TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) is encouraging businesses across the state to prepare for the 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season, which begins June 1. Effectively preparing for a disaster is the best way for business owners to get their businesses back up and running as quickly as possible following a storm.

Valuable resources are available to help business owners prepare for the upcoming hurricane season at FloridaDisaster.biz. Taking the steps to build a business disaster continuity plan, as well as encouraging employees to create a family emergency plan, can reduce the financial and physical impact that a disaster can have on businesses.

“Governor DeSantis’ leadership is unparalleled and he has demonstrated time and time again his commitment to helping Floridians, businesses and communities prepare, respond and recover from the impacts of disasters,” said DEO Acting Secretary Ivey. “We encourage business owners to utilize FloridaDisaster.biz as a one-stop resource before, during and after a storm, and to take advantage of the upcoming sales tax holidays.” 

“FDEM relies heavily on our local business partners to help expedite the disaster recovery process and restore local communities,” said FDEM Executive Director Kevin Guthrie. “Proper planning for your business and employees before a hurricane threatens your area will rapidly increase your chances of reopening and returning to serve your local community.”

How to Prepare
Business owners are encouraged to complete the following steps to prepare their business for a hurricane:

1. Sign-up on FloridaDisaster.biz to receive emergency response and economic recovery updates before, during and after a storm makes landfall.
2. Prepare your business by maintaining an updated emergency response plan and a stocked emergency supply kit given in the event that the business closes for a period of time and sustains impacts to electricity, internet service, physical damage and business inventory, insurance changes and more. Business owners can complete the interactive Disaster Planning Toolkit to create a Business Disaster Plan that addresses the businesses’ physical space, suppliers, equipment, employees, customers and records.
3. Review available Business Preparedness Resources to know what resources are available to you and how you can access them if your business is impacted by a storm.

Should business owners need to evacuate, FloridaDisaster.biz also provides details on re-entry procedures ahead of time to provide guidance to businesses on getting back into the impacted area to provide essential commodities and services.

Upcoming Sales Tax Holidays
During the upcoming Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holidays, business owners can purchase equipment to prepare their businesses for a disaster tax-free, including batteries, tarps and generators. A full list of eligible tax-free items is available here. Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holidays will be held during the following dates:

• Saturday, May 27 to Friday, June 10, 2023.
• Saturday, August 26 to Friday, September 8, 2023. 

Recent Response Efforts

Hurricanes Ian and Nicole

Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, DEO worked closely with the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) and other state partners during the 2022 hurricane season to deploy a record response to Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. DEO, along with its partners, deployed 90 team members and seven mobile units, and assisted in the setup and staffing of eight Disaster Recovery Centers to assist Floridians and businesses impacted by Hurricane Ian.

• To date, DEO has approved more than 16,300 Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) claims to assist Floridians impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. DUA was made available to Florida businesses and residents in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster-declared counties whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted as a direct result of Hurricanes Ian and Nicole.
• To date, the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program has loaned more than $37.5 million to assist 907 small businesses. On October 4, 2023, Governor Ron DeSantis activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, making $50 million available – at least $10 million of which must go to assist agricultural businesses impacted by Hurricane Ian – to help businesses get back on their feet and retain their employees as they rebuild and recover following disasters.
• To date, DEO Acting Secretary Meredith Ivey, and Director of DEO’s Office of Long-Term Resiliency, Justin Domer, along with representatives from the Florida Department of Transportation, have facilitated listening sessions in 23 of 24 counties impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole . These listening sessions will inform Florida’s plan to use more than $910 million allocated to the state by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for long-term recovery efforts.

Broward County Flooding

DEO acted quickly to assist Floridians and businesses impacted by the April 2023 significant flooding event in Brevard County. DEO and FDEM, in partnership with CareerSource Florida, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) and the Florida Small Business Development Centers Network, operated a One-Stop Business Resource Site for local businesses impacted by flash flooding seeking recovery resources. Acting Secretary Meredith Ivey was Governor DeSantis’ boots on the ground in Broward County meeting with and learning about the impacts of the significant flooding event in Broward County.

• To date, Florida’s Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program has loaned more than $2 million to assist 59 small businesses. On April 20, 2023, Governor DeSantis activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program , making $5 million available for businesses impacted by flooding in Southeast Florida to help businesses get back on their feet and retain their employees as they rebuild and recover following disasters.
• To date, DEO has approved more than 150 DUA claims to assist Floridians impacted by the flooding event in Broward County. DUA was made available to Florida businesses and residents in Broward County whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted as a direct result of the significant flooding event.

DEO remains committed to helping Floridians, businesses and communities respond and recover from the impacts of storms. To find storm updates and important information during times of disaster, we encourage you to visit  FloridaDisaster.org.