Secured Transaction Registry

Steps

1. Leave Sunbiz for entities

   Open floridaucc.com for financing statements.

2. Accept the search disclaimer

   The search screen explains compact name versus actual name. Read it.

3. Search the organization debtor

   Use the legal name from Sunbiz, not the fictitious name, unless the filing was made in the fictitious name.

4. Check amendments

   Terminations and continuations are later filings in the same registry.

Florida’s registry is the official UCC index

Florida UCC, as contract vendor, runs the site. Search is under the Search menu after the disclaimer. The walk-in and records address published on the registry is 2002 Old St. Augustine Road, Building D, Tallahassee, FL 32301. Phone 850-222-8526. Hours on the site are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern on weekdays excluding state holidays.

The registry’s own terms say search logic follows Florida’s compact-name rules and is not warranted to match any other state’s logic. Read those rules on the search page before you decide a debtor is clear.

The registry is the UCC index, not Sunbiz

The registry is the centralized system for financing statements under Chapter 679, Florida Statutes. The vendor publishes the search, a walk-in address at 2002 Old St. Augustine Road, Building D, Tallahassee, FL 32301, phone 850-222-8526, and weekday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern excluding state holidays.

Search logic follows Florida’s compact-name rules. The site says that logic is not warranted to match any other state. Run the debtor’s exact legal name, and read the on-screen rules before you treat a miss as a clear.

Common mistakes

• Searching Sunbiz and calling it a UCC search.
• Ignoring the compact-name rules.
• Using a document number from an LLC filing as a UCC file number.
• Assuming Florida’s logic matches Texas or Delaware.

Questions

Sources reviewed

• Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations search
• Florida Secured Transaction Registry
• Florida DOS UCC information