Jacksonville News

September 13 is SBA Working Capital Disaster Loan Deadline For Florida Small Businesses Affected by Hurricane Nicole

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 Hurricane Nicole that occurred from Nov. 7-30 2022, to apply for working capital disaster loans before the Sept. 13 deadline.
Small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and private nonprofit organizations in the following Florida counties are eligible to apply: Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Putnam, Saint Johns, and Volusia; and in the contiguous counties of: Alachua, Bradford, Clay, Duval, Indian River, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, and Sumter.
“To serve the economic interest of the community, we extended the application timeframe of nine months which enabled businesses to assess the effects of the disaster before applying for working capital loans. As the Sept. 13 deadline is approaching, we urge potential applicants to take action right away,” said Kem Fleming, director of SBA Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.
These federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) are for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the business did not suffer any physical damage.
The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates of 3.305% for small businesses and 2.375% 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 https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/ela/s/ and should apply under SBA declaration # 17730.
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 Sept. 13, 2023.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.