At KEW Legal®, we handle corporate legal work for international investors and business owners in Sunny Isles Beach.
For more than 10 years, we have structured holding companies, negotiated joint ventures, and closed transactions for clients who live, invest, and do business between Florida and the rest of the world. We work in English and Spanish, and you deal directly with the attorney on your matter, not a junior associate.
In Sunny Isles Beach, corporate work usually starts with ownership. Who holds the company, where those owners live, and how capital moves in and out shape every decision that follows, from entity choice to the way a condo, hotel interest, or operating business is held.
Foreign capital is a defining feature of this market. Foreign buyers spent $3.2 billion on Miami-Dade residential property in 2025, up 39% from the year before, with buyers from 55 countries and about half paying cash, according to the MIAMI REALTORS®. Much of that money is held through LLCs, holding companies, and investment vehicles that need to be built correctly from the start.
Before you wire funds, sign a purchase contract, or bring a foreign partner into a U.S. company, call us to make sure everything is set up in your favor.
What Florida Business Owners Say About KEW Legal®
“Rather than feeling like just another client, I felt like a priority.” Rodrigo A.
Business owners want to be heard, not processed. This is what that looks like.
“Their support as general counsel for my small company has been invaluable.” Valeria R.
Ongoing legal counsel that grows with your business, not just one-off fixes.
“Professional and knowledgeable legal team… outstanding legal services that exceeded my expectations.” Marco M.
Clear-eyed guidance that delivers on what it promises.
“As fellow legal professionals, we have consistently referred clients to KEW Legal… thoroughly impressed with their exceptional service.” Igor H.
When other lawyers send their own clients to a firm, that says something.
“Kristina and her team made my closing extremely seamless.” Erika F.
Real estate work handled without the stress, from start to finish.
Our Corporate Law Services in Sunny Isles Beach
- Holding company and investment vehicle structuring
- Florida and Delaware entity formation for foreign owners
- U.S. investment structuring for Latin American founders and investors
- Family office and multi-generational ownership structures
- Real estate holding LLCs for condos and commercial property
- Joint ventures and co-investment agreements
- Operating agreements and shareholder agreements
- Buy-sell, transfer restriction, and succession provisions
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Asset and stock purchases of local businesses
- Hospitality and property management company structuring
- Beneficial ownership (CTA) review for foreign-registered companies
- Florida foreign ownership (SB 264) compliance review
- Corporate governance, consents, and recordkeeping
- Spanish-language corporate agreements
- Corporate restructurings and wind-downs
Get Trusted Legal Support Today
For straightforward legal advice and representation, contact KEW Legal®. Call (305) 990-2300 to schedule your consultation.
How Corporate Transactions Work for Sunny Isles Beach Companies
Most Sunny Isles transactions begin with a holding structure. An investor may hold a condo, a stake in a hospitality business, or a portfolio of rental units through a Florida LLC, which is often owned by another company or a family trust.
Where the owners live changes the analysis. A company owned by U.S. residents is treated differently by federal tax and reporting rules than one owned by non-residents or by an entity formed abroad. Foreign-registered companies, for example, may still owe federal beneficial ownership reports that U.S.-formed companies no longer file.
Joint ventures are common here, too. Two families, or a local operator and a foreign investor, often partner on a property or business. The joint venture agreement should spell out who contributes what, who makes decisions, how profits are paid out, and how either side can exit.
When a business or property changes hands, buyers and sellers face the usual questions of deal structure, due diligence, and post-closing obligations. Cross-border deals add currency transfer timing, foreign signatures, and document legalization.
A corporate lawyer keeps the ownership chain, governing documents, and transaction paperwork aligned, so the structure holds up when a bank, buyer, or tax authority asks questions.
Why Choose KEW Legal® in Sunny Isles Beach
Deal experience right next door.
KEW worked on the $412 million refinance of the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry in neighboring Aventura. That is the scale and type of hospitality and real estate capital that moves through northeast Miami-Dade, and the firm brings that experience to holding structures and investments of every size.
Cross-border structuring.
Sunny Isles is home to owners and investors from across Latin America and beyond. Building a U.S. entity for an owner based abroad, or bringing foreign capital into a Florida company correctly, is everyday work here, not a referral out.
Corporate, real estate, and litigation under one roof.
Holding structures hold up better when they are built by lawyers who have also closed real estate deals and litigated ownership disputes. KEW anticipates where an operating agreement or transfer clause could cause trouble later.
Direct attorney access and real recognition.
You work with the named attorney on your matter, backed by bar admissions in Florida, New York, and D.C. and recognition as Bad Ass Woman of the Year in the Law category.
Should a Foreign Investor Use a Florida LLC or a Corporation in Sunny Isles Beach?
It depends on what the company will hold and who will eventually own it.
A Florida LLC is often the practical choice for holding local real estate or running a Florida business. It is simple to maintain, and Florida LLCs carry statutory charging-order protection. A single-member LLC owned by a foreign person is generally ignored for income tax purposes but still has its own IRS filing duty, usually Form 5472 with a pro forma return.
A corporation can make sense when the company will raise outside capital, bring in many investors, or keep U.S. tax filings at the company level rather than with the owners. Companies planning a venture-backed raise usually choose a Delaware C-corporation because investors expect it.
Foreign owners should also plan the exit up front. Dividends paid to non-U.S. shareholders and sales of U.S. real property by foreign persons can carry federal withholding, so the structure should be reviewed with your tax advisor before money goes in.
The right answer often combines entities, such as a foreign holding company that owns a Florida LLC. We map the options with you and your advisors before anything is filed.
Get to Know KEW Legal®
KEW Legal® has spent more than a decade representing investors, family businesses, and companies in Sunny Isles Beach, Miami, and Coral Gables, and serving clients across Florida.
The firm focuses on business, corporate, real estate, and litigation matters. For Sunny Isles clients, that combination matters, because so much local corporate work is tied to property, foreign ownership, and family wealth.
You get direct answers about how to hold the asset, what banks and buyers will look for, and where the real risk sits.
The firm’s credibility is grounded in real work: bar admissions in Florida, New York, and Washington, D.C., a $412 million refinance of the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry, and recognition as Bad Ass Woman of the Year in the Law category.
Does Florida’s Foreign Ownership Law Affect a Company Buying Property in Sunny Isles Beach?
It can. Florida’s SB 264, codified at Florida Statutes Sections 692.201 to 692.205, has restricted certain foreign buyers since July 1, 2023. In late 2025, the Eleventh Circuit upheld the law in Shen v. Simpson, so it remains in force.
The law targets people domiciled in designated countries of concern who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Syria. The restrictions on China are the broadest.
Holding property through a company does not avoid the law. An entity formed to own real property is treated as a foreign principal when a covered person holds a controlling interest, and property held in violation can be forfeited to the state. Buyers also sign an affidavit at closing confirming compliance.
Before a company signs a purchase contract, the ownership chain should be reviewed all the way up, including any foreign parent entities, to confirm whether the law applies and whether an exception or registration requirement is triggered.
Our Process for Sunny Isles Beach Corporate Matters
1. Initial Consultation, In Person or Remote
We learn who the owners are, where they live, and what the company will hold or do. If you are abroad, we meet by video in your time zone, in English or Spanish.
2. Ownership and Residency Review
We map the full ownership chain, including foreign entities, trusts, and family members, to see which federal and Florida rules apply before anything is formed or purchased.
3. Structure Design
We recommend the entities and layers that fit your goals, working alongside your tax advisor in the U.S. and, where needed, in your home country.
4. Formation and Governing Documents
We form the entities, prepare operating or shareholder agreements, and handle any required federal or state filings. Documents can be signed electronically from abroad.
5. Transaction and Closing
We negotiate and close the purchase, joint venture, or investment, coordinating with lenders, title, and foreign counsel so funds and signatures line up on schedule.
6. Ongoing Corporate Counsel
After closing, many clients keep KEW on for annual filings, ownership changes, new investments, and succession planning.
Frequently Asked Questions About Corporate Law in Sunny Isles Beach
Can a non-U.S. citizen own a Florida LLC or corporation?
Yes. Florida does not require owners, managers, or directors to be U.S. citizens or residents. Owning a company is separate from working in it, which depends on your immigration status.
Do I need a Florida address to form a company?
The company needs a registered agent with a physical Florida street address to receive legal notices. You do not need to live in Florida, and a professional registered agent can fill that role.
What IRS filings apply to a single-member LLC owned by a foreign person?
Even though the LLC usually pays no separate income tax, it must generally file Form 5472 with a pro forma corporate return each year. Penalties for missing it are steep, so it belongs on your compliance calendar.
Should I hold my Sunny Isles condo in an LLC?
An LLC can add liability protection and privacy, especially for a rental unit. But property held in an LLC generally cannot claim Florida’s homestead exemption, and some lenders and condo associations add requirements, so the choice depends on how you use the unit.
What happens if my company misses its Florida annual report?
The report is due by May 1, and a $400 late fee applies automatically after that. If it is still not filed, the state can administratively dissolve the company, which can complicate a sale or financing.
How should a joint venture with a foreign partner be documented?
Most joint ventures are formed as an LLC with a detailed operating agreement covering contributions, decision-making, distributions, deadlocks, and exits. Cross-border ventures should also set the governing law, dispute forum, and currency terms.
Local Resources in Sunny Isles Beach for Corporate Matters
- Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz): Handles entity formation, foreign qualification, and annual reports, including the certified documents banks and title companies request at closing.
- City of Sunny Isles Beach Business Tax Receipt Office: Issues the city business tax receipt required to operate a business within city limits.
- Miami-Dade County Tax Collector: Issues county local business tax receipts and collects tourist development taxes on short-term rentals.
- Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser: Maintains ownership records and assessed values for condos and commercial property, used in due diligence on property-holding companies.
- Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller: Records deeds and other official records tied to property transfers between companies and owners.
- FinCEN Beneficial Ownership Information portal: Federal filing system for beneficial ownership reports still required of foreign-registered companies.
Ready to Structure Your Sunny Isles Beach Investment Correctly
An ownership chain that is not clean does not get easier to fix once a purchase contract is signed or a partner wants out. It gets slower and more expensive, especially across borders. The sooner the structure is right, the smoother the next closing, investment, or sale will go.
KEW Legal® handles holding structures, joint ventures, and transactions for investors and companies in Sunny Isles Beach, Miami, and Coral Gables, and serves clients statewide across Florida, including cross-border capital and Spanish-language agreements.
Book a consultation, in person or by video, to get a practical read on your structure before your next purchase or deal.
Call us to schedule your consultation today.