Florida Statutes

Fla. Stat. § 48.102 (2025)

Service by other means.

✓ 2025 Florida Statutes — current through the 2025 Regular Session

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¹48.102 Service by other means.—If, after due diligence, a party seeking to effectuate service is unable to effectuate personal service of process on a domestic or foreign corporation; a domestic or foreign general partnership, including a limited liability partnership; a domestic or foreign limited partnership, including a limited liability limited partnership; or a domestic or foreign limited liability company, the court, upon motion and a showing of such inability, may authorize service in any other manner that the party seeking to effectuate service shows will be reasonably effective to give the entity on which service is sought to be effectuated actual notice of the suit. Such other manners of service may include service electronically by e-mail or other technology by any person authorized to serve process in accordance with this chapter, or by an attorney. The court may authorize other methods of service consistent with the principles of due process. In suits involving a breach of contract, the court may consider authorizing the parties to effectuate service in the manner provided for in the contractual notice provision of the subject contract.

History.—s. 8, ch. 2022-190.

¹Note.—Section 5, ch. 2025-13, provides:

“(1) The amendments made to chapter 48, Florida Statutes, by chapter 2022-190, Laws of Florida, apply to causes of action that accrued on or after January 2, 2023, and to all causes of action that accrued before January 2, 2023, for which service of process was effectuated on or after January 2, 2023.

“(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), any service of process that occurred between January 2, 2023, and October 1, 2025, which has not been invalidated by a court, is valid if such service complied with either chapter 48, Florida Statutes, as amended by chapter 2022-190, Laws of Florida, or the laws governing service of process in effect before January 2, 2023, which would have applied in the absence of chapter 2022-190, Laws of Florida.

“(3) The amendments made by this act apply to all service of process made or effectuated on or after October 1, 2025, regardless of whether the cause of action accrued before, on, or after October 1, 2025.

“(4) This section does not extend or modify the time for challenging the validity of any service of process and does not revive any ability to challenge the validity of service of process which has previously been waived.”

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 11 cases (11 in the last 5 years), 2022–2026 · leading case: Noyola Meza v. JC & Son's Constr. LLC (M.D. Fla. 2023).

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Noyola Meza v. JC & Son's Constr. LLC (M.D. Fla. 2023). · cites it 27× “4(e)(1), Fla. Stat. § 48.102 , and prior failed service attempts.”

Tom v. 7th Ace, LLC (M.D. Fla. 2024). · cites it 8× “Fla. Stat. § 48.102 . 2 The Court notes that section 48.”

Viral DRM, LLC v. Hardee Broad. LLC (M.D. Fla. 2024). · cites it 5× “Fla. Stat. Ann. § 48.102 . Based on the record before me, I find that Plaintiff has made “a diligent inquiry and exerted an honest and conscientious effort to serve” the Defendant.”

Medina v. Bulldog Logistics, Inc. (S.D. Fla. 2023). · cites it 5× “In suits involving a breach of contract, the court may consider authorizing the parties to effectuate service in the manner provided for in the contractual notice provision of the subject contract.”

Chavonnes Badenhorst St Clair Cooper v. Logan (Bankr. S.D. Florida 2025). · cites it 5× “13 Fla. Stat. § 48.102 (2022). limited partnership; or a domestic or foreign limited liability company, the court, upon motion and a showing of such inability, may authorize service in any other manner that the party seeking to effectuate service shows will be reasonably…”

Gilliard (M.D. Fla. 2026). · cites it 5× “” Fla. Stat. § 48.102 . Such service could include substitute service on the general partnership via the Secretary of State.”

Kmg Props., LLC v. Owl Constr., LLC (Fla. 2d DCA 2024). · cites it 3× “For instance, the legislature added section 48.102: Service by other means. —If, after due diligence, a party seeking to effectuate service is unable to effectuate personal service of process on a domestic or foreign corporation; a domestic or foreign general partnership,…”

Fox v. Indus. Com. Roofing, Inc. (M.D. Fla. 2022). · cites it 3× “In support of his request for alternative methods of service, such as by email to defense counsel and mail to the registered agent, Plaintiff cites only to Fla. Stat. § 48.102 . Id. at 7 . But, § 48.”

Wepard Corp., Ltd., Etc. v. Diaz, Reus & Targ, LLP, Etc. (Fla. 3d DCA 2026). · cites it 2× “197(1)(c) (foreign service) as compared to section 48.102 (domestic service), the domestic service statute explicitly requires a showing of due diligence prior to permitting email service while the foreign service statute does not.”

Viral DRM, LLC v. Hardee Broad. LLC (M.D. Fla. 2024). “161, or by order of the court under Section 48.102. The party effectuating service is considered to have used due diligence if that party: (a) Made diligent inquiry and exerted an honest and conscientious effort appropriate to the circumstances to acquire the information…”

Beron Media LLC v. Liu (M.D. Fla. 2025). “Specifically, the Court in Ligeri applied Section 48.102 of the Florida Statutes to determine that an alternate method of service, including by electronic mail, on an Arizona limited liability company was permissible.”

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