U.S. Senator and former Florida governor Rick Scott is calling for a nationwide moratorium on mortgage payments, rent and utilities due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Republican senator suggested the federal government impose a 60-day moratorium for people making less than $75,000 a year and for small businesses with fewer than 250 employees. In a column published in Fox Business, he suggested postponing those payments, to be spread out over the following 12 months.
Yes, this is a big problem. The best thing we can do to help individuals & small businesses RIGHT NOW is a moratorium on rent, mortgages, fees, & utilities.
Rather than bailing out big businesses, we should be focusing on those that need help the most. https://t.co/soY0chTsSI https://t.co/ORxjKaq27m
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) March 22, 2020
“The people that need help the most are small businesses, hourly workers, people who rely on tips, and gig economy workers like Uber and Lyft drivers,” Scott said.
In Miami-Dade County, all commercial and residential eviction activity was suspended until further notice due to the outbreak of Covid-19, the illness caused by coronavirus.
Florida Power and Light suspended cutting off power for overdue bills for at least two weeks. The county also stopped cutting off water service for customers with unpaid bills.
In New York, a judge ordered that all eviction proceedings and pending eviction orders will be suspended statewide, until further notice.
There has been no official suspension of rent payment in New York, though tenant groups have called for such a measure, and State Sen. Michael Gianaris is working on a bill to suspend rent payments for 90 days.