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Collection Agencies in Florida: State-Specific Knowledge Matters

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List of collection agencies in Florida.

Florida is a big, complex state for collections. From Miami and Orlando to Tampa, Jacksonville, and the Panhandle, your receivables behave very differently than in a small, single-market state. Add Florida-specific licensing rules, the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA), changing medical-debt rules, and strict credit-reporting standards, and it’s clear you can’t rely on a generic out-of-state agency.

Nexa is an information portal, not a collection agency. We don’t call your customers, accept payments, or credit-report. We simply help Florida businesses, medical and dental practices, HOAs, schools, and professional firms find licensed, compliant Florida collection agencies that fit their industry and size. It’s entirely your choice whether or not to use those agencies.

Florida’s Legal Framework for Collections – The Essentials

A good Florida collection agency should be able to walk you through these points without opening a statute book.

Registration: Florida Consumer Collection Agencies

Most third-party consumer collection agencies collecting in Florida must be registered with the Florida Office of Financial Regulation as consumer collection agencies and renew that registration annually.

If an agency can’t quickly give you its current Florida registration details, you’re sharing risk with them.

The FCCPA – Florida’s Own Version of FDCPA

Florida layers the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA) on top of federal law. FCCPA applies broadly to any person collecting consumer debts, including many original creditors, not just third-party agencies.

Key points:

  • It lists numerous prohibited practices (such as simulating law enforcement, using or threatening violence, contacting at clearly inconvenient times, or trying to enforce a debt the collector knows is not legitimate).
  • Violations can mean actual damages, statutory damages, attorney’s fees, and even class-action exposure.

Florida has also clarified that after-hours restrictions mainly apply to calls and similar communication; emails are treated differently, but voice and text still have to respect time-of-day limits.

A modern Florida agency will have written policies, regular training, and audits specifically around FCCPA—not just generic FDCPA compliance.

Statute of Limitations on Debt in Florida

You don’t need exact subsections, but you do need an agency that respects Florida’s time limits.

Broadly:

  • Written contracts (many loans, credit cards, most medical bills): typically about 5 years
  • Oral contracts / some open accounts: often about 4 years
  • Certain hospital medical debts may have a specific, shorter timeframe from when the account is sent to collections

Once a debt is time-barred:

  • Collectors may still request voluntary payment
  • They cannot lawfully sue or threaten lawsuits over that debt

Your agency should track last payment date, referral date, and contract type, and clearly flag time-barred files so you’re not sending letters that imply lawsuits you can’t actually file.

Medical Debt & Credit Reporting – Unstable Ground

Medical-debt reporting has changed more in the last few years than in the previous twenty:

  • The major credit bureaus have already removed many paid medical collections and smaller medical debts from credit reports.
  • They have extended the waiting time before medical collections can appear, giving patients more time to resolve balances.
  • A federal rule to remove all medical bills from most credit reports and limit their use in lending decisions has moved forward, faced legal challenges, and continues to evolve.

Translation for Florida providers and hospitals:

  • Credit-report threats are much weaker and less predictable than they used to be.
  • The focus has shifted to early outreach, cleaner statements, insurance follow-up, and realistic payment plans.

A Florida-savvy, healthcare-savvy agency should be explaining this to you—and reflecting it in their strategy.

(General information only, not legal advice. Always confirm specifics with your own attorney.)

Federal Laws Your Florida Agency Must Respect

Alongside Florida law, any serious collection partner should be fully aligned with:

  • FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) – Baseline federal rules on harassment, misrepresentation, and unfair practices for third-party collectors.
  • FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) – Controls how agencies furnish data to credit bureaus, handle disputes, and update paid or settled accounts.
  • HIPAA – For medical and dental debt, requires Business Associate Agreements, strict handling of PHI, and “minimum necessary” disclosures.
  • TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) – Limits auto-dialers, texts, and prerecorded calls, especially to cell phones.

A Florida agency that shrugs off these acronyms is a liability.

Florida Case Studies – Short, Realistic Scenarios

Medical Example – Multi-Clinic Group in Central Florida

A multi-clinic group in the Orlando–Kissimmee area had about $420,000 in patient balances sitting between 90 and 180 days. Their old agency:

  • Used one-size-fits-all letters with heavy credit-report language
  • Ignored Florida’s limitation windows for medical and other contract debt
  • Provided thin reports that mixed collectible accounts with clearly stale files

After switching to a Florida-focused, HIPAA-compliant agency:

  • Accounts were segmented by age, payer type, and facility status (hospital vs. office).
  • Outreach focused on clear explanations, insurance corrections, and realistic payment plans.
  • Over about nine months, roughly 53% of the dollars placed were resolved by payments or structured plans.
  • Patient complaints dropped, and the provider gained a much clearer picture of which accounts should be written off versus worked longer.

Small-Business Example – Services Firm in Tampa Bay

A services firm operating across Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater carried around $96,000 in overdue invoices from small businesses and property owners. Staff hated chasing accounts, and no one could tell which files were realistically collectible.

A new, Florida-registered agency:

  • Pushed newer invoices into a low-friction reminder and follow-up sequence.
  • Moved older and borderline accounts into a contingency-only track (no fee unless money came in).
  • Within about six months, they recovered around 45% of the dollars placed, enough to stabilize cash flow and avoid taking on short-term loans.

These are not miracle numbers—they’re what happens when Florida law, aging, and tone are all taken seriously.

Why Florida-Specific Expertise Matters

Florida is its own ecosystem:

  • Large metros (Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville), tourism hubs, retiree communities, college towns, and rural areas
  • Heavy exposure to healthcare, hospitality, construction, real estate, HOAs, and professional services
  • A legal environment layered with FCCPA, registration requirements, and fast-changing medical-debt rules

A generic national agency may:

  • Overpromise on lawsuits and credit damage
  • Underestimate FCCPA risk and Florida’s private-right-of-action exposure
  • Mishandle PHI or time-of-day contact rules

You want a partner who can:

  • Keep your legal risk low while recovering more
  • Stretch your internal AR team without adding headcount
  • Protect your name on Google while still getting paid

How Nexa Helps Florida Creditors

Nexa does not collect or credit-report. Instead, we:

  • Learn your industry, balance sizes, and pain points (medical AR, small-ticket consumer balances, B2B invoices, HOA dues, etc.).
  • Shortlist Florida-registered, compliant agencies that already perform well in your niche.
  • Prioritize partners who provide:
    • Transparent reporting and realistic expectations
    • Respectful treatment of your patients and customers
    • Processes aligned with FDCPA, FCCPA, FCRA, HIPAA, TCPA, and Florida’s statute-of-limitations rules

You stay in control. You can speak with the recommended agencies, compare pricing and approach, and decide whether any are a fit.

When It’s Time to Switch Florida Collection Agencies

It may be time to look at alternatives if:

  • Recovery has flattened or fallen despite steady placements
  • You’re hearing more about the agency’s tone than about the original bill
  • Reports don’t clearly separate collectible vs. time-barred or low-value accounts
  • Your agency never mentions Florida registration, FCCPA, or changing medical-debt credit-reporting rules

If that sounds familiar, you’re likely carrying more risk than you should.

Share your industry mix, average balances, and recovery goals, and Nexa can point you toward Florida-savvy collection agencies that understand the law, respect your relationships, and help you get paid.