We live in a fast-changing, high-tech world, with new technologies being introduced every day. We can do almost everything on our phones, talk to people all over the world, and even see what’s going on in space, 24 hours per day. So, how has all this new tech affected the process service industry? Have emerging communication technologies improved the process of delivering important paperwork while maintaining a chain of command?
The answer is yes…and no. It’s complicated.
Playing Catch-Up
The world around us definitely changes faster than our laws and regulations. While the state of Florida does regulate and pay attention to the process service industry, they are struggling to keep the laws up to date with current technologies. Delivering the process via electronic means is not standard practice in Florida…in fact, in person delivery is highly preferred. The government and court system just haven’t built up trust in using electronic communication methods for tasks so vital to the functioning of the legal system, and laws lag behind as a result.
Electronic Service is Allowed…Sometimes
While delivering process by electronic means certainly is not preferred, there are several mentions of doing so in Florida’s laws governing process servers. In the 2022 Florida statutes, Chapter 48, Section 102, states that electronic delivery means such as e-mail may be authorized in certain situations where service on certain businesses has failed. Electronic service is mentioned again in Section 161 regarding substituted service on a nonresident of Florida. While these mentions may indicate that Florida’s legislature plans to continue allowing electronic delivery as a possibility for different case types, there is still a long way to go before we can say that Florida’s process server laws have caught up with the times.
Process Servers Who Use All Their Resources
Just because we can’t deliver the process electronically doesn’t mean we don’t get the job done! At Accurate Serve of Sarasota, we handle all types of service needs while working within the confines of Florida’s laws. If you need someone served process or other documents in the Pork St. Lucie area, call us at 772-236-7214 or send us a work request online.
