To establish a joint venture in Florida, the written contract must contain the following five elements: (1) a community of interest in the performance of a common purpose, (2) joint control or right of control, (3) a joint proprietary interest in the subject matter, (4) a right to share in the profits and (5) a duty to share in any losses which may be sustained. Absence of one element precludes the finding of a joint venture.
A party asserting that an unwritten, implied contract is the basis of a joint venture faces a heavy and difficult burden, as it must allege and prove that the implied contract contains the same five elements required of a joint venture based on a written contract.
If these five elements exist, joint venturers owe each other a duty of loyalty, breach of which gives rise to a claim for breach of fiduciary duty.