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HB 501 2026
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to construction disruption assistance; 2
creating part XIII of ch. 288, F.S., to be entitled 3
the "Construction Disruption Assistance Act"; creating 4
s. 288.9991, F.S.; providing a short title; creating 5
s. 288.9992, F.S.; providing legislative findings and 6
purpose; creating s. 288.9993, F.S.; defining terms; 7
creating s. 288.9994, F.S.; establishing rulemaking 8
authority; creating s. 288.9995, F.S.; establishing 9
the Construction Impact Relief Revolving Loan Program 10
within the Department of Commerce; authorizing the 11
Legislature to fund the program; requiring the 12
department to provide specified financial assistance 13
to eligible small businesses within construction 14
zones; requiring the department to develop a public 15
awareness and marketing campaign to promote the 16
program in partnership with specified entities; 17
providing requirements for the campaign; requiring 18
applicants to submit specified information with their 19
applications; requiring an applicant to agree to 20
accept consultation from the Florida Small Business 21
Development Center Network as a condition to 22
participate in the program; prohibiting an applicant 23
from participating in the program under certain 24
circumstances; creating s. 288.9996, F.S.; directing 25
HB 501 2026
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
the department to maintain and publish certain 26
information about the program on its website, to 27
update such information as changes occur, and to 28
ensure that the website is accessible to certain 29
persons with disabilities; creating s. 288.9997, F.S.; 30
providing that the department or any of its officers, 31
employees, agents, or contractors are not liable in 32
any civil action arising out of or relating to 33
specified duties of the program; requiring an 34
applicant to acknowledge that submitting an 35
application does not guarantee funding; providing that 36
the department is not liable for any damages resulting 37
from the department denying an applicant a loan or 38
delaying loan disbursement or from certain activities; 39
providing construction; providing that certain 40
determinations, prioritizations, and decisions made 41
are deemed final agency action and not subject to 42
further judicial review; providing an exception; 43
authorizing the department to adopt rules; creating s. 44
288.9998, F.S.; requiring the department, by a 45
specified date, to submit an annual report containing 46
certain information to the Governor and the 47
Legislature; providing an effective date. 48
49
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 50
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
51
Section 1. Part XIII of chapter 288, Florida Statutes, 52
consisting of ss. 288.9991-288.9998, Florida Statutes, is 53
created and entitled "Construction Disruption Assistance Act." 54
Section 2. Section 288.9991, Florida Statutes, is created 55
to read: 56
288.9991 Short title.—This part shall be known and may be 57
cited as the "Construction Disruption Assistance Act." 58
Section 3. Section 288.9992, Florida Statutes, is created 59
to read: 60
288.9992 Legislative findings; purpose.—The Legislature 61
finds and declares that: 62
(1) Prolonged state and local government construction 63
projects that directly block access to small businesses cause 64
significant financial and operational hardships that negatively 65
impact local economies and threaten the livelihoods of business 66
owners and employees. 67
(2) It is the purpose of this act to establish a program 68
to provide financial relief, promotional support, and loss 69
coverage to small businesses adversely impacted by state and 70
local government construction projects, ensuring the resilience 71
and viability of affected businesses during essential 72
infrastructure improvements. 73
Section 4. Section 288.9993, Florida Statutes, is created 74
to read: 75
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288.9993 Definitions.—As used in this part, the term: 76
(1) "Construction zone" means the immediate area where 77
construction activities directly restrict physical or visual 78
access to a small business, including partial or complete 79
obstruction of entryways, parking, or signage visibility. 80
(2) "Demonstrable loss" means a verifiable reduction in 81
revenue, increased operating costs, or property damage directly 82
attributed to state or local government construction activities. 83
(3) "Department" means the Department of Commerce. 84
(4) "Eligible small business" means a business with 50 or 85
fewer employees whose primary access points are obstructed by 86
state or local government construction activities directly 87
adjacent to or in front of the business, as determined by the 88
department. 89
(5) "Program" means the Construction Impact Relief 90
Revolving Loan Program established in s. 288.9995. 91
Section 5. Section 288.9994, Florida Statutes, is created 92
to read: 93
288.9994 Rulemaking authority.—By October 1, 2026, the 94
department shall adopt rules to implement this part, including, 95
but not limited to, developing guidelines for the award of loans 96
under the program and creating application forms for the 97
program. 98
Section 6. Section 288.9995, Florida Statutes, is created 99
to read: 100
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288.9995 Construction Impact Relief Revolving Loan 101
Program.— 102
(1) The Construction Impact Relief Revolving Loan Program 103
is created within the department. The program may be funded by 104
the Legislature. Under the program, the department shall: 105
(a) Provide financial assistance to eligible small 106
businesses within construction zones, including low-interest 107
loans of up to $100,000, with interest not to exceed the federal 108
funds rate at the time the loan is issued, for the operating 109
costs of eligible small businesses during construction 110
disruptions. 111
(b) Develop a public awareness and marketing campaign to 112
promote the program in partnership with local chambers of 113
commerce and other business organizations and to encourage 114
customer support for small businesses adversely impacted by 115
state and local government construction activities. Such 116
marketing campaign efforts must include, but are not limited to, 117
all of the following: 118
1. Digital advertising campaigns. 119
2. Signage and outreach. 120
(2) An applicant seeking to obtain financial assistance 121
under paragraph (1)(a) must submit an application to the 122
department. The application must require documentation of 123
demonstrable loss and a plan for the use of funds. Proof of 124
demonstrable loss must include, but is not limited to, all of 125
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the following: 126
(a) Documentation of reduction in revenue from the start 127
date of the state or local government construction activities to 128
the week before an application is submitted to the department. 129
Such proof may be made by comparing the applicant's average 130
weekly or monthly revenue of the year before the state or local 131
government construction activities began and the applicant's 132
current weekly or monthly revenue. 133
(b) Photo or video evidence of the obstruction to the 134
applicant due to the construction zone. Such obstruction may 135
include, but is not limited to, any of the following: 136
1. Restricting parking or primary entry access to the 137
eligible small business. 138
2. Blocking visibility of the applicant's premises from 139
all directions of traffic flow along the road and adjoining 140
sidewalks where the applicant is located, during each phase of 141
construction. 142
(3) An applicant must agree to accept consultation from 143
the Florida Small Business Development Center Network created in 144
s. 288.001 as a condition to participate in the program. If an 145
applicant is enrolled in any other loan program, the business is 146
not eligible to participate in the program. 147
Section 7. Section 288.9996, Florida Statutes, is created 148
to read: 149
288.9996 Publication on department website; 150
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accessibility.— 151
(1) The department shall maintain and publish detailed 152
information about the program on its website. The information 153
must include, but is not limited to, all of the following: 154
(a) A clear description of the application process. 155
(b) Detailed eligibility criteria for applicants. 156
(c) The timeline and procedures for review, approval, and 157
disbursement of funds. 158
(d) Contact information, including e-mail addresses and 159
telephone numbers, applicants or interested parties may use to 160
obtain additional information or assistance. 161
(2) The department shall update the information as changes 162
occur and shall ensure that the website is accessible to all 163
potential applicants or interested parties, including those with 164
disabilities, in accordance with applicable state and federal 165
accessibility laws. 166
Section 8. Section 288.9997, Florida Statutes, is created 167
to read: 168
288.9997 Liability.— 169
(1) The department or any of its officers, employees, 170
agents, or contractors may not be held liable in any civil 171
action arising out of or relating to the administration, 172
processing, approval, denial, or disbursement of funds under the 173
program. 174
(2) An applicant must acknowledge that, as a condition of 175
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applying to the program, submitting an application does not 176
guarantee funding and that the department is not liable for any 177
damages, including, but not limited to, lost profits or business 178
interruptions resulting from the department denying a loan or 179
delaying disbursement of a loan, or from government construction 180
activities. 181
(3) This part may not be construed to create a private 182
right of action against the department or any of its officers, 183
employees, agents, or contractors. Eligibility determinations, 184
prioritization of applications, and loan award decisions made in 185
accordance with applicable program rules and guidelines are 186
considered final agency action and are not subject to further 187
judicial review except as provided in s. 120.68. 188
(4) The department may adopt rules establishing clear 189
application procedures, evaluation criteria, and dispute 190
resolution processes to ensure consistency and transparency in 191
program administration. 192
Section 9. Section 288.9998, Florida Statutes, is created 193
to read: 194
288.9998 Annual reporting requirement.—The department 195
shall, by November 1 of each year, submit an annual report to 196
the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of 197
the House of Representatives which summarizes the performance of 198
the program, including the total number of small businesses and 199
residents served, the total funds disbursed, and the outcomes of 200
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the program. 201
Section 10. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 202