Florida Statutes

Fla. Stat. § 48.27 (2025)

Certified process servers.

✓ 2025 Florida Statutes — current through the 2025 Regular Session

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48.27 Certified process servers.—

(1) The chief judge of each judicial circuit may establish an approved list of natural persons designated as certified process servers. The chief judge may periodically add to such list the names of those natural persons who have met the requirements for certification provided for in s. 48.29. Each person whose name has been added to the approved list is subject to annual recertification and reappointment by the chief judge of a judicial circuit. The chief judge shall prescribe appropriate forms for application for inclusion on the list of certified process servers. A reasonable fee for the processing of any such application must be charged.

(2)(a) The addition of a person’s name to the list authorizes him or her to serve initial nonenforceable civil process on a person found within the circuit where the process server is certified when a civil action has been filed against such person in the circuit court or in a county court in the state. Upon filing an action in circuit or county court, a person may select from the list for the circuit where the process is to be served one or more certified process servers to serve initial nonenforceable civil process.

(b) The addition of a person’s name to the list authorizes him or her to serve criminal witness subpoenas and criminal summonses on a person found within the circuit where the process server is certified. The state in any proceeding or investigation by a grand jury or any party in a criminal action, prosecution, or proceeding may select from the list for the circuit where the process is to be served one or more certified process servers to serve the subpoena or summons.

(3) Nothing herein shall be interpreted to exclude a sheriff or deputy or other person appointed by the sheriff pursuant to s. 48.021 from serving process or to exclude a person from appointment by individual motion and order to serve process in any civil action in accordance with Rule 1.070(b) of the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure.

History.—s. 3, ch. 88-135; s. 5, ch. 97-96; s. 3, ch. 98-410; s. 3, ch. 2009-215.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 6 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1994–2023 · leading case: Abbate v. Provident Nat. Bank, 631 So. 2d 312 (Fla. 5th DCA 1994).

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Abbate v. Provident Nat. Bank, 631 So. 2d 312 (Fla. 5th DCA 1994). · cites it 10× “" Section 48.27, Florida Statutes, entitled "Certified process servers" provides: (1) The chief judge of each judicial circuit may establish an approved list of natural persons designated as certified process servers.”

Decker v. Kaplus, 763 So. 2d 1229 (Fla. 5th DCA 2000). · cites it 3× “Although the service upon the Deckers was defective because the process server was not qualified under the former version of section 48.27 or section 48.021(3), Florida Statute (1996), it was not void.”

Dickinson v. Dickinson, 706 So. 2d 114 (Fla. 1st DCA 1998). · cites it 4× “070; and (2) that service was rendered invalid because he was served by a process server certified in a different county than the one where the action originated, in violation of section 48.27(2), Florida Statutes. Regarding the first point, the trial court found that there was…”

Cannella v. Auto-Owners Ins. Co., 801 So. 2d 94 (Fla. 2001). “The Fifth District disagreed: Although the service upon the Deckers was defective because the process server was not qualified under the former version of section 48.27 or section 48.021(3), Florida Statute[s] (1996), it was not void.”

Sutor v. Cochran, 687 So. 2d 897 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997). “88-135, § 3, at 720-21, Laws of Fla; see also §§ 48.27-48.31. The purpose of this bill was to establish a list of certified process servers who would be authorized to serve initial nonenforceable process on a person found in the circuit.”

Keith Lee Stewart v. Bridgette Stewart (Ga. Ct. App. 2023). “7 Fla. Stat. Ann. § 48.27 pertains to a list of certified process servers assembled by the chief judge of each judicial circuit in Florida.”

— 48.27(1) — 1 case

Abbate v. Provident Nat. Bank, 631 So. 2d 312 (Fla. 5th DCA 1994). “" Section 48.27, Florida Statutes, entitled "Certified process servers" provides: (1) The chief judge of each judicial circuit may establish an approved list of natural persons designated as certified process servers.”

— 48.27(2) — 3 cases

Decker v. Kaplus, 763 So. 2d 1229 (Fla. 5th DCA 2000). “Although the service upon the Deckers was defective because the process server was not qualified under the former version of section 48.27 or section 48.021(3), Florida Statute (1996), it was not void.”

Dickinson v. Dickinson, 706 So. 2d 114 (Fla. 1st DCA 1998). “070; and (2) that service was rendered invalid because he was served by a process server certified in a different county than the one where the action originated, in violation of section 48.27(2), Florida Statutes. Regarding the first point, the trial court found that there was…”

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