• The State of Florida Bridge Loan:
  • The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program provides short-term, zero-interest working capital loans that are intended to “bridge the gap” between the time a disaster impacts a business and when a business has secured longer term recovery funding such as federally or commercially available loans, insurance claims or other resources.
  • Loans are available up to $50,000 per eligible applicant. Loans made under this program are short-term, personal loans using State of Florida funds – they are not grants and must be repaid.
    • For more information, please visit: https://deosera.force.com/RebuildFloridaBusinessLoanFund/s/
• Small Business Administration Disaster Loan:
  • SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to help businesses and homeowners recover from declared disasterss
    • For more information, please visit: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance
• Information of note for business owners in Florida:
  • For those with damage, regarding contractors:
    • As you begin to hire to make construction / contracting related repairs to your properties / buildings, please make sure you have vetted those who you will employ.
    • Florida has a network called the Disaster Contractors Network which highlights all licensed and vetted professionals, searchable by name, locale and type.
    • To learn more, please visit: https://www.dcnonline.org/
  • For employers with questions regarding unemployment etc:
    • Work search reporting, waiting week, and Employ Florida registration requirements for Reemployment Assistance claims have been temporarily waived for Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian in FEMA disaster-declared counties. By waiving these requirements, eligible Floridians will be able to quickly apply and receive reemployment assistance and disaster unemployment assistance benefits.
    • To learn more, please see more via the Governor's update.
  • For employers looking to keep their teams in place:
    • Visit floridajobs.org for Short-Time Compensation (STC) providing temporary alternative work that will assist employers in keeping their workforce intact.
• Other Federal Initiatives:
  • FEMA
    • Visit FEMA.gov for additional disaster relief information and assistance programs.
  • IRS
    • IRS Excise Tax: The IRS will waive tax penalties on disasters on a case-by-case basis. Visit IRS.gov/businesses for details.

• For those wanting to give back:
  • Volunteer Florida has two critical ways to give back, whether you have money or time to give:
    • The Florida Disaster Fund is the State of Florida’s official private fund established to assist Florida’s communities as they respond to and recover during times of emergency or disaster. In partnership with the public sector, private sector and other non-governmental organizations, the Florida Disaster Fund supports response and recovery activities:
      • To learn more, and donate visit: https://www.volunteerflorida.org/donatefdf/
    • If you have time and a willingness to serve your fellow Floridians, volunteer opportunities abound!
      • For a list of areas of impact where you can get involved, check out more: https://volunteer.volunteerflorida.org/search?shareId=968b42da01e7488a9269ba43daf8a913

Updated October 6th, 2022