Hurricane Milton is behind us, but flooding is still impacting people along the St. Johns River.

A robotics elementary school teacher and longtime Disney cast member was stunned to receive a past due notice from the SBA.

New small businesses are on the rise in the United States, embodying a resurgence of entrepreneurial spirit in a time of economic uncertainty.

Disaster Recovery Centers across Florida that remain open to assist people impacted by recent hurricanes Ian and Nicole have posted holiday closures for Christmas and New Year’s, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

People impacted by Hurricane Ian have more time to apply for federal disaster assistance.

Orange County suffered more than $200 million in damage because of Hurricane Ian, according to a final estimate released Wednesday by the county.

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced that it will operate a mobile Business Recovery Center for Seminole County starting Friday.

Special Agent in Charge Caroline O’Brien-Buster said she was confident agents will be able to trace the money and the person behind the SBA loan application. O’Brien-Buster said the case is just one of hundreds of loan fraud reports agents have been investigating since March. If you think your identity has been used to apply for an SBA loan you can contact the secret service at this email: ORL.CFTF@usss.dhs.gov . You may report fraud, waste, mismanagement, or misconduct involving SBA programs or employees either online or by calling the OIG Hotline toll-free at (800) 767-0385. If you have a question regarding an SBA loan or any SBA program, contact your local SBA District Office or the SBA Answer Desk at 1-800-U-ASK-SBA (1-800-827-5722) or answerdesk@sba.gov(link sends e-mail).

WASHINGTON After prodding from Democratic lawmakers, the Trump administration has agreed to give Congress but not the public complete data on the millions of small businesses that received loans from a $600 billion-plus coronavirus aid program. Their concession came with a warning to lawmakers not to divulge confidential loan information to the wider public. Last week, the Treasury Department and SBA relented to pressure from lawmakers and watchdogs and agreed to publicly disclose details on which businesses received loans under the program. Under the new agreement, the agencies will provide the complete data on loans of all sizes to the congressional oversight panels. Economists have said the small business loan program has helped, though its hard to know by how much.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks during a Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship hearing to examine implementation of Title I of the CARES Act, Wednesday, June 10, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington. Mnuchin, testifying before the Senate Small Business Committee, said the administration plans to spend the next 30 days looking at what measures should go in the next relief bill. There is no question that small businesses in many industries will need more help, Mnuchin said. Small businesses and larger businesses are going to need more help.New support measures will need to encourage business owners to rehire workers, especially those in the hardest hit industries like restaurants and travel, he said. The applications require more paperwork from small businesses than the paycheck protection loans.