Short version. Connect to sftp.floridados.gov with the public login the state posts on its daily data page. Download /Public/doc/cor/YYYYMMDDc.txt for the day you want. Each line is one 1,440-character fixed-width record.
Need a list you can call or mail, not a data file? See what the raw file leaves out and how a finished county list compares.
What files are available
The Division of Corporations generates files on work days. Each file contains the filings added to the state's records that day. The ones most people want:
| File | Name pattern | What it contains |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate filings | yyyymmddc.txt | New corporations, LLCs, and limited partnerships |
| Corporate events | yyyymmddce.txt | Amendments, annual reports, dissolutions, and other changes |
| Fictitious names | yyyymmddf.txt | New DBA registrations |
| General partnerships | yyyymmddg.txt | New general partnership filings |
| Federal tax liens | yyyymmddflrf.txt and related | Lien filings, debtors, and secured parties |
| Marks | yyyymmddtm.txt | Trademark and service mark filings |
For new businesses, you want the corporate filings file. Most of it is new LLCs.
How big is a daily file?
A typical corporate filings file is 3 to 4 MB with 2,500 to 3,000 records. Between August 17 and October 9, 2026, the files averaged about 2,527 records per business day. After we removed holding companies, filing-service names, and filings at shared registered-agent addresses, about 2,103 a day were left.
The shared addresses are the part most people miss. Between August 17 and October 9, 2026, 10,997 new filings (11%) listed one of 194 registered-agent or virtual-office addresses as their principal address. One St. Petersburg address alone appeared on more than 5,000. Those businesses operate somewhere else, so a call list or a mailing built from the raw file wastes a share of its effort on them.
Step 1: Connect and download
Any SFTP client works. FileZilla and WinSCP are easy on Windows. From the command line:
sftp Public@sftp.floridados.gov
# enter the password from the state's daily data page
cd /Public/doc/cor
get 20260929c.txtOr in Python with the paramiko library:
import paramiko
HOST = "sftp.floridados.gov"
USER = "Public"
PASSWORD = "see dos.fl.gov daily data page"
transport = paramiko.Transport((HOST, 22))
transport.connect(username=USER, password=PASSWORD)
sftp = paramiko.SFTPClient.from_transport(transport)
sftp.get("/Public/doc/cor/20260929c.txt", "20260929c.txt")
sftp.close()
transport.close()Downloads are slow, often 20 to 40 seconds per file. If you are backfilling weeks of data, run it overnight.
Step 2: Read the fixed-width records
Every line is one record at a fixed width. You read a field by slicing the line at its character positions. These are the positions we use in production for the fields most people need (zero-based, end not included):
| Field | Characters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Document number | 0 to 12 | L26000485590 |
| Entity name | 12 to 204 | SUNSHINE JW REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT LLC |
| Status and filing type | 204 to 220 | AFLAL |
| Principal address | 220 to 300 | Street, two lines |
| Principal city | 300 to 330 | JACKSONVILLE |
| Principal ZIP | 330 to 342 | 32256 |
| Mailing address | 342 to 422 | Street, two lines |
| Filing date | 472 to 480 | 09232026 (MMDDYYYY) |
| State of formation | 498 to 500 | FL |
| Registered agent name | 544 to 578 | Last name, then first |
| Registered agent type | 586 | P = person, C = company |
| First officer title | 668 to 672 | MGR, AMBR, AP, P |
| First officer name | 673 to 707 | Last name, then first |
More officers follow in 128-character blocks after the first. The state's official corporate file definitions are the authority if anything here disagrees with them.
def parse_line(line):
return {
"doc_number": line[0:12].strip(),
"name": line[12:204].strip(),
"type": line[204:220].strip(),
"city": line[300:330].strip(),
"zip": line[330:342].strip()[:5],
"filed": line[472:480].strip(),
"officer_title": line[668:672].strip(),
"officer_name": line[673:707].strip(),
}
with open("20260929c.txt", encoding="latin-1") as f:
rows = [parse_line(l) for l in f if len(l) > 220]
print(len(rows), rows[0])Step 3: Understand the filing type codes
The code at characters 204 to 220 starts with the status (A for active) followed by the entity type. On a typical day, Florida LLCs are the large majority.
| Code | Meaning | Share, August 17 and October 9, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
AFLAL | Florida LLC | 84% |
ADOMP | Florida corporation | 8% |
ADOMNP | Florida nonprofit | 3% |
AFORL | Foreign (out-of-state) LLC | 3% |
AFORP | Foreign (out-of-state) corporation | 1% |
AFORNP | Foreign (out-of-state) nonprofit | <1% |
AFORLP | Foreign (out-of-state) partnership | <1% |
Step 4: Filter to what you need
- County. The file has no county field. Map the principal ZIP code to a county. ZIPs that cross county lines need a rule for which county wins.
- Shells. Drop names with words like Holdings, Investments, Ventures, Acquisitions, or Trust if you only want operating businesses.
- Filing services. Many filings name a registered agent company. Flag those so you never try to call the agent.
- Out-of-state entities. Codes starting with AFOR are companies formed elsewhere registering to do business in Florida. They behave differently from brand-new local businesses.
Step 5: Add contact details
This is where most of the work is. The file gives you a name and an address, not a phone number. Our guide on finding the owner of a Florida LLC covers the sources that work.
The raw file vs. a finished county list
The daily file is the starting point, not a lead list. Here is what is left to do after the download, and what a FiledToday list already has done.
| Sunbiz daily file | FiledToday county list | |
|---|---|---|
| County | No county field. Map every ZIP yourself, including ZIPs that cross county lines. | Assigned by ZIP and filtered to the counties you cover |
| Registered-agent and virtual-office addresses | Mixed in, about 11% of filings | Removed |
| Holding companies and filing services | Included | Removed |
| Owner | Officer names as "Last, First", mixed with agent companies | Owner or manager name, with agent services ruled out |
| Phone number | Not included | Owner's phone number, researched for each lead |
| Mailing address | Raw fixed-width fields, with quirks like ZIP+4 digits spilling into the street line | Clean street, city, state, and ZIP columns, ready for a mail merge |
| Delivery | SFTP download each work day, 20 to 40 seconds a file, then parse | A spreadsheet every weekday |
If you have the time and the skills, the file is free and the steps above work. If you would rather spend that time selling, request a free county sample and compare it with a day of raw data.
Common questions
Is Sunbiz daily data free?
Yes. The Florida Department of State publishes the daily files on a public SFTP server and posts the login on its daily data page. There is no charge.
What is the Sunbiz SFTP login?
The host is sftp.floridados.gov. The state publishes the username and password on its daily data page. At the time of writing the username is Public.
What format are the Sunbiz daily files in?
Plain text with one fixed-width record per line. Each corporate record is 1,440 characters. Fields sit at fixed character positions, so you slice each line by position instead of splitting on commas.
Why is there no file for some days?
Files are only generated on state work days that have filings. Weekends, state holidays, and office closures have no file.
Do the daily files include phone numbers or emails?
No. They include names, addresses, the registered agent, and listed officers or managers. Contact details have to come from other sources.
Can I use the Sunbiz daily file as a mailing list?
Not as it comes. The file has no county field, so you have to map every ZIP code yourself, and about 11% of new filings list a registered-agent or virtual-office address instead of the business's own. Mail sent to those addresses usually never reaches the owner. Remove them, along with holding companies and filing services, before you mail.
Is there a cleaned-up version of the Sunbiz daily list?
Yes. FiledToday turns each weekday's file into a county list: filtered to your counties, registered-agent addresses and shell companies removed, mailing addresses cleaned, and the owner's phone number added. Request a free county sample.
Updated October 12, 2026 · By Ben Thalmann, founder of FiledToday