Florida LLCs are required to file annual reports with the State Division of Corporations. Failure to file carries penalties and could result in the dissolution of your business entity.
Fill out all the required information. Review the information carefully and look for any errors. Include your email address. This will be used for courtesy report reminders next year and the Certificate of Status if you order one.
Purpose
When an individual or business creates a Florida LLC, they must file a number of forms to establish themselves in the state. This includes obtaining a federal tax ID, known as an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Depending on the industry, an LLC may also require specialized licenses or permits.
The Florida LLC annual report, which must be filed before May 1, is designed to ensure that the state has the most up-to-date information regarding your business. This includes the name and address of the registered agent as well as the authorized managers.
Matt Horwitz is the founder of LLC University, a website that converts complicated state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form an LLC. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and is a former corporate attorney.
Management
The governing document of your Florida LLC determines how management will be vested in the business. It also stipulates how members will contribute money or services to the LLC, and how the company will distribute profit. Your governing document should establish how managers will be selected and replaced, as well as how conflicts of interest will be handled.
The Florida Sunbiz website asks for your primary business address, as well as the physical address of your Commercial Registered Agent (if you chose one). You also need to list the names and titles of those who are authorized to manage the business. If your LLC is Member-managed, your title will be Authorized Member. You will also need to supply an email address. This will be used for sending LLC annual report reminders next year and Certificates of Status (optional). This address is private and will not be listed in public records.
Registered Agent
A registered agent is an individual or business that can receive service of process and other legal documents on behalf of your LLC. You name your registered agent in your LLC’s Articles of Organization. When you file your annual report, you’re required to list the address of your registered agent.
Florida’s Department of State will send you courtesy reminders of your LLC annual report due date. If you’d like to avoid fees and penalties, your registered agent can file the report on your behalf for an additional fee.
Using a professional registered agent will also give you better privacy and more flexibility. Your agent will be able to scan and upload your documents online, which makes them easy to find when you need them.
Members
The Florida Division of Corporations will send 4 courtesy annual report reminders to your LLC. The first will arrive around the middle of January and then a few times later each year. These will come to the email address that is listed as your Registered Agent in your Florida Articles of Organization.
Most of the time, LLCs are Member-managed. However, in some circumstances members choose to delegate decision-making to a manager that they select themselves or assign from outside the company. It is important that you carefully lay out the various roles of management in your LLC Operating Agreement.
Failure to file an annual report results in a $400 fee and the possibility that your LLC may be administratively dissolved through a process set out in Florida’s legal statutes. To avoid these penalties, hire a registered agent service to handle compliance issues for you.
Shareholders
Florida law does not require an LLC to have an operating agreement. However, the existence of such a document is often helpful for preserving an LLC’s limited liability status and showing that the company is truly a separate business entity. The terms of an LLC operating agreement typically include the names and addresses of all members, the initial capital contributions each member made and their monetary value, and provisions for how profit distributions and property transfers will be handled.
Like most states, Florida requires that businesses file annual reports that update the state’s records for the company. Companies that fail to file by the deadline will be charged a $400 late fee, and their business status may be administratively dissolved. Many companies find it easier to hire a service that handles all compliance issues, including annual report filings.