Becker & Poliakoff
Business formation, corporate governance, and commercial law
Free ConsultationFlat fee common📍 Fort Lauderdale
Setting up a business in Fort Lauderdale? Florida LLCs run through the Division of Corporations — the state's Sunbiz system. You file Articles of Organization for $125, and then Florida requires an annual report every year by May 1 for $138.75. Miss that deadline and the state tacks on a $400 late fee and can administratively dissolve your company, so the calendar matters here in a way it does not in some states. The Florida Revised Limited Liability Company Act (Chapter 605) governs how your LLC operates, and Florida's lack of a state income tax is a major reason businesses set up here. Most Fort Lauderdale business lawyers form an LLC for a flat $500–$2,000 including the operating agreement, or bill $250–$450 an hour for more complex deals.
Updated April 15, 2026
Business formation, corporate governance, and commercial law
Entity selection, formation, and business transactions
Startup and entity formation and outside general counsel
LLCs, corporations, partnerships, and business structuring
Business formation, operating agreements, and contracts
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A Florida LLC shields your personal assets from business debts and lawsuits and lets you choose how you are taxed. You create one by filing Articles of Organization with the Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) for $125 and naming a registered agent with a Florida street address. Because Florida has no state personal income tax, owners often keep more of what the business earns than they would in a high-tax state — one reason South Florida sees so many new entities.
The catch with Florida is the annual report. Every LLC must file one between January 1 and May 1 each year for $138.75. Blow the deadline and the fee jumps by $400, and a company that never files gets administratively dissolved — which can expose the owners personally and complicate banking and contracts. A lawyer or registered agent can calendar and file it for you. The document that actually runs your business, the operating agreement, is not filed with the state but is what sets ownership, management, profit splits, and exit terms, and it is central to protecting your limited liability.
Expect a flat $500–$2,000 for a Fort Lauderdale lawyer to form the LLC, draft the operating agreement, obtain your EIN, and advise on the tax election; hourly work runs $250–$450. You can file a basic LLC yourself on Sunbiz in a few business days, but owners usually bring in a lawyer when there are partners, investors, real estate, or significant liability — and for asset-protection planning, which Florida law handles in its own particular way. Broward County licensing and any local permits are separate from the state formation.