We hope everyone is safe and well in the wake of Hurricane Idalia's recent landfall. We'd like to share an update from Governor Ron DeSantis following this afternoon's press conference.

In response to the impact of Hurricane Idalia on Florida, Governor DeSantis has activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, providing $20 million in support to affected small businesses. Businesses in the following counties are eligible to apply: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, and Wakulla counties.

This program, managed by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, offers small businesses that suffered economic loss or physical damage during the hurricane the opportunity to secure a short-term, interest-free loan of up to $50,000. These loans are intended to help bridge the gap between the hurricane's impact and the acquisition of longer-term recovery funds.

Efforts to restore power are underway. So far, over 482,216 accounts have been successfully restored, with approximately 85,000 accounts still without power. Linemen are actively working to restore 95% of power by this evening.

We will continue to monitor the aftermath of the storm and provide necessary updates. HCAF and the team at Continental Strategy, our contract lobby firm, stand ready to assist with any recovery efforts. Please contact us if we can be of assistance.