SBA Opens Business Recovery Center in Orange County: Disaster Loans Available for Hurricane Relief

ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) opened a Business Recovery Center (BRC) in Orange County on Monday, Jan. 13, to assist small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations who sustained economic losses from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

“SBA’s BRCs are a cornerstone of our support for business owners,” said Francisco Sánchez, Jr., associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. "At the BRCs, business owners can meet face-to-face with specialists to apply for disaster loans and access a wide range of resources to guide them through their recovery."

Customer service representatives at the BRC will assist business owners complete their disaster loan application, accept documents for existing applications, and provide updates on an application's status. Walk-ins are accepted, but you can schedule an in-person appointment in advance at appointment.sba.gov. The BRC will operate as indicated below.

Business Recovery Center (BRC)
Condado de Orange
Barnett Park
4801 West Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32808

Hours:       Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.,     Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Closed: Sunday

Under this declaration, the SBA’s Préstamo por Daños Económicos por Desastres (EIDL)  program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs that suffered financial losses directly related to these disasters. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.

EIDLs offer working capital assistance for businesses impacted by the hurricanes, even if they did not sustain physical damage. Loan funds may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other expenses that would have been met if not for the disasters.

The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates of 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due, until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms, based on each applicant's financial condition.

SBA's Disaster Loan Program funding was replenished via the American Relief Act, 2025, which was signed into law on Dec. 21, 2024. The SBA acted immediately and, within six hours of the Act being signed into law, issued more than 21,000 outstanding commitment letters (loan offers). The SBA will continue to issue new loan offers and ensure survivors quickly understand their loan options.

With the changes to FEMA's Sequence of Delivery, survivors are now encouraged to simultaneously apply for FEMA grants and SBA low-interest disaster loan assistance to fully recover. FEMA grants are intended to cover necessary expenses and serious needs not paid by insurance or other sources. The SBA disaster loan program is designed for your long-term recovery, to make you whole and get you back to your pre-disaster condition. Do not wait on the decision for a FEMA grant; apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at sba.gov/disaster.

Applicants may also call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The deadline to return economic injury loan applications is 30 de junio de 2025.

About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. 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. Para obtener más información, ingrese a www.sba.gov.