The Floridant - Governor Ron DeSantis Requests USDA Disaster Declaration to Support Florida Farmers Impacted by Hurricane Idalia

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ~ Governor Ron DeSantis has requested a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Disaster Declaration to support Florida's farmers who were impacted by Hurricane Idalia. The Governor has asked the USDA to provide all available resources including loans and grants to help Florida's farmers recover.

In a statement, Governor DeSantis said, "Hurricane Idalia significantly impacted farmers in the Big Bend region. I am calling on the USDA to approve all available assistance programs to help these Florida farmers quickly recover."

Florida's agriculture industry makes up one of the largest portions of the state's total gross domestic product, with $7.3 billion in agricultural products sold annually. There are approximately 47,300 farms and ranches with approximately 9.7 million acres of farmland across the state.

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In addition to resources available for agriculture businesses through the Emergency Bridge Loan Program, FloridaCommerce has set aside $5 million in the program for agriculture and aquaculture small businesses. Eligible small businesses may apply for loans of up to $50,000 through the program and loans of up to $100,000 are available for agriculture and aquaculture small businesses. Loans approved through this program are intended to "bridge the gap" between when a disaster impacts a business and when they have secured longer term recovery funding such as federally or commercially available loans, insurance claims or other resources.

Small business owners in need of assistance are encouraged to visit http://www.FloridaJobs.org/EBL to apply for the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program.

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