Businesses seeking privacy cannot directly anonymously form an LLC in Florida. However, they can still acheive privacy with a double LLC, a strategy that protects owner identities while following state regulations. This corporate structure offers the benefits of asset protection without disclosing ownership details. When you form an LLC there are fees and requirements to consider, like drafting an operating agreement and conducting a business name search to ensure your chosen name is unique. Anonymous LLCs still fulfill all legal obligations, including paying taxes and filing an annual report.
If you want to form an LLC that is anonymous in Florida, your first step will actually be to form one in a different state. That is because Florida does not allow anonymous limited liability companies in an obvious manner and this will let you get around it. Several states offer anonymous LLCs with New Mexico standing out thanks to its lack of an annual fee. This helps keep costs down, even if you hire an expert to help you form the LLC.
Once you have an anonymous LLC in a state that permits it, go to the website for the Florida Secretary of State. You will need to have all your documents from your anonymous limited liability company handy. You will fill out the online form to register your LLC in Florida.
The form will ask for the owner of the FL LLC. Here, you list the name of the limited liability company from the other state (such as New Mexico). You will also need to include contact information and sign Articles of Organization. You will need a registered agent as well.
During the process of registering in Florida, you will have to fill out some information that sacrifices your privacy. This is information like your email, phone, and address. You can get around this by working with an agent or nominee. In this case, you will be able to list their contact information and retain your privacy. Since you need a registered agent in Florida anyway, this will take care of two issues at once.
With that method, you will have gotten around the apparent restriction in Florida on anonymous LLCs. Anyone who looks for your company on the Secretary of State website will not see your information. Instead, they will see the name of your anonymous LLC from another state, which does not give any private information. They will also see the information for your registered agents. There will be no way for someone to get the private information you wanted to hide via the anonymous LLC.
Because forming an anonymous Florida LLC requires a few additional steps, it is a smart idea to hire a professional to assist you with the process. They can take care of everything for you and act as your company’s registered agent. That professional will be the one with their information appearing on the Secretary of State’s website. They can also ensure the entire formation process goes smoothly while maximizing privacy. The result will be an anonymous LLC in Florida.