CLEARWATER, Fla. — The government shutdown is hitting close to home for some people in the Tampa Bay Area, even if they don't work for the government.
“We teach people how to shoot rivets,” said Thomas Black, Owner T Black Aviation.
But his workshop and his classroom are both empty right now.
“Right now we have people coming in from all over the world that have already paid for the course. They’ve taken time off. They’ve booked hotels and some people even have jobs pending on them leaving here with their license,” he said.
Black is retired United States Air Force and owns a small business training military members and mechanics to get their A&P licenses.
But his clients are in limbo because of the partial government shutdown freezing the Federal Aviation Administration.
“So now people’s live are put on hold because we don’t even know if we can give the test,” said Black.
Which means his business could lose permanent revenue— as much as $20 thousand dollars this month alone.
“Unlike the government, they can back pay everybody and make everybody happy. We don’t have that wiggle room,” said Black.
