The Florida Democratic Party (FDP) announced late on Wednesday that it is returning federal coronavirus aid after facing criticism from its own members as positive cases in the Sunshine State climb.
“Congress passed the Paycheck Protection [Program] to support employers and their efforts to provide funds to keep people working — and like many employers during the shutdown, FDP was concerned about meeting payroll and keeping our staff employed, so we applied,” state party spokeswoman Luisana Pérez Fernández said in a statement. “The bank, the loan processor and agents of the Small Business Association approved the funding. It now seems they made a mistake in approving the funding so we are volunteering to return it.”
The reversal comes two months after the party’s chairwoman, Terrie Rizzo, slammed the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) after it was passed through Congress, saying it allowed money to flow into corporations.
However, it was revealed this week that the Florida Democratic Party applied for a $350,000 to $1 million loan.
The revelation resulted in a conversation between Rizzo and Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), in which the congresswoman pushed for Rizzo to give back the money, according to Politico.
Additionally, Democratic state Sens. Annette Taddeo, Jason Pizzo and Anna Eskamani slammed the move to accept the loan.
“I’ve been calling out corporations for taking PPP when they didn’t actually need it all during the #COVID19 crisis, and called out my own party for doing the same today,” Eskamani said in a tweet.
Coronavirus cases have spiked in Florida in recent weeks, with nearly 10,000 cases reported on Wednesday. Additionally, the state is facing fallout over issues with its unemployment system amid the pandemic.
The state’s response to the pandemic could likely impact its crucial role in the 2020 election, with Democrats working to tie the state’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to President Trump.
“As a Democratic Party we are entering this election stronger than ever, with a growing staff and a commitment to electing a President that will address this crisis, rebuild our economy and heal the nation,” FDP said in a statement. “That President is Joe Biden.”