ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the opening of two additional Business Recovery Centers (BRCs) in Palm Beach County and Hillsborough County on Sept. 19 and 20, to help businesses impacted by Hurricane Irma that began on Sept. 4, 2017.
SBA representatives at the Centers can provide information about disaster loans, answer questions and assist businesses in completing the SBA application. The Centers are located as indicated below and will operate until further notice.
| FEMA/SBA Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) | ||
| Hours: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Sunday – Saturday | ||
| Hillsborough County | Palm Beach County | St. Johns County |
| Hillsborough Community College at The Regent | Carol Sims Center | Wind Mitigation Building |
| 6437 Watson Road | 225 NW 12th Avenue | 3111 Agricultural Center Drive |
| Riverview, FL 33578 | Boynton Beach, FL 33435 | St. Augustine, FL 32092 |
| Opens Wednesday, September 20 at 1 p.m. | ||
| Duval County | Pinellas County |
| Beaver Street Enterprise Center | The EpiCenter-Pinellas County Economic Development Center |
| 728 Blanche Street, Bldg. 2 | 13805 58th Street North |
| Jacksonville, FL 32204 | Clearwater, FL 33760 |
| Opens Monday, Sept. 18 at 9 a.m. | Opens Monday, Sept. 18 at 9 a.m. |
| Hours: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday – Saturday | Hours: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday – Saturday |
| Closed: Sundays | Closed: Sundays |
“As new locations open and further damage assessments are made, we will continue to provide updates to the public to ensure all impacted regions are able to get the recovery assistance needed,” said South Florida District Director Francisco “Pancho” Marrero.
Primary Counties: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Saint Johns, Saint Lucie, Sarasota, Seminole, Sumter, Suwannee, Union and Volusia; and
for Economic Injury Only
Contiguous FL counties #15303: Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette and Madison;
Contiguous GA counties #15303: Camden, Charlton, Clinch, Echols and Ware.
The SBA offers low-interest, long-term disaster loans for physical damage and working capital. To be considered for this assistance, survivors need to apply by the deadline.
The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Nov. 9, 2017.
The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 11, 2018.
Additional information on the disaster loan program may be obtained by calling SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Loan applications can be downloaded from www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be returned to a recovery center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
FEMA Teleregistration: 1-800-621-FEMA (3362)
SBA Customer Service Center: 1-800-659-2955
Hours: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. (ET), Monday – Friday
9 a.m. – 5 p.m. (ET), Saturday and Sunday
To review disaster preparedness and recovery assistance available to small business owners, private non-profits, homeowners and renters, visit the SBA Disaster website at www.sba.gov/disaster.