Driftwater Loans, a small-business funding service in Fort Myers, Florida, covers construction business loans for Lee County contractors: lines of credit for materials and payroll, equipment financing for machines, and term loans for growth, with Lee County building figures.
At a glance
- Construction employers, Lee County, FL
3,887 (CBP 2023)
- Construction payroll
$2.12 billion (CBP 2023)
- Housing units permitted, 2025
13,547 (BPS 2025)
Draws Arrive Late, Materials and Crews Do Not
Construction business loans exist because contractors pay first and get paid later. Lumber, block and fixtures are bought before the job; crews are paid weekly; the owner or general contractor pays on a draw schedule after inspections. Lee County, FL had 3,887 construction employers in 2023, more than any other sector, with 33,899 paid employees and $2.12 billion in payroll (County Business Patterns 2023).
The building behind those numbers shows in permits: 13,556 new housing units authorized in Lee County, FL in 2023, 15,411 in 2024 and 13,547 in 2025 (Census Building Permits Survey).
Lee County, FL Construction Employers by Group
| Group (NAICS) | Employers | Paid employees | Annual payroll | Payroll per employee (our arithmetic) | Under five employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All construction (23) | 3,887 | 33,899 | $2,122.1 million | $62,602 | 65.5% |
| Building construction (236) | 1,052 | 6,504 | $511 million | $78,560 | 71.3% |
| Specialty trades (238) | 2,697 | 25,169 | $1,458.9 million | $57,963 | 64.3% |
| Residential builders (2361) | 945 | 5,394 | $424.7 million | $78,732 | 73.2% |
Construction payroll per employee, about $62,602, ran above the all-employer county figure of about $55,417 (CBP 2023, our arithmetic). Nonemployer Statistics, a separate program, counted 15,642 construction businesses without paid employees in 2024.
Construction Equipment Finance Companies Near Fort Myers, FL: What to Check First
Equipment finance companies, dealer finance programs and banks all finance machines, and they price them differently. Before choosing, check the total of all payments, the down payment, whether a balloon sits at the end, what happens if the machine is sold early, and whether the lien covers only that machine or all business assets. The equipment financing page covers excavators, loaders and lifts in more detail, and the equipment financing article compares dealer, bank and independent options.
Contractor Loans
"Contractor loan" covers several products. The match depends on the cost:
- Materials and payroll ahead of a draw: a line of credit or working capital.
- A skid steer, trailer or truck: an equipment loan or lease.
- A yard, shop or second crew: a term loan.
- Bonding capacity: a surety matter, not a loan; partners may still read your bonding line.
Contractor Financing: What Partners Review in Fort Myers, FL
- The contract and its draw schedule.
- Work-in-progress and receivables aging.
- Business bank statements.
- The contractor's license and the local business tax receipt.
- Existing equipment loans and their payments.
- For larger requests, financial statements prepared by an accountant.
Partners want to see that draws have arrived on schedule in the past and that retainage is tracked.
1099 Contractor Loans: How It Works in Fort Myers, FL
A sole operator paid on 1099s is a business too. Partners read the business bank account, tax returns with the Schedule C or entity return, and the 1099s themselves to see who pays and how steadily. Lee County, FL's 15,642 construction nonemployers (NES 2024) are this group. Mixed personal and business deposits make the review harder, so a separate business account helps.
Contractor Line of Credit for Fort Myers, FL Firms
Illustration only, invented figures: a framing subcontractor has a $96,000 draw due in six weeks and $14,500 in weekly payroll. In this invented example it draws $29,000 on a line for two pay periods and a lumber order, then pays the line down when the draw clears. Interest runs only on the drawn amount for those weeks, which is the reason contractors use lines rather than lump sums for this gap.
Builder Line of Credit for Fort Myers, FL Firms
Home builders carry bigger sums for longer. Lee County, FL had 945 residential building employers and 107 nonresidential builders in 2023 (CBP 2023). Of the 13,547 units permitted in 2025, 9,962 were single-unit and 3,385 were in buildings of five or more units (BPS 2025). Land and vertical construction loans are real estate lending, which Driftwater does not arrange; a builder's operating line, equipment and working capital can go to partners.
General Contractor Loans: What Partners Review in Fort Myers, FL
Illustration only, invented figures: a general contractor buys a $120,000 package of trucks and trailers to run a second crew. In this invented example, a 60-month loan at 9.5% a year means payments of about $2,520. In this invented example, the second crew has to bring in enough margin each month to cover that payment plus its own wages before the purchase pays off.
Partners reviewing a general contractor read backlog, subcontractor payables and the timing of owner payments as closely as the balance sheet.
ZIP 33916 Trades Near Driftwater's Listing
ZIP Code 33916 in Fort Myers, FL counted 130 construction employers in 2023, more than any other sector in that ZIP (ZBP 2023), including 25 residential builders and 34 finishing contractors. Permits and zoning for a new yard or shop are covered in the permits and zoning guide, and county-wide figures are on the Fort Myers, FL page.
Buying an Existing Contracting Business in Lee County, FL
Buying a contractor means buying its license holder's relationships, its backlog and its equipment. Partners read the seller's returns, the equipment list with ages and hours, and whether the qualifying license stays with the business after the sale. A term loan covers the business and its equipment; landscaping companies are bought on the same logic.
By Driftwater Loans · Updated