How Do I Use Sunbiz for a Florida Business?
Sunbiz is the Florida Department of State's Division of Corporations website for business filings and public records. Use the official Division of Corporations site to search entities, form a Florida company, file an annual report or obtain records. Law Offices of Aaron Resnick helps business owners review filings and related legal documents.
Sunbiz is the Florida Division of Corporations website for business filings and public records.
What Sunbiz.org Offers
Business Registration and Management
Sunbiz.org provides a platform where you can:
Register Your Business: File for incorporation or LLC formation through the site.
Annual Reports: Submit the required annual report to update or confirm the entity's information on the state's records.
Amendments and Changes: Use the Division's update instructions for changes to filed information. A change in business structure may require more than an address or management update.
Public Records Access
Use Sunbiz's public records search for:
Due Diligence: Investigate potential business partners or competitors.
Filing Review: Check the entity's status and filed documents.
Market Research: Review existing entities in your sector.
Specific Features on Sunbiz.org
Corporation Search: Look up corporations, LLCs, partnerships and Florida trademark records by name.
Electronic Filing: Submit eligible documents and payments online. Check the Division's current processing dates rather than assuming a filing will be processed immediately.
Downloadable Forms: Access the Division's business filing forms; other agencies may require separate applications.
Do Sunbiz Forms Need Legal Review?
The Division of Corporations explains that its forms meet minimum filing requirements and may need additional provisions for a particular situation. The Florida Department of State strongly recommends legal review before submission.
Entity Selection: Compare the legal structures available for the business.
Contract Review and Drafting: Review the agreements, obligations and rights involved.
Compliance Review: Identify the legal requirements and filings that apply to the business.
Legal Services at Law Offices of Aaron Resnick
Law Offices of Aaron Resnick provides business formation and ongoing legal support for entrepreneurs and small businesses. That work includes entity selection, agreements and compliance review.
Sunbiz supplies filing tools and records. Legal review addresses the business's particular agreements, obligations and required approvals.
Contact the Law Offices of Aaron Resnick about the filing or business issue and the next deadline.
When Does a Florida Business Legally Exist After Filing?
For a Florida corporation, legal existence ordinarily begins when its articles are filed, unless a different effective date applies under chapter 607, Florida Statutes. A Florida LLC forms when its articles take effect and it has at least one member under chapter 605. Those filings do not supply every internal agreement or operating approval.
Here is what business owners should address next.
The Five Things Sunbiz Does Not Do for You
1. Sunbiz does not create an operating agreement or shareholder agreement. Florida's statutes govern matters not addressed by an applicable agreement. An LLC operating agreement can be oral, implied or in a record under chapter 605's agreement definition. Put the intended terms in writing, so the owners are not left arguing over what was implied.
2. Sunbiz does not separate your money from the company's money. Keep personal and company funds separate and maintain records of contributions, loans and payments. Open the business bank account before company funds start moving.
3. Sunbiz does not review your contracts. Review your lease, vendor terms, client agreements and any personal guaranty before signing. Identify the obligations that continue after the initial work or payment.
4. Sunbiz does not keep you compliant. Registered agent obligations continue, and Florida LLCs and business corporations generally file annual reports between January 1 and May 1 under the LLC reporting rules in chapter 605 and the corporate reporting rules in chapter 607. Failure to meet the applicable requirements can lead to administrative dissolution. The LLC procedure and corporate procedure depend on the ground involved.
5. Sunbiz does not resolve ownership questions. A filing can contain information about management or signing authority, but it is not a complete account of ownership, voting or exit rights. Review the filed documents together with the owners' agreements. The Division does not decide disputes between the parties.
Your Checklist After Registration
- Written operating agreement or shareholder agreement, with the approvals and signatures required for that agreement.
- Business bank account opened, with personal and company funds kept separate.
- Core contracts reviewed before signature, especially anything with a personal guaranty.
- Registered agent and annual report obligations calendared.
- Ownership percentages, voting control and exit terms documented in writing.
When Should You Bring in a Business Lawyer?
If the business has more than one owner, outside money, a commercial lease or plans to hire, have the agreements reviewed before the next commitment. Attorney Aaron Resnick handles business agreements, partnership disputes, shareholder litigation and contract enforcement.
Learn more about our business law practice, business ownership and control dispute representation and contract enforcement practice. If you are already the smaller owner in a company, read Can a Minority Shareholder Be Frozen Out in Florida?
Talk to a Miami business lawyer before the first dispute, not after. Call Law Offices of Aaron Resnick or use the contact form to request a consultation.
Sending an inquiry does not create representation.
Send the parties, the problem and the next date; the firm reviews every inquiry and tells you whether it can help.
For a list of what you can learn and do on the site, see Sunbiz.org Top 10.
We Don't Make Promises. We Have Results to Prove It.
Aaron Resnick has handled business disputes in Miami since 1998 and is a fourth generation Miami resident. He works hands-on on every case; the client gets Aaron on every major litigation issue, not a junior partner. The Law Offices of Aaron Resnick represents large corporations, Miami businesses and their owners, professional athletes and entertainers in Miami Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties and across Florida in business litigation and business counsel. Call 305-672-7495 or request a consultation.
This page provides general information and is not legal advice. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome.
