Do I Need a Process Server?

Published May 15, 2022 | By Accurate Serve

If you’ve filed a civil court case in Florida, you must have the defendant(s) named in the case properly “served” with the case summons and complaint. This service, or delivery of the case documents to the defendant(s), must be done by either a certified private process server or law enforcement official.

Private Process Server vs. Law Enforcement

While you can use local law enforcement to serve the process in your civil case, including the summons, complaint, subpoenas, and any other documentation, this isn’t always the best idea. Let’s face it…law enforcement is already overworked and underpaid, so why add on one more task that can easily be done by a private process server instead? Police officers should be able to spend their time focusing on catching the bad guys, not serving the civil case process.

Certification

Another reason you need to go with a reputable private process server is certification. In some states, a process server can be pretty much anyone over 18 years old that isn’t directly named in the case being served. That’s not the case in Florida, and especially not here in Lee County.

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.

Proof of Service

Proof of service is an essential element to any court case. Without it, the plaintiff cannot confirm that the defendant(s) was notified in a timely fashion, and the entire case must be delayed while proper service is executed. This is costly, both in time and cash. By using a professional private process server, you eliminate this risk. Professional servers will always provide you with confirmation of service along with filing this proof with the associated court. Armed with the evidence of proper service, the defendant(s) has no leg to stand on when trying to derail your case.

Quality Process Servers in Ft. Myers

For the best process servers in the entire 20th Judicial Circuit, look no further than the team at Accurate Serve® in Ft. Myers, Labelle, Naples, and Port Charlotte. Call us at (239) 822-7299 or send us your work requests online, and rest assured that your case’s process will be served legally and efficiently.