TALLAHASSEE, Fla. , Florida’s agriculture and aquaculture operators who are rebuilding after Hurricane Isaias can now apply for interest‑free loans up to $500,000, state officials announced.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson introduced the funding through the state’s Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program, designed to help farmers, growers, and ranchers rebuild after the storm.
“Delivering immediate financial support to agricultural producers impacted by Hurricane Isaias is a critical first step to get them back on their feet,” Simpson said. “The Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program provides a start with immediate financial relief, ensuring that Florida’s farmers and ranchers begin to rebuild their buildings and infrastructure.”
The loans cover a wide range of storm‑related costs. Producers can use the money to restore, repair, or replace essential assets such as fences, field equipment, greenhouses, and barns. They can also apply the funds toward cleaning up vegetative debris and restocking lost aquaculture inventory.
Assistance is limited to producers whose damaged property lies within 28 designated counties: Baker, Bay, Calhoun, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Okaloosa, Pasco, Pinellas, Santa Rosa, Suwannee, Taylor, Walton, Wakulla, and Washington.
Officials advise operators in these counties to document all damage with photographs and to keep receipts for every cleanup and repair expense.
Growers and ranchers who received relief money from previous hurricanes can still apply for new damage from Isaias. However, program rules limit each applicant to one loan per storm, no more than two loans in a single year, and no more than five loans within any three‑year period.
The revolving loan fund was created during a special legislative session in November 2023, when lawmakers passed House Bill 1‑C and allocated an initial $75 million to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. An additional $40 million was added to the program in 2025.
Application forms, eligibility requirements, and program guidelines are available directly on the department’s official website.
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