How to Start an LLC in Florida, Step by Step

Forming a Florida LLC is one of the simplest filings the state offers, which is exactly why so many are formed badly. The state approves the paperwork. It does not tell you whether the structure fits your business. Here is the full process, in order.

1. Choose and check the name

Your LLC's name must include "Limited Liability Company," "LLC," or "L.L.C.," and it must be distinguishable from other entities already on file with the Florida Division of Corporations. You can search those records on Sunbiz. That search only checks Florida entity names. It does not tell you whether someone holds a federal trademark on the name, which is a separate question we cover in trademark vs. LLC.

2. Designate a registered agent

Every Florida LLC must keep a registered agent with a physical Florida address, available during business hours to accept legal papers. You can serve as your own agent if you live in Florida, but that address becomes public. Many owners who work from home use a commercial registered agent for that reason alone.

3. File the Articles of Organization

You file Articles of Organization online through Sunbiz. The fee is $125, which includes the registered agent designation. The articles list the company's name, principal address, mailing address, registered agent, and the people authorized to manage it, and all of it is public record. Florida does not require newspaper publication to form an LLC.

One decision to make before you file: whether the company is member-managed or manager-managed. That choice affects who has authority to sign for the business, and it should match your operating agreement.

4. Get an EIN

An Employer Identification Number from the IRS is free and is required to open a business bank account, hire employees, or elect a different tax treatment. Apply directly on the IRS website. Anyone charging you for an EIN is charging you for a free form.

5. Sign an operating agreement

Florida does not require you to file an operating agreement, and Sunbiz never asks for one. That is not the same as not needing one. Without it, Florida's default rules decide how your company is run, and they rarely match what the owners actually intended. We explain why in do Florida LLCs need an operating agreement.

6. Separate the money

Open a business bank account and run every dollar of business income and expense through it. Liability protection depends in part on treating the company as a separate entity. Commingling personal and business funds is one of the fastest ways to give a creditor an argument that the LLC should be disregarded.

7. Handle the follow-up filings

• Local business tax receipt. Most Florida counties and many cities require one before you operate.
• Fictitious name registration. If you will do business under a name other than the LLC's legal name, register it with the state for $50 and advertise it as Florida law requires.
• Sales tax registration. If you sell taxable goods or services, register with the Florida Department of Revenue.
• Annual report. Due every year between January 1 and May 1. See our guide to the Florida LLC annual report.

You may also have heard about filing a beneficial ownership report with FinCEN. As of a final rule that took effect in August 2026, companies formed in the United States are no longer required to file one.

The decision that comes before all of this

Whether an LLC is the right entity, and how it should be taxed, are questions worth answering before you file, not after. If you are weighing the tax side, read LLC vs. S corporation. If you want the structure built right the first time, that is our business formation work.