Protect Your Florida Lien Rights with Expert Construction Notice Services. As an extension of your construction company - your success IS our success!
Since 1994, Sunshine Notices has helped Florida contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers protect hundreds of millions of dollars in payment rights through professional research, deadline management, and construction notice services.
Protect More Than Your Lien Rights—Protect Your Bottom Line.
Notice of Commencement
Start Your Project the Right Way
What Is a Notice of Commencement?
A Notice of Commencement officially records the beginning of a construction project and provides important project information required under Florida law.
Who Needs One?
Property owners and contractors beginning qualifying construction projects.
Why It Matters
An accurate Notice of Commencement helps establish important project details and supports compliance with Florida’s construction lien laws.
How Sunshine Helps
We prepare and electronically record Notices of Commencement in participating Florida counties, helping simplify the recording process.
Notice to Owner
Protect Your Right to Get Paid
What Is a Notice to Owner?
A Notice to Owner (NTO) is a document that helps many Florida subcontractors, suppliers, and material providers preserve their lien rights if they are not paid.
Who Needs One?
If you’re not working directly for the property owner, Florida law often requires an NTO to preserve your right to file a Claim of Lien.
Why It Matters
Missing the deadline or serving the wrong parties could affect your ability to protect your payment and lien rights—even if you’ve completed the work.
How Sunshine Helps
Our team researches the project, identifies the correct recipients, tracks important deadlines, and professionally prepares your Notice to Owner to help reduce the risk of costly mistakes.
Notice to Contractor
Protect Your Payment Rights on Bonded Projects
What Is a Notice to Contractor?
A Notice to Contractor is a construction notice used on Government projects (that can not be liened) certain bonded projects to notify the contractor that you are looking to the payment bond for protection. In many cases, it can be combined with a Notice to Owner as a Notice to Owner/Notice to Contractor.
Who Needs One?
Subcontractors, suppliers, and other qualifying parties who are not in direct contract with the bonded contractor may need to serve a Notice to Contractor to preserve their right to make a claim against the payment bond.
Why It Matters
Bonded projects have specific notice requirements and deadlines. Failing to timely serve the required parties could affect your ability to pursue payment through the bond—even when you’ve provided the labor, services, or materials.
How Sunshine Helps
Our team researches the project and available bond information, identifies the appropriate parties, and prepares and serves the required notice to help protect your payment rights on bonded projects.
Claim of Lien
Take Action Before Your Rights Expire
What Is a Claim of Lien?
A Claim of Lien is a legal document that secures payment rights against a property when payment has not been received.
We act solely as an administrative service. Anyone seeking legal advice should contact an attorney
Who Needs One?
Contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and labor providers who have preserved their lien rights and remain unpaid.
Why It Matters
Florida lien deadlines are strict. Waiting too long could permanently eliminate your ability to record a valid lien.
How Sunshine Helps
We prepare your lien documents accurately, verify key project information, and help ensure filing deadlines aren’t overlooked.
When was your Claim of Lien recorded?
Must Foreclose Claim of Lien no later than: in order to be able to collect monies owed.
Notice of Non Payment
Take Action When Payment Is Due on a Bonded Project.
What Is a Notice of Nonpayment?
A Notice of Nonpayment preserves certain payment rights on bonded construction projects by notifying the surety and other required parties.
Who Needs One?
Companies working on bonded public projects and certain bonded private projects.
Why It Matters
Missing a Notice of Nonpayment deadline can affect your ability to pursue payment through the bond.
How Sunshine Helps
Our experienced team helps identify bonded projects, prepares your notice, and helps ensure it is served correctly and on time.
Demand Letter
Encourage Payment Before Escalating the Dispute
What Is a Demand Letter?
A demand letter is a professional written request for payment that outlines the amount owed and requests resolution before additional collection efforts or legal action are considered.
Who Should Use One?
Demand letters are a valuable option for contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and businesses seeking payment—whether they’re preparing to file a Claim of Lien or when lien rights are no longer available.
Why It Matters
In many cases, a professionally prepared demand letter is enough to start a conversation and encourage payment without immediately escalating to a lien or legal action. It provides an opportunity to resolve the dispute while preserving business relationships whenever possible.
How Sunshine Helps
We prepare professional demand letters that clearly communicate your payment request and provide a cost-effective first step toward resolving unpaid invoices before pursuing more formal remedies.
Satisfaction of Lien
Clear the Lien Once Payment Has Been Made
What Is a Satisfaction of Lien?
A Satisfaction of Lien is a document recorded in the public records to show that a previously recorded Claim of Lien has been satisfied and released.
Who Needs One?
A lienor who has received satisfactory payment for a recorded Claim of Lien may need to record a Satisfaction of Lien to formally release the lien from the property.
Why It Matters
Receiving payment doesn’t automatically remove a recorded Claim of Lien from the public records. Properly recording a Satisfaction of Lien provides documentation that the lien has been satisfied and clears the recorded lien from the property.
How Sunshine Helps
Sunshine Notices prepares and electronically records Satisfaction of Lien documents in participating Florida counties, helping you properly close out the lien after payment has been received.
Final Release of Lien
A Final Release of Lien or Conditional Final Release of Lien is prepared by the lienor when payment has been received in full. When payment is received by check a conditional release should be prepared. This would condition the release upon payment of the check by the bank. This is not a recorded document. Releases of Lien are only a part of what we offer. After filing your notice, you can pull over any Releases that are needed for each job, where it automatically attaches, so that you know what you have already generated.
Partial Release of Lien
A Partial Release of Lien or Conditional Partial Release of Lien is prepared by the lienor for progress payments and should have a conditional clause when payment is received in the form of a check. A conditional release would only be valid when the check is paid by the bank. A release is usually for a specific amount or through a specific time. This is not a recorded document. Releases of Lien are only a part of what we offer. After filing your notice, you can pull over any Releases that are needed for each job, where it automatically attaches, so that you know what you have already generated.
Frequently Asked Questions
The claim of lien may be recorded at any time during the progress of the work or thereafter but not later than 90 days after the final furnishing of the labor or services or materials by the lienor. However, if the original contract is terminated under s. 713.07(4), a claim for a lien attaching prior to such termination may not be recorded after 90 days following the date of such termination or 90 days after the final furnishing of labor, services, or materials by the lienor, whichever occurs first.
A Notice of Non Payment must be served to the contractor and the surety not later than 90 days after the final furnishing of labor, services, or materials by the lienor. The time period for serving a written notice of nonpayment shall be measured from the last day of furnishing labor, services, or materials by the lienor and shall not be measured by other standards, such as the issuance of a certificate of occupancy or the issuance of a certificate of substantial completion.
The failure or refusal to furnish the statement under oath within 30 days after the demand, or the furnishing of a false or fraudulent statement, deprives the person so failing or refusing to furnish such statement of his or her lien.
If the owner serves more than one demand for statement of account on a lienor and none of the information regarding the account has changed since the lienor’s last response to a demand, the failure or refusal to furnish such statement does not deprive the lienor of his or her lien. The negligent inclusion or omission of any information deprives the person of his or her lien to the extent the owner can demonstrate prejudice from such act or omission by the lienor. The failure to furnish a response to a demand for statement of account does not affect the validity of any claim of lien being enforced through a foreclosure case filed before the date the demand for statement is received by the lienor.
You never know when you will have a problem getting paid, however, you only have 45 days from your first day on the job to file timely so why wait, it’s similar to insurance. Failure to have it in place, can only hurt you.