ATLANTA — The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) encourages small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and private nonprofit organizations in Florida with economic losses due to Hurricanes Ian, Nicole and the severe storms, tornadoes and flooding in Broward County to apply for working capital disaster loans before the deadlines. SBA will continue to partner with local stakeholders to conduct webinars and workshops targeted toward businesses and non-profit organizations located in disaster-declared counties. Future events will be announced through the media.

“To serve the economic interest of the community, we have an extended application timeframe of nine months from the disaster declaration, which enables businesses to assess their needs before applying for working capital loans. As the deadlines to apply approach, we urge businesses to act now,” said Kem Fleming, director of SBA Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.

Applicants affected by Hurricane Ian in the following counties are eligible to apply: Alachua, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Clay, Collier, DeSoto, Duval, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Saint Johns, Saint Lucie, Sarasota, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia. The deadline to apply for assistance due to Hurricane Ian is June 29, 2023.

Applicants affected by Hurricane Nicole in the following counties are eligible to apply: Alachua, Bradford, Brevard, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Indian River, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Putnam, Saint Johns, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia. The deadline to apply for assistance due to Hurricane Nicole is Sept. 13, 2023.

Applicants affected by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding in Broward County in the following counties are eligible to apply: Broward, Collier, Hendry, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach. The deadline to apply for assistance due to severe storms, tornadoes and flooding in Broward County is Jan. 29, 2024.

These federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) provide funds for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business did not suffer any physical damage.

Loan amounts can be up to $2 million with interest rates of 4 percent or lower for small businesses and 2.375 percent or lower for private nonprofit organizations, with terms up to 30 years. The SBA determines eligibility based on the size of the applicant, type of activity and its financial resources. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition. These working capital loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred. The loans are not intended to replace lost sales or profits.

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via the SBA’s secure website at disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/ .

To find a Center for one-on-one assistance visit SBA’s Center locator.

Disaster loan information and application forms may also be obtained by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (if you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services), or by sending an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. Loan applications can be downloaded from the SBA’s website at sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 29, 2023 for Hurricane Ian, Sept. 13, 2023 for Hurricane Nicole and Jan. 29, 2024 for the severe storms, tornadoes and flooding in Broward County.