News & Updates

Who’s there?

Your community. As Florida Districts are reopening for facility rentals, community groups are anxious to resume the many athletic, cultural, religious and educational programs that depend on school and community infrastructure.

While most districts have similar COVID-19 facility use addenda that lay out general requirements such as social distancing and face coverings, there’s a variety of differences in what’s open and how districts are charging for cleanup or extra time. Facilitron partner districts have the benefit of relying on their account manager to help them communicate policies, update their rental sites, add fees, notify renters, collect payments and more.

Here’s a look at some of the specifics of Facilitron partners who are open in Florida:

Updated Dec 8, 2020

Lake County Schools – Lake County, a 50-school district located just NW of Orlando, has facilities open for rentals but limited to 50% of facility capacity. The district is requiring that renters meet a list of requirements such as social distancing, face coverings and the availability of hand sanitizer. In addition, the district is adding to each rental a charge equal to 3 hours at hourly rate plus $25 per custodian to cover additional supply costs and to run HVAC systems 3 hours after events.

Lee County – Lee County, with 100+ schools in SW Florida (Fort Myers), currently allows only outdoor rentals limited to 50% of capacity. Indoor rentals are currently suspended through November 6th. The district requires the renter provide hand-sanitizer and a “social distancing plan” that meets or exceeds CDC guidelines. If restrooms are needed, there’s an additional COVID-19 restroom cleanup fee.

Manatee County - Located just below Tampa-St Pete, Manatee County allows outdoor facility rentals limited to weekends only. Indoor use is not currently permitted. The district is charging a $15 cleaning surcharge “per room” and requiring a special COVID waiver from renters among other typical requirements such as hand sanitizer.

Orange County Public Schools – OCPS, Florida’s 3rd largest district with over 200 schools, has all facilities open for community use limited to 25% capacity for indoor facilities and 50% capacity for outdoor facilities. However, a restriction on contact sports is in place limiting all sporting activities to only “dance, swim, tennis and golf.” There is a mandatory supplemental cleaning fee per facility ranging from $11.50 for an elementary school classroom to $46.00 for large facilities like PACs, football fields, gyms or cafeterias. OCPS also worked with Facilitron to amend their terms and conditions with COVID-19 liability language and to include a 10-item renter guideline document which requires renters to agree to and supply answers regarding their plan to meet the requirements.

Osceola County – Much like the world-famous theme parks located in the county, Osceola is open for both indoor and outdoor rentals limited to 50 people. The district requires renters comply with 6 guidelines that include temperature screenings (conducted by renter), face coverings and social distancing.

Polk County – With well over 100 schools and located just east of Tampa, Polk County is open for outdoor rentals with indoor rentals suspended until January 2021 (A decision on reopening indoor rentals is due before Christmas break). When possible, indoor usage is being redirected to outdoor facilities like covered pavilions, parking lots and fields. The district is charging a supply fee of $25 per event plus another charge for a minimum of 3 hours of post-event cleaning at $25/hour. Along with typical social distancing requirements, the district is requiring that renters perform temperature checks and document all individuals attending the function with name, address, email and phone information. The district has completed a cost analysis and are working to pass new rates for 2021.

Sarasota County – Sarasota County, with approximately 60 schools, approved new school board rates for community rentals on November 10, 2020. Community use resumed on November 16 for indoor and outdoor facilities limited to 25% of normal capacity.

Seminole County – As of December 7, 2020 Seminole County, with approximately 75 schools located just northeast of Orlando, expanded outdoor use to 100 participants with up to 200 spectators, and kept indoor usage to 30% of posted capacity or approximately 25 square feet per person. In addition, the district will charge additional fees for cleaning supplies and custodian time based on a schedule for each facility type as well as charging for 2 hours of additional HVAC time. Prior to this new expansion, Seminole allowed only outdoor rentals limited to 50 participants and indoor rentals limited to just 10 people.

Become a Facilitron Partner

Facilitron has partnered with districts all across the country to ensure ever-changing guidelines are up to date and clear for the renter community. The Facilitron platform includes Facility Use and Scheduling Software, Work Orders Management Software, Attendee Management Software and Building Automation Software—all integrated into one system. That means, events scheduled in the scheduling software can automatically create work orders in the work order system, turn on lights and HVAC systems in the building automation integrations, and track people or participants who enter and leave your facilities with attendee management tools.

Facilitron can fully implement a facility operator like a school district, college or private operator in less than a month with zero cost outlay—including everything from the photos, rates, users and roles, historical data, training, support and more.

To learn more about becoming a Facilitron partner, contact us at partnerships@facilitron.com or sign up for one of our platform demos today.