A Florida anonymous LLC is not a distinct entity type the state offers, but Florida’s filing rules let you form an LLC without putting your name on any public document. The articles of organization do not require member or manager names, and with a commercial registered agent plus an out-of-state parent LLC listed as the manager, your identity stays off Sunbiz entirely. The catch sits in the annual report, which does demand at least one named manager — and that is exactly where the parent-entity structure earns its keep.
Why Privacy Takes Work in Florida
Florida has one of the strongest public records regimes in the country. Article I, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution gives every person the right to inspect public records tied to government business.1Florida Senate. Florida Constitution Business filings fall squarely inside that rule. The Division of Corporations runs a free search portal at Sunbiz.org where anyone can pull up an LLC’s registered agent, principal office address, and any manager or member names on file.2Florida Department of State. Search Records – Division of Corporations The state posts a notice on its filing pages confirming that anything you submit becomes part of the public record.3Division of Corporations – Florida Department of State. Florida Limited Liability Company
Without deliberate planning, your name and home address end up in a searchable government database indefinitely. The strategy below is how you avoid that.
What the Articles of Organization Actually Require
Section 605.0201 requires only three things in the articles of organization: the LLC’s name, the street and mailing address of the principal office, and the name and Florida street address of the registered agent.4Florida Legislature. Florida Code 605.0201 – Articles of Organization Manager and member names are explicitly optional. The Division of Corporations instructions state it directly: “The names and street addresses of the authorized representatives or managers are optional” and “Do not list members.”5Florida Department of State. Instructions for Articles of Organization (FL LLC)
Two pieces of information still have to appear on the filing, and both can be handled without exposing you. The registered agent must have a physical Florida street address and be available during business hours to accept legal documents. A commercial registered agent service — typically $35 to $350 per year — lists its own commercial address and keeps your name and home address off the record. The principal office address can be a commercial registered agent address or virtual office as well.
The Annual Report Problem
Formation is the easy part. Every Florida LLC must file an annual report between January 1 and May 1 under Section 605.0212, and that report must include “the name, title or capacity, and address of at least one person who has the authority to manage the company.”6Florida Legislature. Florida Code 605.0212 – Annual Report for Department This field is not optional. List yourself and your name is searchable on Sunbiz regardless of how carefully you handled formation.
Under Florida’s Revised LLC Act, “person” generally includes entities. Listing another LLC as the managing entity satisfies the statute without naming any individual, which is why the parent-entity structure described next is the standard solution.
The annual report fee is $138.75. Miss the May 1 deadline and the state adds a $400 late fee.7Florida Department of State. File Annual Report – Division of Corporations Skip the filing entirely and the state will administratively dissolve the LLC on the fourth Friday in September.8Florida Legislature. Florida Code 605.0714 – Administrative Dissolution
Using a Parent LLC to Stay Off the Record
The standard approach is a parent-child structure. You form an LLC in a state that does not require member or manager names in its public filings, then use that out-of-state LLC as the listed manager of your Florida LLC. Anyone searching Sunbiz finds the parent company’s name, not yours.
Four states are commonly used because their formation documents do not require disclosure of member or manager identities:
- Wyoming: the articles of organization have no section requiring member or manager names.
- New Mexico: public filings do not require disclosure of members’ or managers’ names.
- Delaware: the certificate of formation does not require member or manager names.
- Nevada: formation documents similarly omit member and manager disclosure requirements.
Wyoming and New Mexico are the most popular choices because their fees and ongoing costs tend to run lower than Delaware’s. Parent LLC formation fees generally fall between $50 and $300 depending on the state.
Once the parent entity exists, you list it as the manager on both the articles of organization and every annual report. An authorized representative signs the Florida formation documents on behalf of the parent, so no individual’s name appears on the signature line either. The finished public record shows two business entities and a commercial registered agent address, with no individual names visible.
One caveat: if the parent LLC independently transacts business in Florida beyond passively owning the subsidiary, it may need to register as a foreign LLC under Section 605.0902. That registration costs $125 and requires listing “the name, title or capacity, and address of at least one person who has the authority to manage” the foreign entity.9Florida Legislature. Florida Code 605.0902 – Application for Certificate of Authority Mere passive ownership of a Florida subsidiary generally does not trigger this, but signing contracts, managing property, or running operations in Florida can. A Florida business attorney is worth consulting if the parent will do anything beyond holding ownership.
What It Costs
Florida charges $100 for the articles of organization and $25 for the registered agent designation, a minimum of $125 to file.10Florida Department of State. LLC Fees – Division of Corporations You file online through Sunbiz.org or by mail with a check.3Division of Corporations – Florida Department of State. Florida Limited Liability Company Online filings process faster.
Beyond the state fee, budget for a commercial registered agent and the cost of forming the parent LLC in another state. All in, the first-year cost of a properly structured anonymous Florida LLC typically runs between $300 and $700, depending on the privacy state you choose and the registered agent service you use. The annual report fee of $138.75 recurs every year, as do the parent LLC’s state fees and the registered agent subscription.
Where the Anonymity Stops
This structure shields your identity from the general public searching Sunbiz. It does not hide you from every institution, and relying on it for the wrong kind of protection will backfire.
The IRS Will Know
Any LLC with employees, certain tax filings, or a bank account needs an Employer Identification Number. The IRS requires the EIN application to name a “responsible party” — the individual who ultimately owns or controls the entity — along with that person’s Social Security number or ITIN.11Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4 You cannot use another LLC in this slot; the responsible party must be a natural person.12Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number Tax return information is confidential under Internal Revenue Code Section 6103, so the IRS will know who you are, but the public will not learn it from them.
Banks Will Know
Federal customer due diligence rules require a bank opening a business account to identify every individual who owns 25% or more of the entity, plus at least one individual with significant control. The bank collects your name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number.13FinCEN. CDD Final Rule That information stays with the bank and does not become a public record.
Courts Can Pierce the Structure
Layered ownership is not a shield against lawsuits. If a court finds that you treated the LLC as a personal account, failed to keep separate records, or left the entity grossly undercapitalized, it can disregard the entity and hold you personally liable. The privacy layers do not change this analysis. Keeping separate bank accounts, maintaining corporate formalities, and funding the entity properly are what make the structure legally defensible.
The Corporate Transparency Act, as of Now
The Corporate Transparency Act originally required most U.S. LLCs to report their beneficial owners to FinCEN’s non-public database. In March 2025, FinCEN issued an interim final rule exempting all entities created in the United States from beneficial ownership reporting; the revised definition of “reporting company” now covers only entities formed under foreign law that have registered in a U.S. state.14FinCEN. FinCEN Removes Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements for US Companies and US Persons U.S. persons are also exempt from providing beneficial ownership information for any reporting company they are connected to.15FinCEN. Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting For a domestic Florida LLC, there is currently no federal reporting obligation that would force disclosure of your identity. This is an interim rule, so monitor it, but as things stand the CTA is not an obstacle.
Keeping the Structure Intact
Setting the structure up correctly is only half the job. The most common way people expose themselves is through routine filings after formation. Every annual report needs to list the parent LLC as the managing entity, not you. Every change of registered agent or address amendment is a public filing, so route those through the commercial registered agent too.
County and municipal records sit outside Sunbiz but are still public. Property deeds, business licenses, and local business tax receipts can expose ownership information through county databases. Running those transactions through the LLC rather than in your personal name preserves the layer, but only if the LLC’s own filings do not point back to you.
One slip — your name on a single annual report, a county permit application signed personally — can unravel the whole arrangement. The structure works as long as every public-facing document names the parent entity or the registered agent instead of a person.