The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that the Business Resource and Assessment Center (BRAC) in Hillsborough County will shut its doors today at 1 p.m., wrapping up its mission to aid local businesses in recovering from hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton. Established in October 2024, the BRAC has provided support to over 1,000 locals, businesses, renters, and nonprofits in the wake of the devastating storms.
For the past seven months, the BRAC facility, situated at the Hillsborough County Entrepreneur Collaborative Center, 2101 E. Palm Ave., Tampa, FL, has served as a crucial hub where businesses sought technical and financial assistance to bounce back from the hurricanes and strengthen their disaster resilience; the center offered SBA's disaster loan programs and facilitated mentoring, coaching, and the development of strategic funding approaches for affected entities. The SBA's partnership with the Florida Small Business Development Center at Hillsborough County and the nonprofit business mentoring group SCORE has been instrumental to the BRAC's enhancements in service offerings to the community.
The closure of the BRAC doesn't mark the end of support for hurricane-hit businesses and residents; the SBA continues to offer help through various channels. According to the information posted on Hillsborough County's news release, affected individuals can seek further resources and information via the SBA's dedicated disaster assistance website, call their customer service center, or reach out via email.
Since the hurricanes struck, the SBA has extended more than $1.4 billion in loans to assist Florida's residents, business owners, nonprofits, and renters in their recovery process, acknowledging that this aid has been a lifeline for many during a period of extreme hardship.
