Florida reports $4.5 million in loans approved for 65 businesses

Florida reported that 65 businesses affected by Hurricane Isaias had been approved for more than $4.5 million through the state’s Emergency Bridge Loan Program as of Oct. 19. The loans are short-term and carry no interest, but borrowers must repay them. Approval does not mean the money has already been disbursed.

The state made $10 million available for the program. It described the loans as temporary financing for small businesses while they wait for longer-term recovery funding, such as insurance proceeds. The governor’s office did not state how much each approved business would receive.

Eligibility and loan limits i

FloridaCommerce said eligible small businesses, including sole proprietors, could apply if they had physical damage or economic injury from the hurricane. The maximum loan was $100,000 for an eligible small business. Eligible agricultural and aquacultural small businesses could apply for up to $150,000. These are loan limits, not guaranteed award amounts, and the program does not provide grants.

The program notice listed 30 counties where businesses could apply: Baker, Bay, Calhoun, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Pasco, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Walton, Wakulla and Washington.

Applications were scheduled to remain open through Nov. 25, 2026, or until available program funds were exhausted. The state announcement did not say how much of the $10 million remained available at the time it reported the approvals.

Business assessments and federal aid request i

The governor’s office also reported that 238 business-damage assessment surveys had been completed. Eight strike teams canvassed 737 business owners in Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties. Those figures describe assessment work; the state did not say the 65 approved businesses were all in those four counties.

Separately, Florida had requested a major disaster declaration from the federal government. The request sought Public Assistance for 15 counties and Individual Assistance for eligible residents in eight designated counties. News4Jax reported on Oct. 19 that the request was being processed. Approval of that request was not established in that report.

That request is distinct from emergency declarations for Alabama, Florida and Georgia that FEMA said had been approved in response to Hurricane Isaias. The emergency declarations do not establish that Florida’s separate request for a major disaster declaration was granted.

For Floridians arranging storm repairs, the governor’s office said the Department of Business and Professional Regulation advised checking contractors’ licenses and consulting insurers before signing repair agreements. Businesses considering the bridge loan should account for its repayment requirement as they assess short-term financing options.