This Hollygrove Lenders page covers contractor business loans for Fort Pierce, Florida builders and trades: payroll, materials and machines, St. Lucie County, FL construction counts by trade, finishing contractors, retainage and draws, equipment, needs set against funding types, the records in a contractor's file, a worked material draw and new-home permit counts.
At a glance
- Construction employers
1,198 (County Business Patterns 2023)
- Building finishing contractors
345 (County Business Patterns 2023)
- Construction businesses without employees
5,533 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024)
Contractor Business Loans for Payroll, Materials and Machines
A contractor borrows for three things. Machines and vehicles that last years: loaders, lifts, sprayers, trailers, trucks. Materials bought before a job pays: board, tile, lumber, wire, pipe. And payroll during the wait between finishing work and collecting for it, which can stretch when a general contractor holds back retainage.
Machines fit equipment financing, recurring material and payroll gaps fit a line of credit, a single long gap fits working capital, and buying another contractor's business fits a term loan.
St. Lucie County, FL Construction Employers, Finishers First
County Business Patterns counted 1,198 construction employers in St. Lucie County, FL in 2023, with 6,400 employees and $312.7 million in annual payroll (County Business Patterns 2023). 75.2% had fewer than five employees.
| Trade (St. Lucie County, FL, 2023) | Employer establishments |
|---|---|
| Building finishing contractors | 345 |
| Building equipment contractors (plumbing, HVAC, electrical and others) | 298 |
| Residential building construction | 239 |
| Residential remodelers (part of residential building) | 160 |
| Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors | 143 |
| Other specialty trade contractors | 109 |
| Nonresidential building construction | 36 |
A separate Census program, Nonemployer Statistics, found 5,533 construction businesses in the county with no payroll at all in 2024 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024).
Building Finishing Contractors: Drywall, Tile, Flooring and Paint
Building finishing contractors hang and finish drywall, set tile and flooring, paint and install finish carpentry. The county had 345 of them with employees in 2023, 1,167 employees between them, and 82.0% had fewer than five on payroll (County Business Patterns 2023). Among them were 109 finish carpentry contractors and 81 painting and wall covering contractors.
Nonemployer Statistics counted 1,179 finishing businesses without employees in 2024 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024). Finishers work near the end of a project and wait longest to be paid, which is why business lines of credit on this site are written for them.
Retainage, Draws and the Wait After an Inspection
A subcontractor finishes its scope, invoices the general contractor and waits. The general contractor may pay only after its own draw is released, and may hold back a percentage as retainage until the punch list is finished and the job is closed. Material bills and Friday payroll arrive long before that.
Partners funding a contractor read the contracts for payment terms and retainage, and the aging report for how long each general contractor takes to pay. A contractor whose customers pay predictably, even slowly, is easier to fund than one whose collections are erratic.
Equipment a St. Lucie County, FL Contractor Finances
Finishers buy airless sprayer rigs, drywall lifts and banjo tapers, tile saws and mixers. Remodelers and site crews buy compact track loaders, mini excavators, dump trailers and work trucks. Every trade buys cargo vans and trailers to carry tools and material.
Each machine can secure its own loan or lease. Who finances equipment for contractors compares dealers, banks and equipment finance companies, and the HVAC and plumbing page covers mechanical trades.
Contractor Needs Set Against the Six Funding Types
| The need | Funding type to start with |
|---|---|
| A loader, lift, sprayer rig, van or trailer | Equipment financing |
| Materials and payroll between progress payments | Line of credit |
| One long wait on a large job | Working capital |
| Buying another contractor or a partner's share | Term loan |
| Material bought ahead in bulk | Inventory financing |
A growing contractor may hold all of these at once. Each is read against the same deposits, so new payments should be added one at a time.
Licenses, Contracts and Aging Reports in a Contractor's File
- The contractor's license and proof of insurance, current and in the company's name.
- Signed contracts or subcontracts showing payment terms and retainage.
- An aging report listing every general contractor or owner who owes money.
- Bank statements and business tax returns.
- A list of equipment owned and any loans or leases against it.
Licensing and local tax receipts sit in the St. Lucie County, FL tax receipt guide.
A Remodeler's Material Draw With Invented Figures
Illustration only, invented figures: a remodeler starts a kitchen and bath job, buying $26,500 of cabinets, tile and fixtures and paying 2 weeks of crew wages at $11,800 a week, $50,100 out of pocket (our arithmetic). The owner's first progress payment is due in 45 days.
Drawing that invented amount on a line of credit for 45 days at an invented 12.5% annual rate costs about $772 in interest (our arithmetic, simple daily interest, fees excluded). If the contract holds back 10% as retainage, that share stays out until the job closes, and the line carries it until then.
New Homes Permitted in St. Lucie County, FL and the Trades Behind Them
The Census Building Permits Survey counted 5,193 new housing units authorized in St. Lucie County, FL in 2023, 4,869 in 2024 and 4,008 in 2025; 3,468 of the 2025 units were single-family homes (Census Building Permits Survey). These are residential units only, not commercial projects or remodels.
Each home passes through framers, roofers, electricians, plumbers, drywall and tile crews, painters and landscapers. The Fort Pierce, FL page has the full sector table, and the landscaping page follows the last trade on site.
By Hollygrove Lenders · Updated