ATTENTION FLORIDA BUSINESSES: ANNUAL REPORT MUST BE FILED NO LATER THAN MAY 1ST 

There are only a few weeks left before the May 1st deadline for Florida corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) to file their Annual Reports with the State of Florida.

Florida corporations and LLCs are required by law to file an Annual Report with the state Division of Corporations every year to maintain an active status, even if there are no changes to the company’s information.

The deadline to file your company’s 2022 Annual Report is May 1st. Make sure your company files its report on time:  If you miss the May 1st deadline, the state will charge you an additional $400 for your Annual Report.

And if your company has not filed the Annual Report by September, the state will dissolve your corporation or LLC and put it on inactive status. If your company is dissolved by the state, it jeopardizes the workers’ comp exemptions for the corporate officers and allows someone else to use your company name.

To file your company’s 2022 Annual Report, go to the Division of Corporations Annual Report filing page. This is the official government web page. You will need your company’s document number that was assigned by the Division of Corporations when you first registered your business with the state. You can find your company’s document number by searching your company’s name on Sunbiz. The document number will be at the top of the page with your company’s information under “Detail by Entity Name.”

Scam alert:  Your business may receive solicitations from private companies about filing your Annual Report, either by email or through the US Mail. Read these solicitations carefully before choosing to pay a private company to file your company’s Annual Report! These companies are not affiliated with any official government agency, and they charge a lot more than you need to pay to file your company’s Annual Report. If you pay one of these companies to file your Annual Report, it will be a lot more expensive than if you filed it yourself on Sunbiz.

FUBA members with questions can call the FUBA offices at 800-262-4483 and ask for Karen or Mallory.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

The Florida Legislature finished their 2022 legislative session on Friday, March 11th. Lawmakers debated many bills and approved several that will impact Florida businesses. Here are summaries.

Local Ordinances’ Impact on Businesses:  Senate Bill 280 and House Bill 403 would have required city and county governments to consider the financial impact on businesses prior to approving new local ordinances. These bills did not pass and will not become law.

Military Discrimination:  Senate Bill 550 and House Bill 853 would have protected employees and job applicants from discrimination based on their military status. These bills did not pass and will not become law.

Local Business Protection Act:  Senate Bill 620 allows businesses whose revenues decline by 15% or more due to a local ordinance to sue the city or county government that approved the ordinance. This bill did pass and will become law if approved by the Governor.

Paid Family Leave for Employees:  Senate Bill 627 and House Bill 688 would have created a Florida Family & Medical Leave Act even broader than the federal Family & Medical Leave Act. The bills would have required ALL employers, even small businesses, to give paid leave to employees for the birth or adoption of a child. Currently, the federal Family & Medical Leave Act only requires leave for employees of businesses with 50 or more employees. These bills did not pass and will not become law.

COVID leave protection:  Senate Bill 1714 and House Bill 1113 would have prevented an employer from retaliating against an employee who takes up to 14 days off work to quarantine after testing positive for COVID. These bills did not pass and will not become law.

Tax exemptions:  House Bill 7071 sets up a number of temporary tax exemptions. If your business sells any of the items below, you will need to be prepared to stop charging Florida sales tax during these periods.

  • A 14-day “back-to-school” sales tax holiday July 25 – August 7, 2022 for certain clothing, school supplies, learning aids and puzzles, and personal computers.
  • A 14-day “disaster preparedness” sales tax holiday May 28 – June 10, 2022 for certain disaster preparedness items.
  • A 7-day “recreational” sales tax holiday (“Freedom Week”) July 1 – July 7 2022 for certain admissions, boating and water activity supplies, camping supplies, fishing supplies, general outdoor supplies, residential pool supplies, and sporting equipment.
  • A 7-day “tools” sales tax holiday September 3 – September 9, 2022 for tools and equipment needed in skilled trades.
  • A two-year sales tax exemption July 1 – June 30, 2024 for impact-resistant windows, doors, and garage doors.
  • A one-year sales tax exemption July 1 – June 30, 2023 for children’s clothing, shoes, and diapers.
  • A one-year sales tax exemption July 1 – June 30, 2023 for certain ENERGY STAR certified refrigerators, refrigerator/freezer combinations, water heaters, and clothes washers and dryers.
  • A three-month sales tax exemption May 14 – August 14, 2022 for children’s books.
  • A one-month sales tax holiday for gasoline purchased October 1 – October 31, 2022.

This bill did pass and will become law if approved by the Governor.

FUBA members with questions about any of these bills can call the FUBA offices at 800-262-4483 and ask for Mallory or Karen.

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