Financial Assistance for Industry

There are no state or federal loan programs structured specifically to assist fishermen and processors. There are programs to assist agri-business or small businesses through loans or loan guarantees with existing financial institutions. Programs and funding levels change frequently; therefore, the listing below specifies sources of information only, not program descriptions. You may also wish to contact regional planning councils, chambers of commerce and small business development centers (SBDCs are usually associated with universities and community colleges) to find out if there are programs available within your region rather than statewide.

National Marine Fisheries Service
Fisheries Finance Program
263 13th Avenue South
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
Contact: Tim Ward
Telephone: (727) 824-5377
Fax: (727) 824-5380
Email: timothy.l.ward@noaa.gov

U.S. Small Business Administration
Jacksonville District
7825 Baymeadows Way, Suite 100-B
(receptionist will refer call based on situation)
Jacksonville, Florida 32256-7504
Telephone: (904) 443-1900

U.S. Small Business Administration
South Florida District
100 South Biscayne Boulevard, 7th Floor
Miami, Florida 33131
Contact: Althea Harris
Telephone: (305) 536-5521 ext. 152
Fax: (305) 536-5058
Email: althea.harris@sba.gov

Enterprise Florida
800 North Magnolia Avenue, Suite 1100
Orlando, Florida 32803
Telephone: (407) 956-5600
Fax: (407) 956-5599

Farm Credit of Central Florida
P.O. Box 8009
Lakeland, Florida 33802-8009
Contact: Ron O'Connor
Telephone: 1-800-533-2773
Fax: (863) 688-9364
Email: marketing@farmcreditcfl.com

USDA, Rural Development
P.O. Box 147010
Gainesville, Florida 32614-7010
Contact: Joe Mueller
Telephone: (352) 338-3482 ext. 3441
Email: joe.mueller@fl.usda.gov