TAMPA, Fla. — Millions of dollars are now available for small business owners who were impacted by Hurricane Milton.
Businesses all across Florida, including in the Tampa Bay area, are eligible to apply with about $50 million available through the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program.
The program aims to help small businesses recover and rebuild after back-to-back storms that devastated parts of the Tampa Bay region.
It provides short-term, zero-interest loans to businesses that experienced economic injury or physical damage due to the storm.
"Loans approved through the Emergency Bridge Loan Program 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," states a press release from Florida Commerce.
Small businesses can apply for loans up to $50,000 and loans up to $100,000 are available for agriculture and aquaculture small businesses. Loans up to $150,000 are available for citrus and cattle operations.
The state activated this after Hurricane Helene hit the region. Businesses in the Tampa Bay region are eligible under both hurricanes.
Here are the eligibility requirements:
- The business must be located in Florida
- It must have been established prior to Sept. 23, 2024 (Helene) or Oct. 5, 2024 (Milton)
- The business must be located in an eligible county
These are not grants and must be repaid.
Click here to see what you need to apply.
Applications will close on Dec. 4 for the Milton funds and Nov. 24 for Helene funds or when the money runs out.
