All Bay area counties included in state of emergecny

The state has declared 18 counties in a state of emergency condition due to the Gulf oil spill and has requested SBA assistance for Economic Injury.  All Bay area counties are included in this declaration.  SBA has opened eight offices to process Economic Injury Disaster Loans.  There are now three sources available for assistance if your business has been affected by the spill.  Primary is BP which, according to our economic development sources, have been stepping up to the plate.  Second is the SBA program noted.  Third is the Florida bridge loan program which can fill some gaps.  One of the of the other sources must have been engaged to qualify for the bridge loan.  If you have been impacted essentially you need to identify the location of your business, state the industry you are in, describe how the spill has been impacted by the spill, validate the assessed level of damage (usually based on 2009 returns) and assess how long you expect your recovery to be (the processors are aware that no one really knows the answer to this question so this is a loose metric).  Pinellas County Economic Development has developed, and plans to frequently update, a web page with current information. This provides more detailed information on alternatives and contacts.   If you need help click here.