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Visit Pensacola

 

Healthy Travel & Safety Information

Visit Pensacola, Inc. is actively monitoring the COVID-19 situation and remains in close communication and coordination with Escambia County, City of Pensacola, Visit Florida and state officials. We are committed to keeping our visitors, partners and stakeholders informed of the latest updates and to follow the guidelines from these agencies and local departments.

Area tourism partners, residents, and visitors are encouraged to take any appropriate preventative measures. The federal government has not recommended limiting domestic travel.

Visit Pensacola Official Updates

Escambia County Beaches

The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners voted to temporarily close public beaches (sound side and Gulf side, Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key) until the next Board of County Commission meeting on April 2. This action will be reevaluated at that time. This includes public beach areas, public beach access ways and public beachfront parks. Boat ramps, the fishing pier and the Bob Sikes fishing bridge will remain open to the public. The Pensacola Beach toll booths will be closed, and all tolls will be electronic, via SunPass or toll by plate effective immediately.

Several restaurants on the beaches are serving food for pick-up or delivery.

Restaurants

Governor DeSantis has directed all restaurants and food establishments within the State of Florida to suspend on-premises food and alcohol consumption for customers. The establishments may, however, operate their kitchens to provide delivery or take-out services. Also, restaurants are now allowed to sell packaged alcohol to go with food that is a pick-up or delivered.

Bars & Nightclubs

Bars and nightclubs in Escambia County and the City of Pensacola are closed per an executive order from Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Visitor Information Centers

The Visit Pensacola visitor centers (Pensacola and Perdido Key) will function as virtual offices until further notice. Our team will be available by phone and email and will continue to provide the latest COVID-19 information and resources to help keep the traveling public informed. We continue to ask that all stakeholders and partners, communicate what they are experiencing so we can best track and report the impact on our area.

The Pensacola Beach visitor center is also functioning as a virtual office. The office staff will be available via phone and email. However, the office will be closed to the public until further notice.

Resources

For more detailed information, we recommend contacting the Florida Health Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), or the Escambia County Health Department at 850-595-6500.

Resources for Businesses

Small Business Bridge Loans

On March 16, Governor Ron DeSantis activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program to support small businesses impacted by COVID-19. The bridge loan program, managed by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), provides short-term, interest-free loans to small businesses that experienced economic injury from COVID-19. Click here for more information.

SBDC Grant Program Funded by Gulf Power Available to Small Businesses

The Small Business Development Center at UWF has launched the Northwest Florida Small Business COVID-19 Recovery Grant Program to assist businesses across our communities impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The grant program was made possible by an initial contribution of $250,000 from Gulf Power Company through its economic development fund.
 
One important distinction to note is that this is a grant program versus a loan, which means that if approved, a small business will not need to pay back this assistance.
 
Business eligibility requirements include:

  • Between 2-10 employees
  • An ability to demonstrate at least 25% sales reduction due to the effects of COVID-19
  • Must be a for-profit, privately held small business established before January 1st, 2019

 Businesses must be located in one of the following eligible counties, Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Jackson, Washington, Calhoun, or Bay.
 
For assistance in filling out the application, contact the SBDC at UWF at (850) 586-7802 or email ahaider@uwf.edu.

Damage Assessment Survey

Governor Ron DeSantis has activated the Business Damage Assessment survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 on Florida’s local business operations. The survey, managed by 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. The survey can be taken online at www.floridadisaster.biz.

Reemployment Assistance

Governor DeSantis has reminded Floridians that if their employment has been negatively impacted because of mitigation efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, these Floridians may be eligible to receive Reemployment Assistance. Click here for more information.