To incorporate in Florida, you file Articles of Incorporation with the Florida Division of Corporations. Articles of Incorporation list basic information about your company, information the State needs in order to properly register and legally form your corporation. After your filing is accepted and your filing fee is processed ($70), your Florida corporation will officially exist.
Article I: Corporation Name
You must name your Florida corporation in accordance with state law. The name of your company must include one of the following designators: Corporation, Incorporated, Company, Corp., Inc., or Co.
You cannot register a name that is already in use by another entity in Florida. You can do a Florida business name search with the Division of Corporations to see if the name you want is currently available.
Article II: Principal Place of Business
This is where you list the physical and mailing address of your Florida corporation. You are required to list a physical address. A PO box alone will not be accepted. However, if you want your corporation’s mail to go to an address that differs from your physical location, then you can list a postal box in addition to the physical address.
When you hire Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC®, you can use our Florida business address for both your principal office address and your business mailing address.
Article III: Specific Purpose (if applicable)
This article is for Professional Corporations only. If you are forming a Professional Corporation, you must list the specific purpose of your company.
Article IV: Stock
You must list the number of shares of stock your Florida corporation is authorizing at this time. You can always authorize more shares of stock at a later date.
Article V: Directors and Officers
This article is optional. If you choose to fill this in, you are listing the names, addresses and titles of your Directors and corporate Officers.
Article VI: Florida Registered Agent
To incorporate in Florida, you must appoint a Florida registered agent. You are required to list the name and physical street location of your registered agent. A post office box will not be accepted.
Article VII: Incorporator
The incorporator is the individual who prepares the Articles of Incorporation and submits them to the Division of Corporations. This person does not have to be a member, director or officer. They do not need to have any association with your corporation at all (you can hire Sunshine Corporate Filings LLC as your incorporator).