To find out who owns a business in Florida, start with the state’s free Division of Corporations database at Sunbiz.org. It lists the officers, directors, managers, members, and registered agents on file for every corporation, LLC, limited partnership, and fictitious name registered in the state.1Florida Department of State. Types of Business Entities/Structures – Division of Corporations For most searches, that database answers the question in a few minutes. When it doesn’t — because the business is unregistered, licensed under a different agency, or owned through a trust or holding company — a handful of other public records can fill the gap.
Search Sunbiz First
Go to search.sunbiz.org and enter the business name. The results page links to a detail page for each matching entity, showing its status, filing history, current officers or managers, and the registered agent on record.2Sunbiz.org. Search Corporations, Limited Liability Companies by Officer or Registered Agent You can also search by officer or registered agent name, FEI/EIN number, zip code, or street address.
Scroll to the “Document Images” section at the bottom of the detail page. Those PDFs are the actual signed filings — articles of incorporation, articles of organization, amendments, and annual reports — with legal signatures and addresses. That’s your primary-source record rather than a summary. Spelling matters in the search box, so if a name returns nothing, try common abbreviations or a partial name.
Check the Most Recent Annual Report
Florida corporations and LLCs must file an annual report with the Division of Corporations between January 1 and May 1 each year.3Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 607.1622 – Annual Report for Department of State4Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 605.0212 – Annual Report for Department The report lists the names and business addresses of directors and principal officers for a corporation, or managers and members for an LLC, current as of the filing date. That makes the most recent annual report the best snapshot of who is running the business right now — it reflects any leadership changes made during the prior year.
If a company has been administratively dissolved for failing to file, its last annual report still appears on Sunbiz. The information may be stale, but it tells you who was in charge before the entity lost active status.
Search by a Person’s Name
When you know a person’s name but not the business, use the officer/registered agent search. Enter last name followed by first name; partial names work.2Sunbiz.org. Search Corporations, Limited Liability Companies by Officer or Registered Agent The results list every active and inactive entity tied to that name, which is useful for spotting how many companies someone runs or whether the same person holds officer positions across related entities.
Look Up a Fictitious Name
A business operating under any name other than its owner’s legal name must register that fictitious name — a DBA — with the Division of Corporations.5Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 865.09 – Fictitious Name Registration Sunbiz includes a separate fictitious name search that ties the trade name back to whoever filed it.6Florida Department of State. Florida Fictitious Name Registration
The filer may be an individual or a parent LLC or corporation. If it’s another entity, run a second Sunbiz search on that entity’s name to pull up its officers and members.
Check DBPR for Licensed Industries
Some businesses are regulated by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which maintains its own searchable license records at MyFloridaLicense.com.7MyFloridaLicense.com. Services Requiring a DBPR License Fields covered include:
- Construction — general contractors, building contractors, and specialty contractors
- Real estate — brokers, salespersons, and property managers
- Alcohol and tobacco — any business that manufactures, distributes, or sells alcoholic beverages or tobacco products
DBPR records identify a qualifying agent, the licensed professional legally responsible for the company’s operations. That person is often a senior stakeholder or owner, giving you a direct line to leadership. The records also show license status, disciplinary history, and the business address tied to the license, which complements what Sunbiz shows for regulated fields.
Use County Records to Fill Gaps
Two local sources round out what the state databases show.
Local Business Tax Receipts
County tax collectors issue local business tax receipts, formerly called occupational licenses, to businesses operating within their jurisdiction. Applications require identifying information such as the federal employer identification number and, for corporations or LLCs, a copy of the articles filed with the state. A business using a trade name has to attach proof of its fictitious name registration. Those records can confirm who is behind a specific storefront or local operation.
Property Appraiser Records
Every Florida county property appraiser publishes a searchable database of ownership and sales information. Search by address, owner name, or parcel number. If a business operates from a fixed location, the property appraiser record shows whether the real estate is owned by the business itself, an individual, or a parent company. Compare that owner name against the entity registered on Sunbiz to see whether the same people control both the property and the business.
When Ownership Is Deliberately Hidden
Some Florida businesses are structured so that a Sunbiz search returns another entity or a trust rather than a person. A few patterns come up often.
Businesses Held in Trust
When a trust owns a Florida business, the trust’s name — not the trustee’s — may appear on state filings. Florida’s Trust Code lets a trustee provide a certification of trust that identifies the acting trustee, but that certification goes to the parties the trustee deals with, not to a public database.8Florida Legislature. Florida Trust Code Unless a notice of trust is filed with a court, which typically happens after the settlor’s death, trust details stay private. Your practical step is to note the trust’s name from the business filing and search county court records for anything related.
Nested and Series LLCs
A Florida LLC can list another LLC, rather than an individual, as its manager or member. Finding the people at the end of that chain means pulling up the parent LLC on Sunbiz and reviewing its filings, and possibly repeating the process through several layers. Florida’s series LLC provisions allow a single LLC to create protected series, each with its own assets and liabilities. The public filing for a protected series states the parent company and series name but does not necessarily list individual members or managers, so tracing ownership may require reading the annual reports of every entity in the chain.9Florida Legislature. Florida Revised Limited Liability Company Act
The Federal Beneficial Ownership Database Isn’t Public
The Corporate Transparency Act originally required most small U.S. businesses to report their beneficial owners to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. An interim final rule published in March 2025 removed that requirement for all U.S.-created entities; only companies formed under foreign law and registered to do business in a U.S. state still file.10FinCEN.gov. FinCEN Removes Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements for U.S. Companies and U.S. Persons Even for foreign entities that do report, the data goes to authorized users such as law enforcement, not to the public.11Federal Register. Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting Requirement Revision and Deadline Extension The federal database is not a lookup tool for members of the public. State-level records remain the way in.
When You Need a Certified Copy
The free information on Sunbiz is enough for most ownership questions. If you need an official certified copy for litigation, due diligence, or a real estate closing, the Division of Corporations issues them by mail. Fees are $8.75 for a corporation document, $30 for an LLC document, $52.50 for a limited partnership or LLP document (plus $1 per page after the first 15), and $30 for a fictitious name registration or renewal.12Florida Department of State. Certified Copy – Request by Mail A Certificate of Status, which confirms the entity’s current standing, costs $8.75 for a corporation and $5.00 for an LLC.13Florida Department of State. Certificate of Status – Request by Mail