Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan

The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan program is a state resource managed by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to provide short-term, zero-interest working capital loans that are intended to “bridge the gap” between the time a disaster impacts a business and when a business has secured longer term recovery funding such as federally or commercially available loans, insurance claims or other resources.

Loans are available up to $50,000 per eligible applicant. Loans made under this program are short-term, personal loans using State of Florida funds – they are not grants and must be repaid. Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loans require repayment by the approved applicant. Owners may utilize funding from longer term financial resources, such as U.S. Small Business Administration economic injury disaster loans, to repay the Emergency Bridge Loan.

Only one loan may be made per eligible applicant

Eligibility requirements:

• Your business must be located in Florida
• Your business must have been established prior to April 13, 2023
• Your business must be located in an eligible county. Businesses in Broward county are eligible to apply.
• Your business must have been economically injured or physically damaged by the Broward County Flooding.
• Your business must employ two to 100 employees.
• Credit Score of 600 or above
• You must have repaid all outstanding previous Emergency Bridge Loans.

Loan terms:

• Max Amount: up to $50,000
• Term: One year
• Loans may only be made to individuals who own at least 51% of an Eligible Business.
• The Borrower(s) and Eligible Business must serve as guarantors for the loan.
• Only one loan may be made per Eligible Applicant.

Ineligible Businesses include those engaged in illegal activities, loan packaging, speculation, multi-sales distribution, gambling, investment or lending or where the owner is on parole.

Required documents:

The following documents are required for all owners on the application to be considered complete:

1. A copy of the owner(s) driver's license(s) or passport(s) for all owners on the application. This must include the front and back of the document.
2. Current Business Tax Return, Most Current Year (All Pages) at a minimum, previous year’s Federal income tax returns for the applicant’s business, including all schedules, such as Form 1040, Form 1065, Form 1120, and Form 1120S (as applicable).
3. Current Personal Tax Return, Most Current Year (All Pages) for all owners on the application.
4. Documentation showing minimum of 2 employees – independent contractors or 1099s do count as employees. Documentation can be copies of employees’ W-2s, IRS Form 941 and/or Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return.
5. Copy of a voided check

You will need to complete all sections and upload all required documents for your application to be considered complete and proceed to the review and loan decision process.

If you have any additional questions regarding the EBL, please call DEO at 1-833-832-4494 or email EmergencyBridgeLoan@deo.myflorida.com.

Need Help?

The Florida SBDC at FAU stands ready to help your small business recover. To request in-person assistance, visit FloridaSBDC.org and click “Get No-Cost Consulting.” Enter “Broward County Flooding” in the Request Details section, and a representative will contact you to schedule assistance.