Posted in Business & Corporate Law

Last year, the Florida Division of Corporations saw a total of 395,777 business entity filings.[1]  Some of these entities may have received correspondence from various companies, claiming the entity has “one step left in order to attain your elective Florida Certificate of Status and corporate agreement templates.”  The correspondence goes on to request a fee, usually approximately $70.00, with instructions for remitting payment.

Most, if not all, of this type of correspondence is not sent by the Florida Division of Corporations.  Once a business entity or registration is properly formed, incorporated, organized or registered on record with the Florida Division of Corporations, it is not required to purchase or receive a certificate of status to be considered valid.

Suspicious notice and solicitations may include a variety of “services” that are presented as necessary for your business entity.  Beware of notices that are not from the Florida Division of State or Corporations and solicit payment for the following:

• Annual Minutes or Annual Corporate Record Forms
• Certificate of Status
• Corporate Agreement Templates
• Unofficial Fictitious Name Registration Renewal

While these notices may offer services that are legitimate (such as getting a Certificate of Status or renewing a fictitious name registration), they often charge rates in excess of the statutory fees.  The Florida Division of Corporations website (dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz) serves as a great resource for those who have questions regarding the entity registration process.

[1] http://dos.myflorida.com/sunbiz/about-us/yearly-statistics/