City of Tampa to Launch Tampa Recovery Hotline for Social Recovery and Business Relief in the face of COVID-19

Tampa, Florida (March 18, 2020)--The City of Tampa is launching a new Tampa Recovery Hotline to keep residents informed on the latest social services and business relief efforts.

As our community responds to COVID-19, the City of Tampa is working to minimize the burden many of our residents and business owners are facing during this time.  To meet some of the needs in our community, the City of Tampa has begun proactively reaching out to non-profits, local partners, and local, state, and federal leaders, to assemble a comprehensive list of key resources and information.

In order to get this information to the public as quickly as possible, the City of Tampa is launching a new  hotline to centralize resources related to social recovery and business relief. These services are constantly evolving, and the call center staff will be updating information on a regular basis to offer assistance.

Residents and business owners can call the Tampa Recovery Hotline at 1 (800) TPA-INFO for the following resources:

• Social Services: Residents can call this hotline to ask questions and get information on food assistance, senior services, financial resources, and more.
• Business Relief: Business owners can also get resources through this hotline, including information on the Small Business Bridge Loan, the City’s TAMPABIZ text-alert system, and other local, state, and federal resources as they become available to alleviate the burden of COVID-19.

“The COVID-19 hotline will serve as another tool in our tool belt in an effort to streamline information, inform our residents, and answer questions during this unprecedented time,” said Mayor Jane Castor. “Keeping Tampa’s residents safe and informed is our top priority. This hotline will connect residents and business owners with critical resources when they need it most. We know this is a challenging time, but by all coming together to do what we do best--supporting our community--we can get through COVID-19 together.”

In addition to this hotline, residents and business owners can also take advantage of the following City of Tampa Resources:

• Visit our new COVID-19 platform at tampagov.net/COVID-19 for FAQs, coronavirus information on symptoms, prevention, and treatment, the latest executive orders, and more
• Text TAMPAREADY or TAMPALISTA to 888-777 for real-time emergency alerts in English or Spanish
• Text TAMPABIZ to 888-777 for updates on business resources
• See a list of canceled City of Tampa events at tampagov.net/event-status
• Follow the City of Tampa on social media for updates, Facebook live coverage, and more
  • facebook.com/cityoftampafl
  • twitter.com/cityoftampa
  • instagram.com/cityoftampa
• Print resources (English and Spanish): tampagov.net/COVID-19

The City of Tampa is also establishing a Social Services Task Force and an Economic Development Task Force to further meet the needs of our community.

To reach the Tampa Recovery Hotline, please call 1 (800) TPA-INFO (1-800-872-4636). The call center will be open 8am-8pm Monday through Friday until further notice.

For more information, visit tampagov.net/COVID-19.