The U.S. Small Business Administration will extend its deadline to Jan. 12 to give Florida businesses and residents more time to apply for federal disaster loans for physical damages that occurred from Sept. 23 through Nov. 4 due to Hurricane Ian.
The disaster declaration includes the Florida counties of Brevard, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Saint Johns, Sarasota, Seminole and Volusia, which are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the SBA.
The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 29, 2023.
Small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs): Alachua, Bradford, Broward, Clay, Duval, Hernando, Indian River, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Saint Lucie and Sumter.
The SBA opened its Business Recovery Centers to assist business owners with applying for SBA disaster loans for Hurricane Ian. SBA is operating the following Business Recovery Centers in Florida:
Collier County
The Naples Players, 701 5th Avenue South, Naples, 34102. Hours: Monday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Hillsborough County
Chloe Coney Urban Enterprise Center, 1907 E. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, 33610 Hours: Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lee County
The Hub at SWFL, Inc. 25071 Chamber of Commerce Drive, Bonita Springs, 34135 Hours: Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Kiwanis Club of Cape Coral, 360 Santa Barbara Blvd. S. Cape Coral, 33991 Hours: Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed: Friday and Saturday
Sarasota County
Venice Community Center, 326 Nokomis Ave. South, Venice, 34285. Hours: Monday - Saturday
Seminole County
Sanford Information Center, 230 E. First St. Sanford, 32771. Hours: Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
INFO: Three more FEMA centers open in Lee County
Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/ and should apply under SBA declaration # 17644.
To be considered for all forms of disaster assistance, applicants should register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or download the FEMA mobile app. If online or mobile access is unavailable, applicants should call the FEMA toll-free helpline at 800-621-3362. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services should call 800-621-3362. Disaster loan information and application forms can 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 sending an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov.
Loan applications can also be downloaded from sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, Texas, 76155.
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