Last week, Hurricane Irma battered our state from the Keys to the Panhandle. Millions of Floridians and their businesses were impacted by this storm. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and our partners at the Florida SBDC Network are working to help businesses recover all across the state.

Cissy Proctor, DEO Executive Director, informed that DEO recently launched the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program to help these businesses get back on their feet. The bridge loan program supports businesses impacted by Hurricane Irma by providing short-term, interest-free loans to small businesses that experienced physical or economic damage during the storm.

The program bridges the gap between the time a major catastrophe hits and when a business has secured longer term recovery resources, such as payments on insurance claims or federal disaster assistance.

Applications for this program must be completed by Oct. 31, 2017; apply online at www.floridadisasterloan.org. For more information about the bridge loan, contact the Florida Small Business Development Center Network at 850-898-3489 or email Disaster@FloridaSBDC.org.