Florida Isaias Recovery: More Than $4.5 Million in Bridge Loans Approved for 65 Small Businesses; Shelter Trailers and First Responder Grants Announced
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced new Hurricane Isaias recovery steps in the Florida Panhandle on October 19. In Destin, in Okaloosa County, he announced that more than $4.5 million has been approved through the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program for businesses impacted by Isaias, with 65 businesses approved to receive the funds to bridge the gap while they await long-term funding such as insurance. The program, administered by FloridaCommerce, provides short-term, no-interest loans, and applications remain open through November 25, 2026, or until all available funds are exhausted.
Within 48 hours of landfall, FloridaCommerce, with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and the Florida Small Business Development Network, deployed eight strike teams that connected with 737 business owners across Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties, and the state collected 238 business damage assessment surveys, the governor's office said. DeSantis said many businesses in the region have already reopened, including Jackacuda's Seafood and Sushi in Destin.
At a press conference the same day at the Salvation Army Multi-Agency Resource Center in Pensacola, in Escambia County, DeSantis also announced that temporary shelter trailers will be provided to eligible residents displaced by significant damage, through a partnership between Emergency RV and the Florida Division of Emergency Management; the program has received nearly 300 applications, and residents can apply at EmergencyRV.org. One-time $5,000 grants were awarded to eight first responders in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties who were personally affected by the storm, through the Florida Disaster Fund and Volunteer Florida in coordination with the Florida Sheriffs Association. Florida has requested a Major Disaster Declaration covering Public Assistance for 15 counties and Individual Assistance for eight counties and is awaiting a federal decision.
Isaias made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane near Destin on the Florida Panhandle; affected businesses can also apply online through the disaster recovery page at FloridaJobs.org/DisasterRecovery/EBL.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Destin 港资料图，事发宣布地点位于佛州狭长地带 Okaloosa 县。图片来源：Jackstrawer，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0。 / File photo of Destin Harbor in Okaloosa County, Florida. Source: Jackstrawer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
