Florida Invoice Factoring

invoice factoring Florida

Invoice factoring is an increasingly popular option for many local businesses in the state of Florida with net working capital needs. The Sunshine State’s major industries are tourism, agriculture, construction and international trade which all lend themselves to delayed payments and cash flow constraints.

Major Invoice Factoring Industries in Florida

  • Tourism
  • Agriculture
  • Construction
  • International Trade

Tourism

With its fantastic climate and miles of beautiful beaches, it’s no surprise the Sunshine State enjoys a booming tourism industry (we may be biased because we are located here). In fact, Orlando is the largest tourist destination in the United States.1

Staffing agencies are used extensively for the food and beverage segments. Smaller companies often get contracted for work with the major tourist companies including the Mouse House itself, Disney. But when economic conditions get strained, many large companies use their cash conversion cycles to their advantage. They accelerate receivable payments from their own clients and delay their own payables (your invoices). This keep them operating efficiently, often to the delight of public shareholders, but to the detriment of many small vendors.

A small video production company Point.360 recounted that during the credit crunch in 2009, its customers extended their time to pay their bills to 66 days from 54 a year prior. Some of its largest customers, including Disney and Paramount began lengthening their payment terms. Businesses should expect this this type of behavior in the next crisis and begin researching invoice factoring companies sooner than later. Establishing a partner early on provides an extra cushion when a credit crunch occurs.

Agriculture

Agriculture is a long-standing cornerstone of the Florida economy, notably farmland and citrus fruits. Numerous types of funding exist outside of invoice factoring- one being asset based lending. This financing is prevalent among agricultural companies with tangible assets such as farming equipment and machinery and real estate (farmland). ABL is often combined with a factoring facility which is helpful when farmers wait for payment from grocery store chains or specialty restaurants or food companies.

Construction

Given the state’s reputation for roller coaster housing markets, it is no surprise that many real estate developers, construction companies and remodelers have small business funding needs from time to time. With so many layers of needed to complete a commercial development project, the entire project can get bogged down when one entity (supplier, subcontractor, etc.) runs into cash flow problems. To make matters worse, many operate with a high amount of leverage so banks will sometimes turn their backs on them.

International Trade

Port cities, especially Miami, are very dependent on commerce with Latin America. Several economic factors come into play, including currency fluctuations against their foreign counterparts, which exacerbate a need for factoring receivables. Often, billing begins after the shipment is delivered, which can be a lengthy process. The result is that many import-export businesses start accounts receivable factoring.

Other Invoice Factoring Businesses in Florida

In addition to the aforementioned industries, there are other businesses that are common in a state like Florida. With the sometimes muggy conditions associated with high humidity, living with pests and bugs is commonplace. Lizards, palmetto bugs, ‘love bugs’, etc. can infiltrate restaurants and other commercial cleaning businesses. So, it’s not uncommon for pest control companies, plentiful in Florida, to use invoice factoring for its business clients who place them low on the priority list.

Also, landscape companies are widespread throughout Florida, careering to snowbirds as well as plenty of commercial customers including, homeowners associations (HOAs), country clubs and commercial properties. They bill out and are frequently awaiting payments from business customers. Delayed payments make it difficult for landscape companies to pay for fuel, purchase new equipment or hire a new crew to fulfill a new contract.

Invoice Factoring Companies in Florida

With slow-paying industries such as tourism, agriculture and international trade, there are no shortage of factoring companies in the state of Florida.  Several are located in major cities like Miami and Tampa but there are  factoring companies throughout the state. Considering that most invoice factoring companies have offices in a number of different states, we always like to focus on factors  that are headquartered in their state. This provides an insight and level of service when factoring receivables of specific niche industries. For instance, if you are an import-export business that does extensive business in Latin America, you probably wouldn’t want an Oklahoma company factoring invoices for you.  Here is a list of invoice factoring companies that are headquartered in Florida:

  • Amerifactors (Celebration)
  • Aegis Business Credit (Tampa)
  • Bay Area Liquid Capital (St. Pete)
  • Bridgeport Capital Services (Coral Springs)
  • Capital Funding Solutions (Hollywood)
  • Coastline Financial Services Group (Miami area)
  • CV Credit (Miami)
  • Factorway (Miami)
  • First Florida Integrity Bank (Naples)
  • Freight Factoring Specialists (Hollywood)
  • Gateway Commercial Finance (Delray Beach)
  • Liquid Capital Corp/Custage Int’l (Ft. Lauderdale)
  • LiquidiFast Funding (Orlando)
  • LSQ Funding Group (Maitland)
  • Multiple Funding Solutions (Tequesta)
  • Paragon Financial Group (Ft. Lauderdale)
  • Prosperity Funding (West Palm Beach)
  • Richert Funding (Orlando)
  • United Capital Funding (St. Pete)

Florida Invoice Factoring Considerations

The above is not meant to be a complete list of Florida factors-just those headquartered within the state. Riviera Finance, Bluevine, Fundbox and Fleet One factoring also have operations in the Sunshine State.

There are also some legal considerations you must remember if your business is considering invoice factoring in Florida. For one, a factoring company must comply with the usury rates of Florida, which are 18%. This is a gray area for factors since accounts receivable factoring is not technically a loan, but this applies more for invoice financing, where revolving credit facilities are subject to such regulations.

Also, government contracting is a huge industry for many small businesses in Florida, especially around Florida’s Space Coast. Many service NASA, Patrick Air Force Base and the prime defense contractors. If your small business provides services to public agencies, you may be used to getting paid on the later side (of course that depends on exactly which agency-state and local municipalities tend to be the slowest although federal contracts may also see delays).

Florida University Resources

University of Tampa- Lowth Entrepreneur Center

University of Tampa- Naimoli School of Business Strategic Analysis Program

Stetson University- Joseph Prince Entrepreneur Program

Florida Institute of Technology- weVENTURE

 

 

1http://www.ibtimes.com/orlando-surpasses-new-york-most-visited-us-city-1574621

2http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB125167116756270697