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GREEN COVE SPRINGS – The Clay County Development Authority is doing its part to help ensure the city of county residents as Clay County, like most of America, moves to reopen.

The authority appropriated $50,000, which was used to procure personal protection equipment for the county and for local small businesses.

“It is our objective to assist them with opening safely,” said Josh Cockrell, Executive Director of the Clay County Development Authority. “We have been working closely in coordination with Clay County BCC, each of the municipalities/towns, the Clay Chamber, and Clay EDC to ensure our local businesses receive the necessary equipment that will help keep their employees and citizens safe.”

The plan of reopening of businesses is to allow residents to return to work slowly and the local economy can begin to make its way back to some semblance of normalcy.

With the appropriated funds, the CCDA purchased the 15,200 surgical grade medical masks and 3,728 32-ounce spray bottles of Goldshield disinfectant.

“Today [May 19, 2020] we will have Orange Park, Green Cove Springs, Keystone Heights and Penney Farms coming out to pick up supplies for the small businesses in their towns,” said Annie Sheldon, County Extension Director. “And then we’ll have enough supplies left to support 600 small businesses in unincorporated Clay County.”

Goldshield is a proprietary disinfectant that, once applied to a surface, continues to kill COVID-19 bacteria for up to 90 days. A 32-ounce bottle is supposed to be effective for up to 1,000 square feet.

The goal of obtaining the masks and disinfectant is to help to provide safer conditions under which the small businesses of Clay County can work towards reopening.

Following the distribution of the personal protective equipment to the town managers or their representatives, the remainder will be given out to support the 600 small businesses.

“All of us have been doing what we can to get our small businesses back operational, and employees rehired,” said Chereese Stewart, Director of Economic and Development Services for the Clay County Board of County Commissioners. “We are all in this together and want to help one another as a Clay County community to get back onto their feet.”