Florida

The government of Florida is established and operated according to the Constitution of Florida and is composed of three branches of government: the executive branch consisting of the governor of Florida and the other elected and appointed constitutional officers; the legislative branch, the Florida Legislature, consisting of the Senate and House; and the judicial branch consisting of the Supreme Court of Florida and lower courts. The state also allows direct participation of the electorate by initiative, referendum, and ratification.

As of 2019, the gross state product (GSP) is about $1.1 trillion, the fourth largest economy in the United States. Florida is responsible for 5% of the United States' approximately $21 trillion gross domestic product (GDP).

The five largest sectors of employment in Florida are: trade, transportation, and utilities; government; professional and business services; education and health services; and leisure and hospitality. In output, the five largest sectors are: finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing, followed by professional and business services; government and government enterprises; educational services, health care, and social assistance; and retail trade.

Currency:

United States Dollar (USD)

The corporate laws of Florida are user-friendly and often adopted by other states as a standard for testing corporate laws. As a result, the corporate laws of Florida are familiar to many lawyers both in the US and internationally. Florida has a common law system.

Type of Company/Corporation:

One IBC supply incorporation in Florida service with the common type Limited Liability Company (LLC) and C-Corp or S-Corp.

Business Restriction:

The use of the bank, trust, insurance, or reinsurance within the name of the LLC is generally prohibited as limited liability companies in most states are not allowed to engage in a banking or insurance business.

Company Name Restriction:

The name of each limited liability company as set forth in its certificate of formation: Shall contain the words "Limited Liability Company" or the abbreviation "L.L.C." or the designation "LLC";

• May contain the name of a member or manager;
• Must be such as to distinguish it upon the records in the office of the Secretary of State from the name on such records of any corporation, partnership, limited partnership, statutory trust or limited liability company reserved, registered, formed or organized under the laws of the State of Florida or qualified to do business.
• May contain the following words: "Company," "Association," "Club," "Foundation," "Fund," "Institute," "Society," "Union," "Syndicate,"Limited" or "Trust" (or abbreviations of like import).

Company Information privacy:

No public register of company officers.

Just 4 simple steps are given to start a business in Florida:

• Step 1: Select basic Resident/Founder nationality information and other additional services that you want (if any).
• Step 2: Register or log in and fill in the company names and director/ shareholder(s) and fill in the billing address and special request (if any).
• Step 3: Choose your payment method (We accept payment by Credit/Debit Card, PayPal, or Wire Transfer).
• Step 4: You will receive soft copies of necessary documents including Certificate of Incorporation, Business Registration, Memorandum and Articles of Association, etc. Then, your new company in Florida is ready to do business. You can bring the documents in the company kit to open a corporate bank account or we can help you with our long experience of Banking support service.

* These documents required to incorporate a company in Florida:

• Passport of each shareholder/beneficial owner and director;
• Proof of residential address of each director and shareholder (Must be in English or certified translation version);
• The proposed company names;
• The issued share capital and par value of shares.

Read more:

How to start a business in Florida, USA

Share Capital:

There is no minimum or a maximum number of authorized shares since Florida incorporation fees are not based on the share structure.

Director:

Only one director required

Shareholder:

Minimum number of shareholders is one

Florida company taxation:

Companies of primary interest to offshore investors are the corporation and the limited liability company (LLC). LLCs are a hybrid of a corporation and a partnership: they share the legal features of a corporation but may choose to be taxed as a corporation, partnership, or trust.

• Us Federal Taxation: US Limited Liability companies structured for partnership tax treatment with non-resident members and which conduct no business in the US and which have no US-source income are not subject to US federal income tax and are not required to file a US income tax return.
• State Taxation: US limited liability companies that conduct no business in the recommended states of formation with non-resident members are generally not subject to state income tax and are not required to file a state income tax return.

Financial statement

Local Agent:

Florida law requires that every business have Registered Agent in the State of Florida who may be either an individual resident or business that is authorised to do business in the State of Florida

Double Taxation Agreements:

Florida, as the state-level jurisdiction within the US, has no tax treaties with non-US jurisdictions or double tax treaties with other states in the US. Rather, in the case of individual taxpayers, double taxation is minimised by providing credits against Florida taxation for taxes paid in other states.

In the case of corporate taxpayers, double taxation is minimised through allocation and appointment rules related to the income of corporations engaged in multi-state business.

License Fee & Levy:

The Florida Franchise Tax Board requires all new LLC companies, S-corporations, C-corporations that is incorporated, registered or doing business in Florida must pay the $800 minimum franchise tax

Read more:

• Florida trademark
• Florida business license

Payment, Company return due date

All LLC companies, corporations are required to update their records, either annually or biannually, based on the year of registration and pay the $800 Annual Franchise Tax every year.

• Corporations:

A Statement of Information must be filed with the Florida Secretary of State within 90 days after filing the Articles of Incorporation and each year thereafter during the applicable filing period. The applicable filing period is the calendar month in which the Articles of Incorporation were filed and the immediately preceding five calendar months

Most corporations must pay a minimum tax of $800 to the Florida Franchise Tax Board each year. Florida Corporation Franchise or Income Tax Return is due on the 15th day of the 4th month after the close of the corporation’s tax year. Florida S Corporation Franchise or Income Tax Return is due on the 15th day of the 3rd month after the close of the corporation’s tax year.

• Limited Liability Company

Limited liability companies must file a complete Statement of Information within the first 90 days of registering with the SOS, and every 2 years thereafter before the end of the calendar month of the original registration date.

Once your limited liability company is registered with the SOS it is an active business. You are required to pay the minimum annual tax of $800 and file a tax return with FTB for each taxable year even if you are not conducting business or have no income. You have until the 15th day of the 4th month from the date you file with the SOS to pay your first-year annual tax.