The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance and the Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development would like to share the following information with any businesses that may have been impacted by Hurricane Irma.
The Irma Damage Assessment Survey form is now up and running and available at the Florida Virtual Business Emergency Operations Center (FLBVEOC) at http://flvbeoc.org/index.php?cid=1410761&action=bda_list.
Small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private, nonprofit organizations of all sizes suffering substantial economic injury may be eligible for a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan of up to $2 million to meet necessary financial obligations – expenses the business would have paid if the disaster had not occurred. The online SBA Disaster Loan application can be accessed at: https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/.
IF ACTIVATED by the state, the Alliance will work in cooperation with the Small Business Development Center to assist in the administration of the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program. Bridge Loans are short-term, interest-free working capital loans that are intended to "bridge the gap" between the time a major catastrophe hits and when a business has secured longer term recovery resources. Small Business Administration loans are also available for larger amounts and longer terms. For more information, please visit http://www.floridadisasterloan.org/. In the event that the program is activated, we will send and post additional information to our communications channels.