Homeowners in eight Florida Panhandle counties whose houses were damaged by Hurricane Isaias have until Dec. 28 to apply for low-interest federal disaster loans of up to $500,000 for repairs. The U.S. Small Business Administration is making the loans available after a presidential disaster declaration issued Oct. 27 for the storm, which struck Oct. 6 through 12. The rate is as low as 3 percent for homeowners and renters.
The loans are not limited to businesses. The Florida Division of Emergency Management relayed the announcement on Nov. 5.
Which counties can apply
Physical damage loans are open in Bay, Escambia, Gulf, Holmes, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton and Washington counties, according to the state’s posting of the SBA announcement. Four other Florida counties, Calhoun, Franklin, Jackson and Liberty, are listed, but only for economic injury loans to small businesses and most private nonprofits. A homeowner in one of those four does not qualify for the home repair loan under this announcement.
A homeowner just outside the eight has no home repair loan through this declaration.
What the $500,000 covers
The SBA says homeowners can borrow up to $500,000 to repair or replace their primary residence. That is a ceiling, not a typical loan, and the amount depends on the verified damage and what the household can repay. The announcement does not say how insurance payments are counted against a loan.
Homeowners and renters can also borrow up to $100,000 to replace personal property such as clothing, furniture, cars and appliances. That is a separate cap from the $500,000 for the house.
The agency says a loan can be increased by up to 20 percent of the verified physical damage to pay for protection against the next storm, such as wind-resistant structures, wind-rated garage doors, and safe rooms or storm shelters.
The question for a Panhandle homeowner is simple: does the house sit in one of the eight counties, and is the repair bill larger than the insurance check? If the answer is yes, the application is due Dec. 28 and can be started online or by phone this week.
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The declaration and the storm dates are what set the clock. The presidential declaration came Oct. 27, after the storm of Oct. 6 through 12, and the SBA application window runs from the announcement until Dec. 28 for physical damage. That is roughly seven weeks from the Nov. 5 posting, and the announcement ties the mitigation add-on to verified physical damage, which suggests loan amounts rest on documented losses, so photos and repair estimates are worth gathering early.
The rate and the repayment clock
Rates run as low as 3 percent for homeowners and renters, 3.625 percent for private nonprofits and 4 percent for businesses. Terms can run up to 30 years. Interest and payments begin 12 months after the first loan disbursement, which gives a household a year before the first bill.
The 3 percent figure is the lowest rate the SBA lists, written as “as low as,” and terms are “up to” 30 years.
Chris Stallings, the SBA’s associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery, said in the announcement that the SBA offers disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses and private nonprofits affected by the disaster, and that a presidential declaration is what lets the agency provide the financial assistance. Business owners have a later date, July 27, 2027, for economic injury loans, but the physical damage deadline for a house is Dec. 28.
Three ways to apply, and an in-person stop in Pensacola
Applications can be filed online on the SBA’s disaster loan site at sba.gov/disaster, or by scheduling an appointment at appointment.sba.gov. Walk-ins are also welcome. Homeowners who prefer to talk to a person can call the SBA’s National Support Network Center at 1-866-SBA-HELP or email [email protected]. Callers who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech-disabled can dial 7-1-1.
In Escambia County, a recovery center is open at the Ferry Pass Community Center, 8800 N. 9th Ave., Pensacola. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed Thursday, Nov. 26 and Friday, Dec. 25. It closes for good at 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 28, the same day as the loan deadline.
The announcement calls it a Business Recovery Center, though the same announcement describes the home loans. Anyone going in person can bring photos of the damage and any insurance letters. The announcement does not list required documents, so the SBA is the place to ask what else is needed.
Starting the form in November leaves room for a missing page or a callback from a loan officer. The Dec. 28 date applies to the physical damage application itself, not to the time it takes the agency to decide.
Is the Isaias repair bill bigger than the insurance check?
A Panhandle homeowner who waits past Dec. 28 gives up the SBA’s 3 percent repair loan for this storm, and a roof or a failed air conditioner does not wait for the paperwork. Older homeowners often juggle the loan, an insurance claim and other home-repair programs at once.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit is a 64-page guide with heating, cooling and home-repair help for older homeowners, and it explains how to claim each program. It also has an application log and renewal calendar for tracking what was sent and when.
Get the home-repair help guide and application log for Isaias storm damage →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
