ATLANTA
  
  – The U.S. Small Business Administration has added more counties to the disaster declaration in Florida for small businesses affected by the red tide algal bloom beginning Nov. 1, 2017.
  SBA Administrator Linda McMahon added more counties in response to a letter from
  
  Gov. Rick Scott on Sept. 18, requesting Pinellas County be added to the disaster declaration by the SBA.  The declaration covers Lee, Manatee,
  
   Pinellas
  
  and Sarasota counties and the adjacent counties of Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough, Polk and
  
   Pasco
  
  in
  
   Florida
  
  .
Low-interest Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL)s from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are available to Florida small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small aquaculture businesses and private nonprofit organizations affected by the red tide algal bloom beginning Nov. 1, 2017.
  “The SBA is strongly committed to providing the people of
  
   Florida
  
  with the most effective and customer-focused response possible to assist small businesses with federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans,” said McMahon. “Getting businesses and communities up and running after a disaster is our highest priority at SBA.”
SBA’s Customer Service Representatives will be available at the Disaster Loan Outreach Centers to answer questions about the disaster loan program and help individuals complete their applications.
The Centers are located in the following communities and are open as indicated:
Lee County
City/County Annex Building
1825 Hendry Street
Fort Myers, FL 33901
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Manatee County
Manatee County Library, Island Branch
5701 Marina Road
Holmes Beach, FL 34217
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Pinellas County
Epicenter
13805 58th Street, North, Suite 2-200
Clearwater, FL 33760
Opens Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 11 a.m.
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sarasota County
Bae Ridge Park
4430 South Lockwood Road
Sarasota, FL 34231
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“The SBA can help affected small businesses and nonprofit organizations overcome their economic losses by offering working capital loans, but the help cannot start until they submit an SBA disaster loan application to us,” said SBA’s South Florida Interim District Director Lynn Douthett.
Eligible entities may qualify for loans up to $2 million. The SBA offers economic injury loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. The rates on these loans are 3.385 percent for small businesses and 2.5 percent for nonprofit organizations with terms up to 30 years. Eligibility for these working capital loans are based on the size and type of business and its financial resources. These working capital loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred. The loans are not intended to replace lost sales or profits.
  Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at
  
DisasterLoan.sba.gov
  
  .
  Applications and program information are available by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at
  
  1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or by emailing
  
   disastercustomerservice@sba.gov
  
  . Loan applications can also be downloaded at
  
www.sba.gov
  
  . Completed applications should be returned to a center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
  The filing deadline to return applications for economic injury is
  
June 4, 2019
  
  .
  
   About the U.S. Small Business Administration
  
  The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit
  
www.sba.gov
  
  .
 
  ATLANTA
 
 – The U.S. Small Business Administration has added more counties to the disaster declaration in Florida for small businesses affected by the red tide algal bloom beginning Nov. 1, 2017.
 ATLANTA
 SBA Administrator Linda McMahon added more counties in response to a letter from
 
 Gov. Rick Scott on Sept. 18, requesting Pinellas County be added to the disaster declaration by the SBA.  The declaration covers Lee, Manatee,
 
  Pinellas
 
 and Sarasota counties and the adjacent counties of Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough, Polk and
 
  Pasco
 
 in
 
  Florida
 
 .
 Pinellas
 Pasco
 Florida
Low-interest Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL)s from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are available to Florida small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small aquaculture businesses and private nonprofit organizations affected by the red tide algal bloom beginning Nov. 1, 2017.
 “The SBA is strongly committed to providing the people of
 
  Florida
 
 with the most effective and customer-focused response possible to assist small businesses with federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans,” said McMahon. “Getting businesses and communities up and running after a disaster is our highest priority at SBA.”
 Florida
SBA’s Customer Service Representatives will be available at the Disaster Loan Outreach Centers to answer questions about the disaster loan program and help individuals complete their applications.
The Centers are located in the following communities and are open as indicated:
Lee County
Lee County
 City/County Annex Building
1825 Hendry Street
Fort Myers, FL 33901
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Manatee County
Manatee County
 Manatee County Library, Island Branch
5701 Marina Road
Holmes Beach, FL 34217
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Pinellas County
Pinellas County
 Epicenter
13805 58th Street, North, Suite 2-200
Clearwater, FL 33760
Opens Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 11 a.m.
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Sarasota County
Sarasota County
 Bae Ridge Park
4430 South Lockwood Road
Sarasota, FL 34231
Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“The SBA can help affected small businesses and nonprofit organizations overcome their economic losses by offering working capital loans, but the help cannot start until they submit an SBA disaster loan application to us,” said SBA’s South Florida Interim District Director Lynn Douthett.
Eligible entities may qualify for loans up to $2 million. The SBA offers economic injury loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. The rates on these loans are 3.385 percent for small businesses and 2.5 percent for nonprofit organizations with terms up to 30 years. Eligibility for these working capital loans are based on the size and type of business and its financial resources. These working capital loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred. The loans are not intended to replace lost sales or profits.
 Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at
 
DisasterLoan.sba.gov
 
 .
 Applications and program information are available by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at
 
 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or by emailing
 
  disastercustomerservice@sba.gov
 
 . Loan applications can also be downloaded at
 
www.sba.gov
 
 . Completed applications should be returned to a center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
 The filing deadline to return applications for economic injury is
 
June 4, 2019
 
 .
June 4, 2019
 
  About the U.S. Small Business Administration
 
 About the U.S. Small Business Administration
 The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit
 
www.sba.gov
 
 .