If the Florida Department of State refuses to file a document delivered to its office for filing, within 30 days after return of the document by the department by mail, as evidenced by the postmark, the domestic or foreign corporation may:
(1) Appeal the refusal pursuant to s. 120.68; or
(2) Appeal the refusal to the circuit court of the county where the corporation’s principal office (or, if none in this state, its registered office) is or will be located. The appeal is commenced by petitioning the court to compel filing the document and by attaching to the petition the document and the Department of State’s explanation of its refusal to file. The matter shall promptly be tried de novo by the court without a jury. The court may summarily order the Department of State to file the document or take other action the court considers appropriate. The court’s final decision may be appealed as in other civil proceedings.
