Business Resources for Hurricane Helene & Hurricane Milton

Report storm damage, secure unemployment assistance, assist in recovery and find ways to donate and volunteer.

 


Assistance is available for individuals and businesses recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Below are some key items that may be of interest to people in the tourism industry in Pinellas County. More information is available at Disaster.Pinellas.Gov, FloridaDisaster.org and Fema.gov.

Visit St. Pete-Clearwater will continue to share updates on our community. View our Post-Storm FAQs page for visitors.

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Business Assistance and Damage Assessment

Storm Damage

Disaster relief and emergency assistance resources are available. Completing the SBDC Business Damage Assessment Survey will expedite state recovery efforts in our area. Take the business damage assessment survey

Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan

Florida Commerce has activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan, making $50 million available to Florida businesses impacted by Hurricane Milton, and $15 million for businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene.

  • Up to $50K for small businesses with up to 100 employees, including sole proprietors.
  • Up to $100K for agriculture and aquaculture businesses.
  • Up to $150K for cattle and citrus operations.

Find more details about Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loans.

 

Unemployment Assistance

Florida Commerce announced that Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is available to businesses and residents whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted as a direct result of Hurricane Helene and are not eligible for regular state or federal Reemployment Assistance benefits. DUA is available to those who are ineligible to receive federal or state Reemployment Assistance benefits and the individual meets one of the following requirements:

DUA is available for weeks of unemployment beginning Sept. 29, 2024, through March 29, 2025, as long as the individual’s unemployment continues to be a result of the disaster in the designated-disaster areas. The deadline to submit a claim for DUA benefits is no later than Dec. 2, 2024.

To file a claim, go to www.FloridaJobs.org and select “File a Claim” or call 1-800-385-3920 (Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). For DUA claims information, call 1-833-FL-APPLY (1-833-352-7759) to speak with a representative.

 

Assist Recovery Efforts and Displaced Residents

FEMA has activated lodging assistance for our area and hotels that are registered may participate. Pinellas County is asking hotels to register to participate in the FEMA Emergency Lodging Assistance Program. This program is administered by CLC Lodging on behalf of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA will provide direct payment to hotels who house pre-qualified individuals from disaster areas.

For additional information on the FEMA CLC Program: Visit https://ela.corplodging.com/faq.php, email [email protected] or call (866) 545-9865.

 

Donation Sites and Volunteer Efforts

Collection sites are accepting donations. Items accepted include non-perishable food, personal care items, disposable diapers, baby food/formula, paper products, plastic ware and gloves among other items. Items not accepted include used clothing, bottled water, furniture and appliances.

Individuals and groups interested in volunteering can sign up via Volunteer Connect. Clean Ups are also being organized by Keep Pinellas Beautiful. See updates about the latest efforts on the Keep Pinellas Beautiful Facebook page.

 

Pinellas Mobile Assistance Center

Was your business impacted by Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton? The Florida SBDC Network will open the Mobile Assistance Center (MAC) at the TradeWinds starting Monday, October 14 at 10 a.m. to assist businesses with the following programs:

  • SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)
  • SBA Physical Disaster Loan
  • Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program

Address:  Tradewinds, 5500 Gulf Blvd, St. Pete Beach, FL 33706
Dates:    Monday, October 14 – Thursday, October 17
Hours:    10 a.m. – 3p.m.

No appointment is necessary. Walk-ins are welcome. Can't make it there? Request a consulting appointment - https://floridasbdc.org/request-for-consulting/

 

Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan

Florida Commerce has activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan, making $50 million available to Florida businesses impacted by Hurricane Milton, and $15 million for businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene.

  • Up to $50K for small businesses with up to 100 employees, including sole proprietors.
  • Up to $100K for Agriculture and Aquaculture businesses.
  • Up to $150K for cattle and citrus operations.

Apply at http://FloridaJobs.org/EBL

 

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