JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Talks of reopening businesses in Duval County would be good news for many, but for some, it’s easier said than done.
The owners of the St. Johns House Bed and Breakfast will keep their doors closed until November.
“I don’t think a couple weeks of income is worth it quite frankly,” said Joan Moore, of possibly reopening for a few weeks in May.
April and May are typically two good months for Moore, but the coronavirus was an unexpected guest.
Her bed and breakfast is closed, and even if non-essential businesses are given the green light to re-open, she has no plans to.
“I don’t think that I am that different from a lot of people in the city that are all of a sudden without income,” she told First Coast News.
However, Moore is unlike many of her neighbors. Her business is also where she lives.
Because of that, Florida law requires Moore to be closed six months out of the year. From June to November, Moore has no guests, which is why she was banking on April and May, but she’s now considering those months to be a bust.
“To lose two months prior to that, which is a big part of our budgeting for the summer, hurts,” she said.
Moore had to cancel on several repeat customers -- turning away one couple she’s known for 20 years and a man who visits from Australia.
She’s hoping they return just as many other business owners along the First Coast begin to think about their own return to normalcy.
Moore has her sights set on the fall. “I will be taking bookings over the summer for that time and hoping everything is fine and we are able to open,” she said.