Following all of the laws and regulations relevant to serving process is essential here in Florida. Mistakes in service of process can have devastating effects on your case, including giving the opposing party grounds for dismissal. Knowing what actions to avoid while the serving process ensures that servers will not damage their client’s case or reputation.
Florida’s 19th Judicial Circuit governs private process servers in St. Lucie, Martin, Indian River, and Okeechobee counties. The courts establish strict standards for behavior and actions for all process servers and do not allow anyone to serve process without first being approved and certified by a judge in the 19th circuit. The certification process includes mandatory training on all laws and rules related to the serving process in Port St. Lucie and surrounding areas, and the passage of an exam to prove the potential server’s knowledge of the content. If a process server is found to be violating the law while serving process, their certification may be revoked, and depending on the severity of the violation, they may be permanently banned from serving process anywhere in Florida.
At Accurate Serve® in Port St. Lucie, Okeechobee, Vero Beach, and Stuart, our certified process servers will:
Always be honest about their identity and purpose
Process servers are required to be honest about who they are and the reason they are seeking an intended recipient of the process. Process servers must NEVER:
- Represent themselves as police officers, even if that is their full-time job
- Impersonate any type of emergency personnel
- Impersonate any mail or package delivery service, including:
- USPS
- UPS
- FedEx
- Have a stake in the case’s outcome
Obey criminal laws while serving process
As we stated before, certified process servers in the 19th Judicial Circuit are held to a high standard of ethics and behavior, as outlined in the Certificate of Good Conduct that they must secure before being approved to serve process. As such, our process servers will NEVER:
- Enter any private building or property without expressed permission
- Threaten or abuse a process recipient, including verbal abuse
Obey all laws specific to service of process in Florida
Along with being honest about their identities and not committing any crimes, reputable process servers will only attempt service when and where it is permitted by law. Our process servers know they should NEVER:
- Serve process in a county, judicial district, or state without first registering there as a process server, as required by law
- Serve process on Sunday
- Attempt to serve someone at their workplace without first notifying their employer
- Attempt to serve someone at their place of business outside of normal business hours
- Attempt service of process by substitution or publication without first receiving court approval. Even if service by substitution is approved, the process server should NOT:
- Touch anyone’s mailbox, mail slot, or mail receptacle of any kind
- Leave process paperwork on someone’s porch or other open, publicly accessible space
- Leave process paperwork with anyone that cannot reasonably deliver it to the intended party
- Leave process paperwork with anyone under 15 years old
Process servers must approach each assignment with professionalism and common sense. No two assignments will ever be the same, and as the industry is constantly evolving with new technology, and so will the laws and best practices around process serving. This is why your firm needs an experienced team of process servers at Accurate Serve® on the Treasure Coast. Accurate Serve® has successfully served process in Florida since 2009, so we know the ins and outs of Florida’s service of process laws. If your case is in one of the counties in the 19th Judicial Circuit, visit our website to find your local office’s phone number, send us new assignments, or even check the status of your assignment 24/7!
