered a statewide Safer at Home Order to help slow the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) until April 30th. Read the Governor’s Order here.

MARCH 27, 2020: The Broward County City Managers’ Association (BCCMA) has coordinated an effort to have each town and municipality in Broward County issue a joint Safer-at-Home Order to complement Broward County Order 20-03 directing a Shelter-in-Place: Safer at Home Policy. These additional Orders will augment the County’s Order by providing more specific details including a remain-at-home requirement.  Read the City of Margate’s Emergency Order here. 
Click here to read the BCCMA press release.

MARCH 23, 2020: Broward County has issued Emergency Order 20-01, closing all non-essential retail and commercial business locations in incorporated and unincorporated Broward County. The closure took effect at 12:01AM today, Monday, March 23. The following will not be affected and are directed to remain open: healthcare providers and equipment suppliers, doctor’s offices and urgent care centers, mental health professionals, home health care service providers, grocery stores and pharmacies, businesses that provide food, shelter, social services and other necessities for economically disadvantaged or otherwise needy individuals, banks, gas stations and media. Read the Broward County Order.

MARCH 20, 2020: Governor Ron DeSantis has issued an Executive Order 20-70 to close “all movie theaters, concert houses, auditoriums, playhouses, bowling alleys, arcades, gymnasiums, fitness studios and beaches to close in Broward County and Palm Beach County.” The order lasts until March 31.  

 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has issued Executive Order 20-71, temporarily suspending all dining in and consumption of alcohol at restaurants in the state of Florida.