SBA Business Recovery Center Open in Lee County at The Hub at SWFL Inc.

SBA Business Recovery Center Open in Lee County at The Hub at SWFL Inc.

The Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network, the state’s principal provider of small business assistance, and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) opened a business recovery center (BRC) in Lee County at SWFL Inc. at 25071 Chamber of Commerce Drive, Bonita Springs, FL 34135. The BRC will be open Monday through Saturday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. 

Federal Assistance

Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are available to businesses following the announcement of a Presidential disaster declaration beginning Sept. 23. Businesses and private nonprofit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets. 

The disaster declaration now covers Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Orange, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Saint Johns, Sarasota, Seminole and Volusia counties in Florida, which are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the SBA. 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, Brevard, Broward, Clay, Duval, Glades, Hendry, Indian River, Marion, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Pasco and Sumter in Florida.

State Assistance

At the state level, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) has activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan (EBL) Program. The loan program provides short-term, zero-interest loans to small businesses who experienced economic injury or physical damage due to Hurricane Ian.

Loans approved through the Emergency Bridge Loan Program are intended to “bridge the gap” between the time a disaster impacts a business and when a business has secured longer term recovery funding, such as federally or commercially available loans, insurance claims, or other resources. 

Eligible small businesses with two to 100 employees may apply for loans of up to $50,000 through the program. Businesses must also be located in Florida, have been established prior to September 24, 2022, be located in an eligible county, must have been economically or physically damaged by Hurricane Ian, have a credit score of 600 or above, and must have repaid all outstanding EBLs

Business recovery centers are also available in the following counties: Lee and Hillsborough. To find a center in one of these counties, and for more information on state and federal disaster loans and eligibility, please visit www.FloridaSBDC.org/disaster.