Skip to content
EspañolCall Us (305) 392-7475
Law Offices of Rosenny Burgos, P.A.
Business partners reviewing a succession agreement by video consultation

Business Formation

Business Succession Planning in Florida

You built the business. Now the question is: what happens to it when something happens to you? Without a written plan, the departure or death of an owner can trigger forced sales, family disputes, or a company that simply stops operating at the worst possible moment. Attorney Rosenny Burgos has more than 20 years of experience helping Florida business owners, many of them first-generation entrepreneurs, create succession plans that work in concert with their estate documents, their partners, and their families. Everything is handled virtually, from anywhere in Florida.

Request Your Initial Assessment

Quick answer

Business succession planning decides what happens to your company when an owner retires, becomes incapacitated, or passes away. Attorney Rosenny Burgos helps Florida business owners put buy-sell agreements, ownership transfer documents, and coordinated estate plans in place, entirely by video or phone consultation, in English or Spanish.

Quick answer

A succession plan defines who takes over leadership, how ownership transfers, and what the business is worth at the time of transition. A buy-sell agreement funds and governs that transfer. Together, these documents protect the company's continuity and prevent the disputes that arise when nothing is written down.

The Core of a Succession Plan

When the Owner Steps Away: What Your Business Needs in Writing

Every closely held business, whether a family LLC, a medical practice, or a small retail operation, faces the same fundamental question: what happens when the owner is no longer there? The answer should not be left to chance, to a handshake agreement, or to the default rules of Florida corporate law.

A well-drafted succession plan addresses three things: who takes over day-to-day leadership, how ownership transfers and at what price, and how that purchase is funded so the transaction can actually close. A buy-sell agreement is the legal document that makes those decisions binding. It can be structured as a cross-purchase agreement among co-owners, a redemption agreement with the company itself, or a hybrid of both depending on your ownership structure and tax situation.

For family businesses, succession planning also addresses the harder human questions: who among the next generation is prepared to run the business, and how do you treat family members who are not involved in operations fairly without destabilizing the company? Attorney Burgos helps owners think through these decisions and translate them into documents that hold up.

Succession planning and estate planning must work together. A will or living trust that leaves your business interest to your spouse or children, without a corresponding buy-sell agreement among co-owners, can create an impossible conflict between your estate documents and your business obligations. We review both sides and close the gap.

  • Buy-sell agreements that define transfer terms, valuation method, and funding mechanism.
  • Successor designation and leadership transition timelines.
  • Coordination with wills, living trusts, and powers of attorney.
  • Family business succession: next-generation readiness and equitable treatment of non-active heirs.
  • Tax-aware structure review to reduce transfer costs.
Request Your Initial Assessment
Attorney Rosenny Burgos reviewing a succession plan with a business owner by video

Who We Work With

Florida Business Owners Who Have Something Worth Protecting

The clients who benefit most from succession planning are closely held business owners who have not yet formalized what happens when they step away. That includes sole owners who plan to pass the business to a child or key employee, co-owners with no written buy-sell agreement, and family businesses where the next generation is already involved but the transfer terms have never been documented.

For many Hispanic business owners in Florida, the business represents years of personal sacrifice and the family's primary financial asset. Losing it to a dispute, a forced sale, or a co-owner's estate because nothing was in writing is the kind of outcome that succession planning exists to prevent.

Our practice is fully virtual. You meet by secure video or phone from anywhere in Florida. We review your current ownership documents, your estate plan, and your business relationships, then draft the agreements that fill the gaps. Clients in Miami, Hialeah, Orlando, Tampa, and across the state work with us this way, without traveling to an office.

  • Sole owners planning to transfer to a family member or trusted employee.
  • Co-owners who need a written buy-sell agreement before a triggering event occurs.
  • Family businesses where next-generation succession has not been formalized.
  • Business owners whose estate plan does not yet address their ownership interest.
Request Your Initial Assessment

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is business succession planning?
Business succession planning is the process of deciding in advance what happens to a business when an owner retires, becomes incapacitated, or dies. It covers who takes over leadership, how ownership transfers, what the business is worth, and how the purchase is funded. A written succession plan keeps the company running and prevents disputes among co-owners, family members, and heirs.
What is a buy-sell agreement and do I need one?
A buy-sell agreement is a binding contract among business co-owners that governs what happens to an owner's interest when a triggering event occurs, such as death, disability, retirement, or a voluntary departure. It sets the purchase price or valuation method and the funding mechanism, commonly life insurance. If you have co-owners and no written buy-sell agreement, your ownership interest and the company itself may be at risk.
How does business succession planning connect to my estate plan?
Your will or trust may direct where your business interest goes after you pass away, but if that conflicts with a buy-sell agreement or leaves your co-owners dealing with an heir who has no role in the business, the results can be damaging. Attorney Burgos reviews both the business documents and the estate documents together to make sure they work as a coordinated whole, not against each other.
What if I am the only owner and plan to leave the business to my children?
Sole-owner succession requires its own planning. Not every child who inherits a business is ready or willing to run it. A succession plan can include a management transition timeline, a buy-out option for heirs who prefer liquidity, and provisions for a key employee to run the business during a transition period. We help you think through the options and put a plan in writing.
Can Attorney Burgos handle business succession planning online?
Yes. Our practice is fully virtual. Attorney Burgos works with Florida business owners by secure video and phone. We review your situation, draft and revise the succession and buy-sell documents, and coordinate with your estate plan without requiring any in-person office visit.
When is the right time to do succession planning?
The right time is before you need it. A triggering event, such as an unexpected illness, a business dispute, or a co-owner's death, cannot wait for documents to be drafted. Business owners who plan ahead have options; those who wait often face forced outcomes. Attorney Burgos works with owners at every stage, from early business formation through multi-generational transitions.
Schedule a Consultation

Related Topics

Let's Take the First Step

You built the business. Now the question is: what happens to it when something happens to you? Without a written plan, the departure or death of an owner can trigger forced sales, family disputes, or a company that simply stops operating at the worst possible moment. Attorney Rosenny Burgos has more than 20 years of experience helping Florida business owners, many of them first-generation entrepreneurs, create succession plans that work in concert with their estate documents, their partners, and their families. Everything is handled virtually, from anywhere in Florida. Se Habla Espanol.

Schedule a ConsultationCall (305) 392-7475Message us on WhatsApp