A housing association representing America’s richest zip code has been approved to receive a $ 2 million Small Business Administration coronavirus emergency relief loan, despite no layoffs and no apparent financial impact from the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday night, residents of the Fisher Island Community Association unanimously agreed to reject the loan. The news was first reported by the Miami Herald.

“We are going through a difficult time in our country right now,” Matt Barnes, a Fisher Island resident who has filed a petition against accepting the loan, told NBC News. to save small businesses. “

FICA, which operates the private members-only island off the coast of Miami that can only be reached by helicopter or boat and which once had Oprah Winfrey as a member, has been approved for a loan from the Protection Program. paychecks meant to help small businesses that had shut down, laid workers on leave or staff on leave due to the viral outbreak.

The association is responsible for the maintenance of the 216 hectares of land and beaches, as well as common areas and swimming pools and 18 tennis courts for the 800 families on the island. Ana Tinsly, spokesperson for the public services union SEIU Florida, said earlier this week that she was not aware of any layoffs.

The $ 2 million loan comes as scrutiny intensifies over the structure of the government’s emergency program, which has enabled many businesses with high cash flow to receive millions of dollars in forgivable loans while small businesses desperate for money were left out.

The Potbelly sandwich shop chain, which has more than 400 branches and reported $ 409.7 million in income last year, received $ 10 million in grant relief loan. The start-up of hydrogen trucks Nikola Motors, recently valued at $ 3 billion, received a loan of $ 4 million.

After the names of publicly traded companies that had received the funds started making headlines, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned there would be penalties unless they returned the money.

Shake Shack recently announced that it will pay off its $ 10 million loan. Bowing to public pressure, other companies have announced their intention to repay their loans. Ruth’s Chris Steak House, a chain with 150 branches, said he would pay off his $ 20 million loan. Sweetgreen, a casual and fast-food salad restaurant, announced this week that it will pay off its $ 10 million loan.

Under the terms administered by the Small Business Administration, the loan is written off entirely if 75 percent of the funds are used to cover the payroll. Applicants must have fewer than 500 employees per location. The lender is responsible for ensuring that the applicant meets the eligibility criteria for the loan.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and SBA administrator Jovita Carranza defended the program as complaints from small businesses mounted that they had not been approved by the program. Mnuchin and Carranza mentionned that “the vast majority of these loans – 74% of them – were under $ 150,000, demonstrating the accessibility of this program even to the smallest of small businesses.”

The Treasury Department update its guidance Thursday, urging companies with “substantial market value and access to capital markets” to act in “good faith that their PPP loan application is necessary.” The agency said any company that reimburses the money before May 7 will be deemed to have acted in good faith.

FICA had asked residents about whether to accept the $ 2 million payment, ahead of the scheduled council meeting on Friday night.

FICA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.