To our friends with Florida hospitality assets:
Hurricane Helene’s path through Florida and the Southeastern United States has been widespread and devastating. In many parts of Florida, normal operations may not resume for an extended period of time. Florida is fortunate to have an aggressive and comprehensive emergency management system that was initially put in place by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush in 2005 that has been made more robust every year since then.
We realize that some of you are dealing with personal impacts that may not be able to be measured or understood by the rest of us. To our many friends who are feeling the continued impact of Helene, we hope that you and your families are now safe. To those who own or operate hotels in affected areas, we thought it would be helpful to share pertinent State and Federal resource information if you have been impacted by the storm. Attached you will find contact information with access to applications necessary for recovery assistance. We hope this information is useful to you and your employees. Also, the State of Florida maintains a support network where specific needs can be communicated to receive assistance:
Florida Private Sector Hotline: 850-815-4925 | ESF18@em.myflorida.com | floridadisaster.biz
For those of you who wish to help financially, the state has activated the Florida Disaster Fund through the Volunteer Florida Foundation. This 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is the State of Florida’s official private fund established to assist communities in times of emergency or disaster. One hundred percent of donations will be distributed to those in need and are tax-deductible. Contributions may be made by credit card on their secure website.
If The Plasencia Group may be of assistance to you during this difficult period, please contact me directly. Despite the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, we are confident that those communities impacted will rebuild stronger than before.
Lou Plasencia,
Chief Executive Officer, The Plasencia Group
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