Seminole County allocates CARES Act money to schools, tourism

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — The county just laid out how it plans to spend more than $13 million in CARES Act money.

The funds will focus on helping schools and tourism.

Here’s a breakdown of where the county is allocating some of its funding:

• $5.48 million will go to Seminole County Public Schools, which last month began face-to-face instruction, requiring masks for students and staff.
• $5 million will go to the county’s seven cities.
• $1.5 million will go to Central Florida Zoo, with another $1.5 million helping boost the struggling tourism industry.

The cities, zoo and tourism industries can put their dollars where they’re most needed.

Businesses and individuals can also apply for assistance. So far, 11,500 applications for the individual assistance program have been submitted.

The county plans to discuss allocating more funding next week at the Board of County Commissioners meeting. It is considering giving funding to Seminole State College, work training programs and nonprofits like Impower and True Health, which are now focused on suicide prevention.