WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — A year and a half into the pandemic, some business owners across Central Florida are still trying to balance earning a living and keeping customers safe from the contagious delta variant. 

Spectrum News spoke with business owner Sean Greear about how he manages it all, even with business picking up. 

Greear said he understands the risk in the sleepy small town of Winter Haven, which is located in Polk County.

Health officials have been very open about shining the light on the sharp increase of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the area.

"The majority of people that I deal with they kind of see the writing on the wall that if it's crowded they kind of will step outside and actually, you know, protect themselves and everybody else inside," Greear said. "People are very, very respectful on that side of it."

Greear is vaccinated, but health officials admit that is not enough against the persistent, and highly contagious, delta variant especially for the unvaccinated.

Despite that, Greear said business remains steady at his framing shop and he believes that's due in part to the quarantines imposed early on.

"People that spend time at the house, they're looking around and updating their walls and finding things that they neglected," he said.

But with an increase in customer demand at his business, Greear said he knows it's a balancing act. 

"I'm not going to put myself in harms way personally," he said. "I find that if I need to be on top of somebody I can just move away. I can navigate this thing."

Navigating his safety is critical because of the high number of COVID-19 cases in Central Florida.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been crystal clear on its recommendation that even people who are vaccinated should stay masked up inside and when around others.