Florida Auto Repair Shop Donates Services to Federal Workers in Need

An auto repair shop in West Palm Beach, Florida, is offering support to federal employees during the ongoing government shutdown, reports WPBF.

The current government shutdown has gone on for three weeks now, with federal employees not receiving pay in the meantime. Midas Automotive Service owner Ron Katz is doing what he can to help out impacted individuals through offering automotive services to those in need.

“We've fixed cars for free, we've done oil changes, we helped finance people if it's a big repair. We just go above and beyond for these people who are not getting paychecks right now,” shared Katz.

This isn’t the first time Katz has taken on such an initiative. During the 35-day shutdown in 2018-19, he said his shop was able to help between 10 to 15 drivers to safely return to the road.

“I remember one lady came in with a water pump, which is a $1,200 repair, and she was working at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, and she had no way of getting back and forth,” told Katz. “We took care of it, and it worked out with her. Bring the car in and let's see what we can do to keep them on the road until they start getting a paycheck.”

Local federal workers have said the shop’s services have been tremendously helpful during this difficult time, with transportation costs becoming increasingly burdensome. To maintain its operation, though, Katz goes through measures to verify each recipient of assistance.

“I am going to need to see their government ID, and I'm also going to ask for their last paycheck so I can make sure they're still employed and that it's verifiable,” Katz shared. “Unfortunately, there are some unscrupulous people that would try to get repairs for free and that's not fair to us or for the other people who work for the government and who are without a paycheck right now.”

That is especially true considering the cost of these donated services come from Katz himself, who intends to continue doing so until the government shutdown ends.

“I am a franchisee; I'm paying for everything, I'll work out with the customer to figure out, depending on each repair, how it's going to be handled. But as far as when we do the oil change and it's something we can do, I will handle that,” he explained.