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Florida's company register is run by the Division of Corporations at the Department of State, and its public site is Sunbiz. Every search is free. Sunbiz gives you more ways in than most states: entity name, officer or registered agent name, registered agent name, FEI number, document number, and trademark name or owner. People often search for a "Florida secretary of state business search", and Sunbiz is where that leads, because the Division of Corporations is part of the Department of State.
How a Florida LLC and corporation search on Sunbiz works
Sunbiz works like an alphabetical index. Its records are listed in alphabetical order, and the search guide explains what that means in practice:
- Start with the first words. You do not need the whole name. "Little Red Sch" finds Little Red School House, Inc.
- The closest names come first. If your exact match is not on the first page, click Previous List or Next List to see the names filed just before and after it.
- Drop the suffix. Inc., LLC and Corp. do not make a Florida name different, so leaving them off widens the list.
- Punctuation is optional.
- People go surname first. Use Last Name, First Name, Middle Initial. A partial entry such as "Doe, J" finds John A. Doe.
- Document numbers are 6 or 12 digits. Always type a zero, never the letter o.
The FEI search is useful when you have a tax ID from an invoice or contract. It lists every entity under that number, and several companies can share one.
When nothing comes up
If a document number search returns Record Not Found, the number does not exist in Sunbiz records, so switch to a name search. If a name search misses, shorten it to the first one or two words and page through the list. Try the officer or registered agent search if you know who runs the company. A trading name sits in the separate fictitious name records, so check our DBA search guide. Very new filings may lag: the database updates daily, and images of electronic filings appear within 3 business days after processing, or 5 business days for paper filings.
What a Sunbiz detail page shows
Click a name and you get the document number, FEI number, date filed, state of domicile, status, effective date, last event, the registered agent's name and address, and the names, addresses and titles of current officers, directors or managers. The page also lists the year and filing date of the last three annual reports, and every filed document opens as a PDF. That makes Sunbiz one of the better places to find who runs a company. Our business owner lookup guide explains how to read the titles, such as MGR for manager and AR for authorized representative.
The status terms are short:
- Active: the entity is active.
- Inactive: the entity is inactive, and the name is available to others.
- Inactive/UA: inactive, but the name is held for a statutory period and is unavailable.
- Inactive/MG and Inactive/CV: inactive because of a merger or a conversion.
- Name HS: a previous name of the entity.
- Cross Ref: the entity's name in its home state.
A company that did not file its annual report shows as administratively dissolved or administratively revoked. Older records may say involuntarily dissolved or revoked for annual report, which meant the same under previous law. The business entity status guide covers what to do next.
Florida name rules and reserving a name
Section 605.0112, Florida Statutes, requires an LLC name to contain "limited liability company", "L.L.C." or "LLC", and to be distinguishable from every other entity on the Division's records. Florida does not count these as differences: a suffix, "the", "a" or "an", "and" versus "&", singular, plural or possessive forms, and punctuation or symbols. Business Enterprises, Inc. and Business Enterprises, LLC are the same name in Florida's eyes.
Use the Sunbiz status column to judge availability. A name marked Active or Inactive/UA is taken, while plain Inactive is free. To hold a name, send the Secretary of State a signed letter naming it. The fee is $25 for an LLC and $35 for a corporation, and the name is held for 120 days. More on this in our name availability guide.
The annual report and staying active
Every Florida company files an annual report each year to stay active, even with no changes. The annual report page sets the rules. An LLC pays $138.75 and a profit corporation $150, due by May 1. After May 1 a $400 late fee is added for profit corporations, LLCs and limited partnerships, though nonprofits do not pay it. If no report is filed by the third Friday in September, the company is administratively dissolved at close of business on the fourth Friday. Reinstating an LLC costs $100 plus each missed year's report fee.
Florida has no expedited service. To prove standing, order a Certificate of Status for $5 for an LLC or $8.75 for a corporation. See our certificate of good standing guide.
Bulk data
Florida gives its data away. The Data Downloads page offers daily files of new filings each work day and full quarterly files in January, April, July and October, by browser or secure FTP. The files are fixed-length text, and long addresses and officer lists can be cut short.
Starting a company here? Read our guide on how to start an LLC in Florida, the Florida registered agent rules, a Florida operating agreement guide and the Florida LLC cost breakdown.
Also see our guides to the Florida DBA and Florida business license.