Press Releases

PORT ORANGE, FLA. –  On Monday, U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) highlighted two local small businesses benefiting from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as part of his Paycheck Protection Program Success Stories initiative.

Pat’s Riverfront Café in Port Orange and Norwood’s Eatery and Treehouse Bar in New Smyrna Beach were among 11,000 small businesses in Florida’s Sixth District to apply and be approved for PPP loans, which provide assistance to small businesses struggling due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"If it would not have been for the PPP, there would've been no way that I could've re-opened after we were allowed to,” said Pat Snead, owner of Pat’s Riverfront Café, a hometown diner which has been serving food by the Halifax River for 32 years.

“We rehired over 75 people who had been furloughed on March 18,” wrote Pamela Simmons, owner of Norwood’s Eatery and Treehouse Bar. “The reopening has saved our business, as well as the PPP loan.”

Norwood’s first opened in 1929 as a Pan Am gas station and general store. It served as a mosquito control center, piggy bank factory and again as a general store before becoming a restaurant in 1946.

“Our small businesses are what make our community so special and unique – and that’s why Congress acted to ensure we could help them during the coronavirus pandemic,” said Waltz. “I’m so glad to hear these positive stories and am looking forward to hearing more from our local businesses as they continue to get back on their feet.”

Data from the U.S. Dept. of Treasury and the Small Business Administration showed the PPP has had an impact in Florida’s Sixth District, saving nearly 83,000 jobs.  

Waltz’s new initiative, Paycheck Protection Program Success Stories, officially launched last week and will highlight local small businesses and their positive experiences with the program.

Interested applicants can find the nomination form on Waltz’s website and click here for more information.