Florida law sets rigid timelines for civil procedures that generally don’t stop for the holiday season. A 120-day service deadline continues to tick away even when the courts are closed.
Accurate Serve® of Fort Myers maintains operations during these critical windows to ensure your case stays viable. When the rest of the world pauses, legal deadlines generally don’t.
Do Legal Deadlines Pause for the Holidays?
A common misconception about the holiday season is that the legal “clock” stops ticking completely. This is generally false. In Florida, the countdown for serving a defendant begins the moment the case is filed. Under civil procedure rules, you have 120 days to complete service. If you file a case in late August or September, that window continues to run right through the holiday season.
While Florida rules do extend a deadline to the next business day if it falls specifically on a weekend or legal holiday, days that fall during your countdown still count against you. Simply waiting until the new year to attempt service can eat up valuable time. Timeliness isn’t just about speed; it’s about preserving your right to sue.
Beyond meeting deadlines, this season also offers a tactical advantage for locating difficult subjects.
Using the Holidays to Find Evasive People
Serving papers on a holiday is fully legal in Florida, even if considered a “last resort.” Unlike Sundays, which generally require a specific court order for service, holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day have no such automatic restrictions. For attorneys dealing with defendants who actively dodge service, these days can be strategic opportunities.
People who usually avoid their home or workplace often gather at specific locations during the holidays. Family gatherings make it harder for them to hide. Professional investigators can run skip traces to locate evasive defendants more easily when they remain stationary for family events. However, this approach requires professional discretion. Due to the sensitivity involved, holiday service is generally recommended when a deadline is imminent or safety is a concern, but the option remains available when the case demands it.
To execute these holiday attempts, you need a team that works when the government doesn’t.
Relying on Private Process Servers When Courts Close
The 20th Judicial Circuit courts in Lee and Collier counties typically close for several days around Christmas and New Year’s. During this time, the Sheriff’s Office often reduces staff or pauses non-emergency service entirely. This leaves private process servers as the only reliable option to keep a case moving.
Accurate Serve® covers the entire circuit, including Charlotte, Glades, and Hendry counties. Certified servers remain available to handle urgent requests throughout the season. Because we use GPS technology and real-time updates, you can confirm that service was attempted or completed even while your office is closed for the break. This gives you peace of mind when deadlines loom and standard options aren’t available.
Secure Your Case Timeline
Don’t let a holiday break endanger your case timeline. If you have an expiring deadline or a difficult defendant, Contact Accurate Serve® of Ft. Myers today or send a work request online now to ensure your papers are served correctly and on time.
- Fort Myers – (239) 212-0619
- LaBelle – (239) 212-0619
- Naples – (239) 212-0619
- Port Charlotte – (239) 212-0619
