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Melbourne Debt Collection Attorneys

Collecting a debt or judgment, city by city.

Quick summary: Melbourne is an aerospace and defense town, so its debtors tend to hold contract receivables and specialized equipment rather than storefronts. Brevard County has more than one courthouse, and it matters which one hears your case.

Hand-tinted postcard-style illustration of Crane Creek in Melbourne, Melbourne, Florida, in the style of about 1910
Melbourne, Florida, as a picture postcard of about 1910 might have shown it. (Illustration.)

Melbourne sits at the center of the Space Coast’s aerospace economy. L3Harris is headquartered here and is the area’s largest aerospace employer. Businesses at Melbourne Orlando International Airport include Northrop Grumman, Embraer, Collins Aerospace, Thales, and Dassault Falcon Jet. Around them is a long supply chain of machine shops, electronics firms, engineering contractors, and service companies.

Those suppliers and subcontractors are where most Melbourne collection work comes from. The cases are heard in Brevard County, in Florida’s Eighteenth Judicial Circuit.

For creditors and referring attorneys

Creditors with Melbourne files are usually parts and materials suppliers, equipment lessors, staffing firms, and landlords to aerospace and defense subcontractors. We look at who the debtor sells to, because that’s often where the money is.

Referring attorneys can send us Brevard County enforcement work, including out-of-state judgments that must first be domesticated in Florida.

Collecting a debt or judgment in Melbourne

A Melbourne subcontractor’s biggest asset is usually money it’s owed by a larger company, plus the specialized machinery it uses to do the work. Commercial property along the I-95 and US 1 corridors comes next. The tools that fit:

  • Payments due from prime contractors and customers: garnishment of those receivables
  • Specialized machinery and test equipment: a Sheriff’s levy, after checking lender liens
  • Commercial property along I-95 and US 1: a judgment lien recorded in Brevard County
  • Assets shifted to a new entity after the default: proceedings supplementary

Our judgment enforcement page explains each tool.

The venue: Moore Justice Center and the Melbourne courthouse

Brevard has two main court locations for the Melbourne area: the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Justice Center in Viera, and the Melbourne Branch Courthouse on Nieman Avenue. We confirm which location hears a given civil matter. The Eighteenth Circuit also wants proposed orders in .docx format with its formatting codes so judges can sign them electronically, and getting that wrong slows every order. Appeals go to the Fifth District Court of Appeal.

Frequently asked questions

Can we garnish what a defense prime contractor owes our debtor?

Often, yes. Money one private company owes another can usually be garnished. Payments that come straight from the federal government follow different rules, and we’ll check which kind you’re dealing with.

Will the case be heard in Viera or in Melbourne?

It depends on the case and the division. Brevard uses both locations, and we confirm the right one with the Clerk before anything is scheduled.

Bottom line: If a Melbourne business owes you money, contact us or call (813) 229-0900. We’ll find out who owes your debtor before you spend on a lawsuit.

Nearby: Orlando, Daytona Beach.

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