Florida Statute 48.27 - Full Text and Legal Analysis

The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title VI
CIVIL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE

Chapter 48
PROCESS AND SERVICE OF PROCESS

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F.S. 48.27

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.

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Amendments to 48.27

Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 48.27

Total Results: 6

Abbate v. Provident Nat. Bank

631 So. 2d 312, 1994 WL 12396

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Jan 21, 1994 | Docket: 1464915

Cited 9 times | Published

the "Florida Certified Process Servers Act." Section 48.27, Florida Statutes, entitled "Certified process

Decker v. Kaplus

763 So. 2d 1229, 2000 WL 707290

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Jun 2, 2000 | Docket: 344036

Cited 5 times | Published

was certified pursuant to Florida Statutes section 48.27(2) to effect service in the Fifth Judicial Circuit

Cannella v. Auto-Owners Ins. Co.

801 So. 2d 94, 26 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 754, 2001 Fla. LEXIS 2273, 2001 WL 1422463

Supreme Court of Florida | Filed: Nov 15, 2001 | Docket: 1744767

Cited 2 times | Published

was not qualified under the former version of section 48.27 or section 48.021(3), Florida Statute[s] (1996)

Dickinson v. Dickinson

706 So. 2d 114, 1998 Fla. App. LEXIS 1638, 1998 WL 69068

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Feb 23, 1998 | Docket: 64779051

Published

where the action originated, in violation of section 48.27(2), Florida Statutes. Regarding the first point

Ago

Florida Attorney General Reports | Filed: Jan 9, 1989 | Docket: 3256812

Published

(gh) 1 Section 48.27(1), F.S., as created by s. 3, Ch. 88-135, Laws of Florida. 2 Section 48.27(2), Ch

Ago

Florida Attorney General Reports | Filed: Jan 5, 1989 | Docket: 3257760

Published

process for certification of process servers. 3 Section 48.27(2), F.S., as created by s. 3, Ch. 88-135, Laws