{"id":10193,"date":"2022-08-04T08:45:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T08:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/juradolawfirm.com\/?p=10193"},"modified":"2022-06-10T11:35:11","modified_gmt":"2022-06-10T11:35:11","slug":"how-do-dbas-work-in-florida-complete-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juradolawfirm.com\/how-do-dbas-work-in-florida-complete-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do DBAs Work in Florida? – Complete Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Most Florida businesses<\/a> advertise and operate under a different name from their legal registration names. State law requires the registration of any business alternative names, permitting consumers to know who is behind the business operation<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, you will discover what a DBA is and how it works in Florida.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Florida DBA? – The Basics  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A Florida DBA (“doing business as”) refers to a business’s fictitious name. Florida Statutes \u00a7865.09(1)(c) defines the term “fictitious name” means “any name under which a person transacts business in this state, other than the person’s legal name.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After registering a fictitious name, a company can operate within state jurisdiction under a different name from its registration name. Business owners<\/a> can file for a DBA when forming a company or apply later if necessary.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first step to registering a DBA is selecting an appropriate designation. Before filing a DBA, it is fundamental to proceed with a detailed name search to identify whether another business is already using that name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Florida Department of State website (Sunbiz) offers a built-in name search tool by which business owners can research which names are already in use by other businesses.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Filing a DBA Sufficient to Protect a Florida Business Name? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Please note that registering a DBA does not necessarily protect a business against misappropriation from unauthorized parties. If a business owner wants to have exclusive use of a specific name, he or she must register it as a trademark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a business name becomes a trademark<\/a>, the owner of the registered mark can request court intervention in the event of infringement<\/a>, misappropriation, and other similar situations.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do DBAs Work in Florida? – As Provided by Law\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Florida Statutes \u00a7865.09(3)(a) provides that “a person may not engage in business under a fictitious name unless the person first registers the name with the division by filing a registration listing: <\/p>\n\n\n\n