Following the law is extremely important for process servers in Florida. Improper service can derail your firm’s entire case, resulting in anything from a simple date change all the way to a case dismissal!
A process server not following the service of process rules for Lee County can damage your firm’s reputation. Case expenses will soar as documents have need to be changed and dates will be delayed. The entire flow of the court case will be halted while service of process issues are ironed out.
Our process servers at Accurate Serve® of Ft. Myers, LaBelle, Naples, and Port Charlotte know all of the relevant laws to serve process here in Lee and surrounding counties.
Certification
All process servers in the 20th Judicial Circuit, which includes Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Glades, and Hendry counties, must be approved by the judicial circuit to serve process. The certification process involves:
- A detailed application review
- Payment of an application fee
- A background check
- Attending required training
- Posting a bond
Any process server not certified by the 20th Judicial Circuit is not allowed to serve process in any of the counties covered by the circuit. If you’ve mistakenly used an uncertified process server, you will need to have all of your case’s process reserved, which causes unnecessary delays, confusion, and extra expenses.
Working in the field
Once a process server is certified, the laws they learned in training will need to be applied every day while they’re working! In the 20th Judicial Circuit, certified process servers need to:
- Not be involved in any case in which they serve process
- Be honest
- Never be threatening or abusive
- Never trespass
- Only serve process Monday through Saturday, as serving on Sunday is prohibited
- Notify employers before attempting to serve a person at their workplace
- Never attempt to serve a business owner at their place of business outside of their normal hours of operation
- Only serve process to the named recipient in-person, unless alternative service has been approved by a judge
Process servers must be flexible and adaptable as the laws and rules around their industry constantly evolve. At Accurate Serve® of Ft. Myers, our skilled team of process servers have the integrity and experience needed to get your case’s process served in full compliance with all laws. If you are in the Ft. Myers area and need reliable certified process servers, call (239) 822-7299 or submit a service request online today!
