Florida Launches Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program for Those Impacted by Hurricane Ian

Damage to a local business following Hurricane Ian in Venice, Florida, US, on Thursday, Se
OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images, Tristian Wheelock/Bloomberg
Hannah Knudsen

Florida, under the leadership of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), launched a Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program this week to assist small businesses impacted by Hurricane Ian.

“We have launched a Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program with $50 million available to provide short-term, zero-interest loans to small businesses impacted by #HurricaneIan,” the governor said of the program administered by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO):

According to a press release detailing the program — available to just short of two dozen counties — $50 million is available, although $10 million “must go to small businesses that are agricultural producers impacted by Hurricane Ian in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Monroe, Orange, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, and Volusia counties.”

“Small businesses in the most impacted counties — Charlotte, Collier, Lee, and Sarasota — will be escalated and prioritized as they are received,” the press release states, explaining that the program, specifically “provides short-term, zero-interest loans to small businesses that experienced economic injury or physical damage due to Hurricane Ian.”

“Thanks to Governor DeSantis’ strong, decisive leadership, we will ensure that communities across the state are able to recover quickly from Hurricane Ian’s devastation,” DEO Secretary Dane Eagle said in a statement.

The news coincides with other mass recovery efforts across the state, as millions have had their power restored in the week following the storm. According to the most recent data, roughly 193,000 are still without power, but that number is down from over 3 million last week. The bulk of those without power are in Lee and Charlotte counties, which will largely require the rebuilding of infrastructure to get back on their feet.

Meanwhile, DeSantis announced on Wednesday the completion of a temporary bridge for Pine Island residents, allowing vehicle traffic in and out of the island once again — a major victory for the area:

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