Center to aid Irma-affected businesses

LARGO — The U.S. Small Business Administration opened a Pinellas County business recovery center to help businesses impacted by Hurricane Irma.

SBA representatives at the center — located in the Largo offices of Pinellas County Economic Development — can provide information about disaster loans, answer questions and help businesses complete the SBA application.

“By deploying our staff and hosting the team from the U.S. Small Business Administration, we hope to create an efficient and effective one-stop operation for local businesses to get the assistance they need to recover from the storm,” says Pinellas County Economic Development Senior Business Development Manager Suzanne Christman in a statement.

Low-interest, long-term SBA loans can be used to repair physical damage and provide working capital to offset economic injury. Physical property damage applications must be filed by Nov. 9, 2017. Economic injury applications have a deadline of June 11, 2018.

For more information or to apply, visit disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.