What Is Sunbiz.org?
When clients form a new company, depending on the entity type formed, a formation document is filed and needs to be approved by that state’s Secretary of State.
For instance, when Harvard Business Services, Inc. assists clients with forming Delaware companies, our team prepares and files a Delaware formation document with the Delaware Secretary of State for approval. Once the formation document is stamped and approved by the Delaware Secretary of State, the entity will appear within the Delaware Division of Corporations records.
We often have clients ask about forming a Florida entity or the Florida Foreign Qualification process. The website Sunbiz.org often comes up in relation to Florida entities. Similar to what the Delaware Division of Corporations does, SunBiz is simply the Florida Division of Corporations. It’s the state division where Florida companies are registered or where Florida Foreign Qualification applications are submitted for approval. Once the Florida documentation is approved, the entity will be registered within SunBiz records, whether as a domestic Florida company or a foreign entity operating inside of the state of Florida.
Clients can obtain other forms and documents from SunBiz such as a Florida Certificate of Status, Merger Forms, or a Certified Copy of Record. Individuals can also pay the annual Florida fees through the SunBiz website such as annual report fees and complete other filings such as Certificates of Conversion, Reinstatement filings, Change of Registered Agent filings, Articles of Dissolution and Articles of Correction filings.
Clients often ask, what information can be obtained from public SunBiz records? Generally, any information listed on an application for a Florida formation or on the documentation for a Florida Foreign Qualification is accessible through the SunBiz website. Examples are listed in the table below:
In the graphic above, "officers" generally refers to President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. For Directors, typically the Chairman, and Vice Chairman can be listed.
Much of this information is not publicly available through the state of Delaware. Thus, if a Delaware company registers to do business in Florida, there will be more publicly available information on that company.
Harvard Business Services can also serve as the Florida Registered Agent for the domestic or foreign Florida entity. And, we can assist with either Foreign Qualifying companies in Florida or with forming Florida entities. In addition to offering Florida Registered Agent services, HBS offers Registered Agent services in any other state. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me as I can be reached at 1-800-345-2677 or 1-302-645-7400 ext. 6144 or an email can be sent to justin@delawareinc.com.
*Disclaimer*: Harvard Business Services, Inc. is neither a law firm nor an accounting firm and, even in cases where the author is an attorney, or a tax professional, nothing in this article constitutes legal or tax advice. This article provides general commentary on, and analysis of, the subject addressed. We strongly advise that you consult an attorney or tax professional to receive legal or tax guidance tailored to your specific circumstances. Any action taken or not taken based on this article is at your own risk. If an article cites or provides a link to third-party sources or websites, Harvard Business Services, Inc. is not responsible for and makes no representations regarding such source’s content or accuracy. Opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Harvard Business Services, Inc.