In the immediate aftermath, major airlines continue to lose profits, industry unemployment has soared, some planes are flying with mostly empty seats and smaller carriers have halted operations altogether.
South Florida airports receive $340 million for COVID-19 relief
Business
The CARES Act provides emergency relief funding
Penny Dickerson
Miami International Airport officials will use the grant to support the airport’s ongoing facilitation of essential travel and trade, and to prepare the global gateway to resume full operations as one of America’s leading passenger and cargo hubs.
Emergency measures to restore industry viability were expeditiously taken, and the CARES Act was signed on March 27 which allocated $10 billion in emergency aviation relief funding.
The Federal Aviation Administration followed with an announcement that nearly $1 billion of those relief funds will be distributed to airports located within the state of Florida, and Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson has ensured that more than $340M will be distributed to South Florida airports in her 24th congressional district.
“I am pleased that seven local airports will receive financial assistance to help make up for lost revenue and to continue operations that have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Congresswoman Wilson, who sits on the House transportation and infrastructure committee.
“Miami is a popular tourist destination and the aviation industry is critical to our local economy. Ensuring that our airports have the funding to continue operating and preserve jobs is imperative.”
Miami International Airport was awarded $207 million in funding, making MIA the largest grant recipient among all airports in Florida. MIA officials will use the grant to support the airport’s ongoing facilitation of essential travel and trade and to prepare the global gateway to resume full operations as one of America’s leading passenger and cargo hubs.
“We are extremely pleased with the $207 million in relief funding for MIA,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “I appreciate the federal government for recognizing MIA’s critical role as the busiest international gateway in Florida and the third busiest in the nation. This aid will certainly help our County’s largest economic engine, which supports one out of every five jobs locally, make a speedier return to normal operations after the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic subside.”
Gimenez recently came to the defense of MIA when City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez petitioned President Trump in a letter that asked for, “a ban on flights coming into MIA from international and domestic coronavirus hot spots.”
Suarez, who tested positive for COVID-19 in March, was making an effort to mitigate the widespread coronavirus. Suarez has since recovered from the virus and received negative test results. In response, Gimenez issued the following in a report to Local 10 news:
“MIA is Miami-Dade County and our airport director has already written a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and probably to The White House itself saying please disregard the letter. MIA and the flights in and out of MIA are vital to Miami-Dade County. MIA is one of the few pharmacy centers, pharm hubs, in the world, a lot of medicines fly in the bellies of those passenger airliners,” Gimenez said.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the CARES Act funding will support continuing operations and replace lost revenue resulting from the sharp decline in passenger traffic and other airport business due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The funds are available for airport capital expenditures, airport operating expenses including payroll and utilities, and airport debt payments.
“The CARES Act funding, coupled with the financial relief plan approved by the Board of County Commissioners this month for our airport business partners, provides much-needed support for MIA to continue serving as the leading economic engine for our community,” said Lester Sola, MIA CEO and director.
“As we maintain our passenger and cargo operations and prepare for travel demand to return, these monies will aid us in developing new protocols and facility renovations designed to enhance the travel experience and improve employee safety.”
The complete list of airports in District 24 receiving funding under the CARES Act are:
Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport $157,000; Hollywood North Perry Airport $69,000; Miami International Airport $206,949,557; Miami Seaplane Base $20,000; Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport $157,000 ; Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport $134,958,902 ; Miami Executive Airport $69,000.
For more information about MIA’s response to COVID-19, visit MIA’s website.
Two sides of homeless plight in the wake of COVID-19
A two-sided fight may cost the vulnerable a win
Penny Dickerson, managing editor
Miami Times photo/Gregory Reed
“My job is to guard the money and stretch it as far as any rubber band. I am cheap and frugal, but I refused an offer of 2,000 rapid antibody tests because it is not FDA approved. Everything Dr. Henderson is saying about me is a lie.”
-Ron L. Book, Esq.,
Chair of the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust
Book oversees a $68.5M budget to implement the homeless plan
Ron L. Book, Esq. is arguably misunderstood. Raised in North Miami, the former track star studied law at Tulane University and is now over 60 years old and a voluminous presence. He has triumphed cancer and says he is “the poster child for the immunocompromised.” He has not been tested for coronavirus, but is ensuring that his approximate, 165 sheltered-seniors and 476 staff are able to access COVID-19 testing.
Book has reigned as a community leader representing the underserved for 25 years and is current chair of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust. The position holds him accountable for overseeing a reported $68.5M budget to implement the county’s homeless plan. He is an avid storyteller who wields words with speed, but Book admits his entire world stopped when he learned one of the Trust’s “own” had died.
“I publicly cried most of the day Saturday,” Book told The Miami Times in an exclusive interview on Sunday, April 19. “We thought we were past the peak one week ago and had made it without losing any of our homeless people. I received a call from my staff at about 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. and was just devastated.”
Pandemic planning
According to Book, the deceased male had underlying health issues including “serious diabetes,” and when it was discovered a male in the public-private partner, Chapman Partnership male dorm tested positive, every known Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention protocol along with mandates provided by the Florida Dept. of Health and division of emergency management.
“We started negotiating four or five weeks ago with hotels to make sure we had shelter reserved if we needed it,” said Book. “We know you can’t just snap your fingers and make things happen if the need arises and you need to evacuate hundreds of people, so we’ve been planning ahead since the pandemic’s onset.”
That planning began mid-March with the dissemination of information on social distancing and the threat of coronavirus in English, Spanish and Creole to as many of the 1,024 homeless individuals who dwell outdoors in the county that could be reached. Families and individuals at the Salvation Army, Lotus House, Camilus House, Chatman Partnership and beyond were, too, included and given masks, gloves and hand sanitizer.
Hands-on, street testing
Who launched an initiative to test the homeless and the preferred methodology remains a debate, but Book said he was on the street with his Project Lazarus and Camilus House team last week.
“I wasn’t satisfied with the pace. Why in a five hour period, could we only complete seven or eight tests?” Book wondered. “In one day, we still only did 20 tests, and the main reason is that it takes a great deal of time to convince a homeless person to take the test, complete paperwork and acquire signatures. I have begged, and they shake their heads and say, ‘I don’t wanna. I don’t wanna.’”
According to Book, testing is ongoing with more than 3,500 more swab kits on order. The culmination of much of Book’s efforts are marked in the Trust negotiating a contract with Dunns-Josephine Hotel to house clients who have been tested and need to remain quarantined pending results.
“The last guy I touched was a 77-year-old man who lives in the underpass of Jose Marti Park,” said Book. “He tested, but then refused to accept a hotel room.
That’s not uncommon and people don’t factor those situations into the equation when seeking to understand the Trust’s dilemma.”
“People’s perception of the homeless is jaded, discriminatory and unfair. We are grateful, humble and appreciative to be here.”
-Metris Batts-Coley, sales and marketing director, Dunns-Josephine Hotel.
Black-owned business bridges the gap
Historic Overtown welcomed Dunns-Josephine Hotel to the neighborhood in December of 2019. The Harlem Renaissance-themed bread and breakfast is adjacent to cruise ports and the airport with 50% of the clientele being international travelers.
It is also situated blocks from tent city occupied by the homeless community, their new clientele. Owner Kristen Kitchen and the Miami Dade County Homeless Trust have engaged a contract to assist the greater good.
COVID-19 contract with Homeless Trust
The Miami Times reported April 1 that the business first experienced pandemic-related occupancy following the cancellation of the Miami Gardens Jazz in the Gardens music festival scheduled March 13-15.
Kitchens was quoted to have said, “We had 42 cancellations in 24 hours that weekend…it was a train wreck you couldn’t stop.” The Dunns-Josephine is one of few, local Black-owned businesses who have experienced an economic reprieve during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We signed an initial, one-month contract on March 25 for $32,000,” Metris Batts-Coley told The Miami Times April 18. “The room rate is $76 and our maximum occupancy is 15 rooms in a two-story dwelling. The Southside of the second story, houses eight rooms and opens up to a breeze way that allows clients to smoke.”
Book said he entered negotiations for the short haul, but expects he may have to extend to meet needs.
“We need to ensure that people have access to housing during the testing period and beyond,” Book said. “I am guessing the contract will last 60-90 days or longer.”
Public health expertise
Batts-Coley earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing from Johnson & Wales University and met Kitchen through economic development circles. But her background in public health proved to be the link need to successfully collaborate and meet a critical need during an unexpected pandemic.
“I was the HIV/AIDS minority coordinator for Palm Beach County,” Batts-Coley said. “I have worked for Catalyst Miami, and I am rooted in continuum care. To pull this off, I didn’t solicit the help of residential workers, but rather those in behavior health who had been furloughed or laid off.”
An expertise in protocol development helped Batts-Coley transition the hotel to emergency accommodations where social distancing and all CDC guidelines were followed. A television, Netflix and Wifi are also provided in each room along with a coffee pot, microwave and refrigerator.
“We are not offering a hotel experience, this is isolation. The clients who come here are quarantined until their test status is known,” Batts-Coley explained. “There is no room service or turn-down. Rooms formerly named Josephine Baker, Marcus Garvey and Zora Neale Hurston now have numbers and clients who check in are from Chapman, Lotus or various shelters and arrive with masks and gloves, but we also have N95 masks and bleach cleaning.”
“Ron Book is a prison lobbyist. I am a doctor not funded by the Trust nor am I afraid of Book’s power. During this pandemic, I felt compelled to do more.” -Dr. Armen Henderson
Henderson was handcuffed last week– now, his work continues
Armen Henderson became an unwitting media darling the week of April 13 when he made national headlines for being racially profiled. He was handcuffed in front of his own home while his wife and two young children sat nearby. A city of Miami police officer suspected Henderson of dumping trash. He was actually loading tents to distribute to the homeless as part of his ongoing street advocacy.
Henderson also offered The Miami Times an exclusive interview on Sunday, April 19 and made clear he was more than a Black man in handcuffs and a headline. And don’t let the baby face fool you. The 34-year-old Philadelphia native is a graduate of the city’s renowned Central high school and excelled at hoops as a Mansfield University undergraduate. Meharry medical college followed along with a residency at Jackson South where he currently practices as a licensed physician of internal medicine through the University of Miami Health System.
Verbal handshake to backtracking
“On March 20th, my friend Mario Bailey, who is a Tallahassee lobbyist and familiar with my community work, encouraged me to reach out to Ron Book,” Henderson said. “I was then referred to Vickie Mallette, executive director of the Homeless Trust. I told her I was going to start testing the homeless and she said, ‘Great! Let me know if any test positive and we’ll house them in hotels.’”
“Vickie seemed amenable, but two days later when I identified symptomatic homeless people needing quarantine according to CDC guidelines, the conversation ended. She said they didn’t have any hotel rooms,” Henderson explained.
Henderson is an experienced street soldier in disaster management whose training includes three stints in Haiti and working stateside following hurricane Irma. His alliance of cohorts includes the Dream Defenders, New Florida Majority, Smile Trust and Dade County Street Response Disaster Relief team.
An evolution of distrust ensued that included Mallette allegedly reporting Henderson to the Florida Dept. of Health. Brought into question was both his medical credentials and who approved him to pursue county testing? That was March 22 and while Henderson provided text messages, The Miami Times reached out directly to Mallette.
In a statement provided to The Miami Times April 21, The M Network provided the following on behalf of the Homeless Trust: “Thank you for reaching out to the Trust for a comment. We really do appreciate it, however, at this critical point in time, opening up this conversation does nothing to advance efforts to serve homeless individuals in Miami-Dade. No one benefits.”
Public demand for change
On Friday, April 17, Henderson was front and center at lot 15 of the Miami Parking Authority where he held a press conference in conjunction with community organizers, clergy and medical providers.
His call for action was the very charge Book claims he has championed all along. According to the press release, Henderson is calling for Book and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez to take immediate action and announce an expansion of the group’s efforts to provide resources to Miami’s homeless community.
“We wouldn’t be out here if the Homeless Trust, which receives millions of dollars in tax revenue every year, we’re doing what needs to be done to protect the homeless,” said Henderson who dually serves as director of health program for the Dream Defenders.
“Chairman Ron Book has left our most vulnerable communities out on the streets, without testing them, without giving them a place to shelter, wash and eat. This negligence is putting our entire city at risk in the face of the pandemic. The way I was racially profiled and arrested on Saturday is business as usual in Miami Dade County. Their response to a pandemic in our communities is to criminalize, rather than protect, the most vulnerable, especially poor, Black people.”
Henderson is equally advocating for what he deems unwarranted and exorbitant arrests of homeless people in the county, an activity he believes is directly related to Book’s lobbyist activity on behalf of the for-profit prison company, the GEO group.
“In my public data search of Miami-Dade jail bookings between March 12, which was the start of the emergency pandemic period, and April 18, there were 264 arrests where the address is listed as homeless, that’s out of 2,708 entries,” Henderson told The Miami Times. “That’s 9.75% of all arrests and 21 of those entries were second and third arrests for the same person. So, in reality, 243 homeless individuals have faced arrest since this pandemic began.”
Henderson is passionate in his quest to seek resolve and it is his belief that the Trust just started testing the homeless “three days ago,” indicating they launched April 16.
“We should all be working together, but the Trust could be doing more,” Henderson said. “I want to get everybody who wants to be off the streets, off the streets, and now that we have Ron Book’s attention, he can do more too.”
Penny Dickerson; Managing Editor
Penny Dickerson is a journalist joining The Miami Times following an Africa sojourn and 10-year freelance career in newspaper and magazine. She earned her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Lesley University, and Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Temple University.
Frankie Beverly’s Amazing Career
March 25, 2014
Frankie Beverly Talks 38 Years of Maze [INTERVIEW]
The voice behind every Black picnic, BBQ and wedding of the past four decades discusses the longevity of Maze
The one, the only Mr. Frankie Beverly
He’s the sing-and-sweat powerhouse who personified all-white sexy before Diddy anointed the Hamptons. He’s the stylin’ lady magnet who catapulted the baseball cap as much as the hip-hop movement. And he’s amazing—world-renowned and still selling out world venues with the Maze sextet right behind him.
RELATED: [VINTAGE VISION] MARVIN GAYE GETS IT ON
An inside glimpse reveals a man whose conversation feels familiar without flirtation, save for an occasional “honey” or “sweetie” to segue thoughts. But Frankie Beverly is California cool, a tempered spirit; just an ordinary guy from Philadelphia who turned a “doo-wop” dream into a mind-blowing career.
Beverly’s Beginnings
Born Howard Beverly, the future Frankie Beverly harbored so much love for heartthrob Frankie Lymon that he jacked his name. “I was Frankie Lymon crazy when he came on the scene,” he admits. “People would call me ‘Little Frankie.’ I used to sing Frankie Lymon songs on street corners and people use to throw me money.”
The labyrinth to stardom is a story told over and over, and shared by many in Beverly’s era. In Frankie’s case, church singing transitioned to a teen group called The Butlers, which musically morphed into Frankie Beverly’s Raw Soul. The big break came when the one and only Marvin Gaye made the band his opening act with a single stipulation: change the name. That nudge originated the moniker that stuck: Maze.
Now Beverly is 67, and the Maze’s “raw soul” identity is more frequently marketed as urban contemporary soul. Their loyal fan base is trained to expect timeless music, as Frankie leads “Joy and Pain” and “The Morning After” jam sessions. Both tunes are legendary for making grown women (and some men) straight scream.
Gratitude, God, but no Grammy
Gratitude and humility seem to precede any and all Frankie Beverly motives, and no one is more surprised by his career than the man who made “Happy Feelings” an anthem long before Bobby McFerrin or Pharrell Williams whistled hits.
“I am most amazed by the success of our longevity,” says Beverly. “I never, ever, ever thought it would be like this. I’m laid back, and I know music is a gift given to me to initiate, and I take that serious. I thank God I have people around me I can trust, they’ve been with me for 30 to 40 years. It’s a real blessing.”
Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, ‘Joy and Pain’
Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, ‘Joy and Pain’
Despite an amassed catalogue of classics, the Maze featuring Frankie Beverly Grammy Award remains elusive, but it’s an industry snub Beverly takes in stride. “The love the people give us is most amazing,” he offers. “I don’t care about no Grammys. It’s about the reward, not the award. I walk around on my knees I’m so thankful.”
Sam Cooke—Still His Main Man
Does Frankie Beverly meditate? Yes. Does he work out to stay in shape? Negative. He claims no special fitness regime and cites the stage as his ultimate workout. Beverly also hasn’t eaten red meat in 35 years—occasionally chicken, and fish “for protein.”
A high-octane schedule defines Beverly’s existence, so what (if anything) does he listen to for slowing down his internal metronome?
“I don’t really play a lot of music, believe it or not. And when I do, I prefer jazz,” said Beverly, who reiterated a preference for the standards. “I like smooth jazz too, but Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, those guys really still do it for me. At this time in my life, jazz does it. I tell you who I really like is Chris Botti. His music is very nice. But I still like listening to Sam Cooke.”
The late Cooke remains Beverly’s lifelong inspiration. “We were at Philly’s Uptown Theatre trying to get his autograph. [I] said, ‘Mr. Cooke, Mr. Cooke, can you sign mine?’ He said, ‘Have you guys ever been backstage? Well, come on!’ ” The story is credited for Beverly’s own generosity. “I don’t turn people down. I always think of Sam Cooke and how kind and patient he was. He didn’t have to do that for us.”
Beverly on Beyoncé
Frankie Beverly has a simple message for today’s musicians: get back to basics.
“You have to still go back. It’s hard for today’s industry. Studios can’t get business; people are using machines. No matter how much money is at stake, people still want the ‘real deal.’ I want today’s music acts to return to the real deal. No mixing, no machines.”
Black women nationwide owe Beverly a bevy of thanks for time-honored respect. But for the music industry’s hardest working and wealthiest woman, he offers a profitable prediction: “I think Beyoncé is ready to take her next step, and I tell you what I mean by that. She can really sing, but I would like to see her show her skills. I mean, she’s a mom and a wife now. So I’d love to hear her record Christmas carols or perform live with an orchestra… just sing.”
New Music from Maze
A wisdom grin and goatee with gray sprouts are a welcome presence for Beverly, who resides in California’s Bay Area and is “grandpa swaggadocious” to three precocious grand fans he insists “use and abuse him.” Mention retirement and he balks.
“I hope not,” he says. “Something would have to be wrong [with me]. I just want to keep on doing this until I can’t do it anymore.” And he doesn’t plan to stop. But will the eternal performer’s career be complemented by new music?
“I’ve been thinking about it, but ya know, we are a working act,” he says. “It’s not like I can tour and come home. I can’t make great music that way. Back when it was the Kool Jazz and Budweiser Festivals, we could work three months and then take time off to go into the studio. But we aren’t going to piecemeal making music.”
Beverly vows the new music will still be love music—life music— and that he and Maze aren’t going to stray from what they’ve been doing.
“I’m tickled about a new piece on the album titled ‘The Jam of My Life’,” Beverly shared with a sinister snicker. “You meet someone, but you’re already with someone. I know about that all too well, and athletes and these young musicians—or the average person who just has a lot to do—they know these situations all well too.”
We Are One
Maze featuring Frankie Beverly has unified the masses with a legion of hits, but the single closest to Beverly’s heart is 1983’s “We Are One.” No explanation is needed. Still, he offers this: “It’s true. If you are lucky enough to travel around the world, you’ll find we’re all the same and want the same thing: love! People for the most part are good. If not, we would have torn the world apart by now. I’ve learned to not be racist in my life. Our White brothers are our brothers too, and I’m not trying to be some kind of love guru or anything. We are the same.”
Penny Dickerson is a Florida-based journalist whose work can be viewed at pennydickersonwrites.com
Black-owned businesses remain resilient and strong during crisis
Three Miami entrepreneurs navigate the COVID-19 crisis Penny Dickerson
Ernisha Randolph, center, is owner of Shuckin’ and Jivin’ restaurant in Opa-locka where take-out and delivery help sustain a business.
But the coronavirus pandemic emerged and canceled it all.
Randolph had to surrender to a state-operated venue followed by brutal financial blows. Her challenges are shared by small business owners like Ed Haynes, founder/owner of Haynes Security Services, Inc., and Shawna Pointville, CEO of Excel Kids Academy.
Collectively, they are South Florida entrepreneurs who once thrived, but are now challenged due to coronavirus. They suffer dual indemnity as Black-owned businesses are neither prepared to endure nor equipped with the reserves to survive the sudden crisis.
A March 19 survey by Goldman Sachs revealed, that 50% of 1500 small businesses polled said they didn’t think they could continue operating for more than three months amid current conditions caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
These Black-owned business owners told The Miami Times how they’ve combined community resources, innovation, and fortitude to help them navigate the pandemic.
RANDOLPH AND RESTAURANTS
On March 15, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency followed by a succession of mandates hurled furious and fast. The straightforward language reinforced that DeSantis was neither shuckin’ nor jivin’.
But two days later on March 17, DeSantis issued an executive order to mitigate the coronavirus spread. Florida restaurants were required to limit customer entry to 50 percent capacity, stagger seating and keep parties separated by a distance of at least six feet, in accordance with CDC guidelines. They were encouraged to remain open and expand take-out/delivery services.
The restaurant industry had been essentially shut down. Some establishments experienced immediate layoffs; most continue to suffer economic hardship; many have simply closed.
DeSantis signed his latest executive order Monday, March 30, extending the timeline before Southeast Florida could return to normalcy through the “middle of May.” Before the close of business the same day, he recanted saying he, “misspoke.” The shutdown will end on April 15.
“This is getting really real,” responded Randolph who told the Miami Times just two days before on March 28 that she had been able to keep all of her 22 employees on the payroll.
“Our restaurant has always been take-out and in-house delivery increased by 14%, over the weekend. Our walk-up profits decreased by 22% even with us being open on Sunday. People are just staying at home.”
The Miami Times reported on Jan. 29 that Randolph secured a contract to cater NFL tailgate for Super Bowl LIV. Randolph said that revenue “gave her cushion,” but the pandemic poses a fiscal threat.
On Friday, March 28, the president signed a $2 trillion economic relief plan that includes $377 billion in loan assistance through the COVID-19 Relief for Small Businesses Act 2020. The federal government has a duty to prevent any small business from falling through the cracks during this public health emergency.
For small businesses that are denied an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), the bill created a new grant program that awards up to $50,000 to small businesses that have between two and 50 employees and can demonstrate losses of at least 50 percent for a minimum of one month due to the outbreak.
“Access to more funding helps, and I have started, but not completed the SBA loan process,” said Randolph. “There are so many required documents, so even with leniency and extended deadlines, accountants are busy. We don’t even have our 2019 tax returns.”
Randolph’s entrepreneurial roots are catering. Her business penchant is ingenuity. She intertwined both to place bids with the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County to secure emergency catering contracts.
“Local municipalities expressed a catering need to prepare meals for Miami’s elderly,” said Randolph who was disappointed to learn Miami-Dade county received an undisclosed amount of “shelf-stable” meals from the state. That generosity adversely affects Black-owned businesses.
“Small percentage rate loans are debt, but when I heard about the catering, I said, now we have an opportunity to make some money and pay staff. But just like that, everything has changed.”
HAYNES SECURITY — SERVANT LEADER
Ed Haynes is president of Haynes Security Services, Inc.
Ed Haynes is a retired Marine and law enforcement officer who formerly served security detail for Rep. Frederica S. Wilson’s 24th congressional district. In 2011, he launched Haynes Security Services, Inc., and the business earned $150,000 its first year.
In 2015, Haynes garnered contracts with Miami-Dade County Metrorail and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The company’s 2020, year-end revenue is expected to surpass $3.4 million.
But the coronavirus is not a respecter of successful persons; Hayne’s business is economically threatened too.
“I have 120 employees and fortunately, no layoffs,” Haynes told The Miami Times on March 28.
“We’ve adjusted hours to help people keep the income. I have 24 security guards employed at 24 closed public schools, so we repurposed those positions. Our school maintenance and transportation staff continue to work during the shutdown.”
“Staff morale is a bit low because there is uncertainty about company viability,” said Haynes. “If we lose a contract, will they have jobs? They are also concerned about the risk of working in public.”
The pandemic’s greatest impact on Hayne’s has been employees needing to leave work to care for children home from school and daycare. Current law requires employers to pay exempt employees 12 weeks of wages.
“There’s no way I could afford to lose an employee, pay an extra salary to replace them, and pay lost wages too. That’s two salaries,” said Haynes.
Rep. Wilson invited business owners, including Haynes, to speak during the COVID-19 bill drafting process. Their contributions added language in the best interest of business owners.
“No small business owner can afford to wait three months for government reimbursement for lost wages,” said Haynes.
EXCEL KIDS ACADEMY
Excel Kids Academy in Miami Gardens shut down Friday, March 27 to avoid liability-related social distancing mandates.
When The Miami Times first talked to Shawna Pointville on March 19, the Miami Gardens nonprofit business owner had just received emergency funding from The Children’s Trust. The provisions allowed her to meet childcare needs for 1st responders and essential workers.
On Friday, March 27, Pointville shut down Excel Kids Academy under the advisement of attorneys.
“Staff became worried about their safety and a liability of an outbreak in a school would not be good for business,” Pointville told The Miami Times on March 28.
“We were sustainable when the pandemic hit, but social distancing mandates limiting contact to ten people per room, six feet apart, made it difficult. With school-aged kids it was doable, but with babies and toddlers, all day from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.? That was impossible.”
Pointville employs 32 women who claim head-of-household status and two men, one of which is her husband Fito Pointville. The academy serves 160 children enrolled in grades K-5, after-school care and pre-school. During the pandemic lockdown, only 50 showed up.
“The Children’s Trust will continue to help. We will be able to reimburse government subsidized clients and maintain a sustainable contract,” said Pointville. “When we re-open, we will be able to pay light, phone, mortgage and some staff wages.”
Pointville said she will re-evaluate when to re-open by April 15 and hopes to maintain at least one emergency classroom for firefighters.
“Parents said they have to take a different driving route in the morning because the kids cry when they see their school,” Pointville shared. “We are a community landmark and have been a safe space for parents and students for 13 years.
Penny Dickerson
Managing Editor
Penny Dickerson is a journalist joining The Miami Times following an Africa sojourn and 10-year freelance career in newspaper and magazine. She earned her master of fine arts degree in creative writing from Lesley University, and her bachelor of arts degree in journalism from Temple University.
(Cover Story) The Kinseys: Family Legacy Expresses the Art of Giving
Bernard and Shirley Kinsey personify family with a display of passion and humility often unique to African-Americans. Together, they publicly emerged and claimed space as 21st century global icons who have traveled to more than 91 countries following a dual retirement from the Xerox Corporation where theyenjoyed lucrative careers.
They are powerhouse philanthropists boasting contributions to the nation’s HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) that surpass $28 million. Recently, they challenged Florida A&M University (FAMU), to raise $500,000 by matching the Kinsey’s personal $250,000 contribution. Their alma mater rose to the occasion and new uniforms, instruments, and an equipment truck were purchased for the renowned “Marching 100” band. In tribute, Kinsey is monogrammed on the back of uniform sleeves.
They are insatiable art curators who positively changed the trajectory of how America perceives African American history and art by intersecting the two in a ground-breaking exhibit at the American Adventure Pavilion at Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center. Distinctly titled “The Kinsey Collection: Shared Treasures of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey,” it is estimated that eight to 10 million tourists viewed the installation during a five-year duration.
They are phenomenal, to say the least. A charming couple whose matrimony celebrated 51-years in February, they are proud parents to son Khalil who serves as CEO and general manager of operations for The Kinsey Collection. It’s a family affair for the Kinseys who currently reside in the patriarch’s hometown of Los Angeles, Calif. Shirley is a St. Augustine, Fla., native, and the enthusing tale of how two people from separate U.S. coasts met is the beginning of Kinsey history as shared with ONYX Magazine.
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Penny Dickerson 