Florida business guides

Plain-English guides to Florida business records and how to use HERCULE. Informational, from public records — not legal advice.

• How to search Florida business records — A practical guide to finding Florida businesses on HERCULE: search by name, owner, agent or address, or browse by county, city or industry.
• What is Sunbiz? Florida's business registry explained — Sunbiz is Florida's public business registry (Division of Corporations). What it contains, and how HERCULE relates to it. Informational only.
• What is a registered agent in Florida? — A plain-English explanation of what a registered agent is on a Florida business record and why it matters. Informational, not legal advice.
• How to read a Florida business record — A field-by-field guide to a Florida business record on HERCULE: name, entity type, status, dates, address, agent and officers. Public records from Sunbiz.
• Active vs. inactive status on a Florida business record — What active and inactive status on a Florida business record means, why it changes, and how current it is on HERCULE. Informational, not legal advice.
• Finding the people behind a Florida company — How to research the officers, authorized persons and registered agent behind a Florida company on HERCULE — and the limits of name matching.
• Is a Florida business name available? — How to check a Florida business name against existing records before you file, what "available" really means, and where the decision is actually made.
• LLC vs. corporation in Florida: the basics — A plain-English overview of how an LLC and a corporation differ as Florida entity types and appear in the public record. Not legal or tax advice.
• How to start a business in Florida: an overview — A plain-English overview of starting a business in Florida: choosing a structure and name, registering with the state, and the basics that follow.
• Starting a Florida LLC: what to know — A high-level look at what forming a Florida LLC involves: the name, the registered agent, the members, and where it is filed. Not legal or tax advice.
• Naming your Florida business — How to choose a Florida business name and check it against existing records before you file, and what a clear result does and does not mean.
• After you register: staying in good standing in Florida — A high-level look at keeping a Florida business current after you register: updating details, periodic filings, and checking your status.
• How connections work on a company record — How HERCULE's connections map and list on a company record show other businesses sharing the same officer, agent or address, and their limits.
• Industries by city on HERCULE — How HERCULE's combined sector and city pages work, built from a daily aggregate, and only published once a combination has enough real businesses.