Payment processing in Florida.
VitaPay serves merchants in Florida, as it does in every US state. Below are the Florida rules and official offices worth knowing before you take your first card payment there: the surcharging rule, the sales-tax agency and where the business is registered.
Adding a credit card surcharge in Florida.
Surcharges allowed with state conditionsSection 501.0117 still appears in the statutes, but the Eleventh Circuit struck it down on First Amendment grounds in Dana's Railroad Supply v. Attorney General (Nov. 4, 2015), so surcharging is generally allowed under card network rules. From July 1, 2026, section 509.214 (SB 606) requires food service establishments to disclose any operations charge, expressly including credit card surcharges, with its amount and purpose on menus, bills and websites, and as a separate receipt line.
Citation: Fla. Stat. 501.0117 (held unconstitutional); Fla. Stat. 509.214
General information, not legal advice. Surcharging laws change, and card network rules apply in addition to Florida law. Confirm the current rule with the state or your own adviser before adding a surcharge; the sources below show when this was last read.
Sales tax and registration in Florida.
Sales tax at the point of sale
Sales tax is configured on the terminal before you go live. In Florida, the agency to register with is:
Florida Department of Revenuefloridarevenue.com is the Department's official domain (not .gov).
Registering the business
A merchant account is opened in the name of a registered business. In Florida, business entities are registered with:
Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz)Sources and date checked.
- Florida Statutes 501.0117 Checked September 21, 2026
- Florida Statutes 509.214 Checked September 21, 2026
- Goodwin via JD Supra, Eleventh Circuit strikes down Florida's no-surcharge law Checked September 21, 2026
- BakerHostetler, Florida expands operations-charge disclosure (SB 606) Checked September 21, 2026
- NFIB Legal Center, Credit Card Surcharge and Cash Discount Laws Guide 2025 (July 2025) Checked September 21, 2026
- Nickel, Credit Card Surcharge Laws by State (as of July 2026) Checked September 21, 2026
- Florida Department of Revenue Checked September 21, 2026
- Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) Checked September 21, 2026
Priced the same way in every state.
Interchange and card-network assessments passed through at cost, plus a stated processor margin, quoted in writing for your business. No long-term contract and no early termination penalty.
