Florida Process Server — All 67 Counties, One Company
Golden Process Service is a Florida process server operating statewide since 2018. Our own certified servers work South Florida and Tallahassee daily, and a vetted partner network extends that coverage to every one of Florida's 67 counties — more than 500 serves a month, all on flat-rate pricing with a signed, GPS-documented affidavit on every job. One order, one point of contact, anywhere in the state.
On this page
- Statewide Florida Process Server Coverage
- Florida Service of Process Rules — Chapter 48
- Certified Process Server vs. Sheriff in Florida
- How Out-of-County Serves Are Coordinated
- Registered Agent Service Across Florida
- Florida County Process Server Hubs
- Statewide Process Serving Services
- Frequently Asked Questions — Florida Process Server
Statewide Florida Process Server Coverage
Golden Process Service covers all 67 Florida counties through two layers: our own certified servers, and a partner network we have vetted job by job since 2018. Our staff servers work Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Martin counties every day from our Plantation headquarters and North Palm Beach office, and we maintain a dedicated presence in Tallahassee for Leon County and state-capital work. Everywhere else — from Duval to Monroe, Escambia to Brevard — your papers go to a network server we have already tested on live assignments, working under our instructions and our affidavit standards.
What that means in practice: you never have to find, vet, or chase a local server in a county you don't know. You submit once through Send Work, and Golden Process Service handles routing, attempt tracking, and the return of a signed affidavit — whether the address is a Brickell high-rise, a gated community in Wellington, a rural route outside Ocala, or a state agency in Tallahassee. Browse the full service locations index for every county and city page, or start with the hubs for Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.
500+ Serves a Month, Statewide
From the Panhandle to the Keys, Golden Process Service dispatches, tracks, and documents every serve to the same standard: dated attempts, GPS logs, and a signed affidavit ready for filing.
Florida Service of Process Rules — Chapter 48
Service of process in Florida is governed by Chapter 48, Florida Statutes, and those rules apply identically in every county. Chapter 48 defines who may serve process, how personal service works, when substitute service on a co-resident aged 15 or older is valid, and what a return of service must state. The Florida Rules of Civil Procedure add the clock: under Rule 1.070, the plaintiff generally has 120 days from filing to serve the defendant or risk dismissal.
A few statewide rules worth knowing before you send work anywhere in Florida:
- Who serves: the sheriff of the county where the person is found, or a certified, appointed, or special process server as Chapter 48 permits in that circuit. Golden Process Service uses certified servers appointed in the circuits we work.
- Substitute service: papers may be left at the defendant's usual place of abode with a co-resident 15 or older, with the contents explained — details in our substitute service guide.
- Businesses: corporations and LLCs are typically served through their registered agent; see how to serve an LLC in Florida.
- Unlocatable defendants: when diligent search fails, Chapter 49 allows service by publication, supported by an Affidavit of Diligent Search.
Getting these details wrong is how judgments get vacated. Our Florida process serving requirements guide walks through the statute in plain English, and every Golden Process Service affidavit is drafted to survive a motion to quash.
Certified Process Server vs. Sheriff in Florida
Both a sheriff's deputy and a certified process server can effect valid service under Chapter 48 — the difference is speed, communication, and effort. Sheriff's civil divisions work serves in queue order during business hours; a private Florida process server is dispatched the same day, attempts evenings and weekends, and reports each attempt back to you as it happens.
| Certified Process Server | Sheriff's Civil Division | |
|---|---|---|
| Dispatch | Same business day | Queue-based, often 1–2+ weeks |
| Attempt windows | Mornings, evenings, weekends | Primarily business hours |
| Status updates | Attempt-by-attempt, with GPS logs | Limited until return is filed |
| Evasive defendants | Stakeouts, skip tracing, varied timing | Standard attempts only |
| Coverage | Statewide through one vendor | One county per sheriff's office |
Some documents — certain writs and enforcement papers — still belong with the sheriff. Our guide to the process server vs. sheriff decision in Florida breaks down when each is the right call, and we will tell you honestly when a job should go to the sheriff instead of us.
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How Out-of-County Serves Are Coordinated
An out-of-county serve works exactly like a local one from your side: submit the papers once, and Golden Process Service handles the geography. Here is the process we run on every statewide assignment:
- Intake and address check. We confirm the service address, the document set, and any deadline — hearing date, Rule 1.070 clock, or statute of limitations — before anything is dispatched.
- Routing. Jobs in Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Martin, or Leon go to our own servers. Anywhere else, the job is assigned to the vetted network server for that county, with our instructions and attempt standards attached.
- Attempts and updates. Servers attempt at varied times, log each attempt with date, time, and GPS coordinates, and updates flow back to you through one point of contact — not a different phone number in every county.
- Escalation. If the address goes bad or the defendant is dodging, in-house skip tracing runs before your budget disappears into repeat attempts.
- Affidavit and return. You receive a signed affidavit of service formatted for the court where your case is pending, with e-filing through our court filing service available on request.
Deadlines drive routing priority. If you have a serve that must happen this week in a county you have never worked, contact us and we will tell you the realistic turnaround before you commit.
Registered Agent Service Across Florida
Serving a corporation or LLC in Florida usually means serving its registered agent, and the major national agents cluster in three places we cover with our own staff. CT Corporation System and NRAI sit in Plantation — minutes from our headquarters. Corporate Creations is in Palm Beach County, covered from our North Palm Beach office. Corporation Service Company (CSC) is in Tallahassee, where we maintain a dedicated server presence.
Because our people walk into these offices week after week, registered agent serves are hand-delivered — not mailed — with the receipt stamped into a signed affidavit the same day. If you serve corporate defendants regularly, our registered agent service page covers volume pricing, and the registered agent service guide explains the Chapter 48 mechanics.
Florida County Process Server Hubs
Start with the county where your defendant is located. Each hub covers the courthouse, turnaround times, and every city page in that county:
Broward County Process Server
Our home county — same-day standard from Plantation HQ. Fort Lauderdale courthouse, 17th Circuit.
Miami-Dade County Process Server
Daily coverage of Miami, Hialeah, and the 11th Circuit at the Dade County Courthouse.
Palm Beach County Process Server
Served same-day from our North Palm Beach office. 15th Circuit, West Palm Beach courthouse.
Martin County Process Server
Stuart and the Treasure Coast, 19th Circuit, worked by our own Palm Beach-based team.
Leon County Process Server
Tallahassee: state agencies, CSC registered agent serves, and 2nd Circuit filings.
All Service Locations
The full index — every county and city page Golden Process Service maintains across Florida.
Major city pages: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Stuart, Tallahassee, and Plantation, where we are headquartered.
Statewide Process Serving Services
Every service below is available in all 67 counties, with flat-rate pricing published on our rates page and a signed affidavit on every completed job:
Process Serving
Summons, complaints, petitions, and motions served in compliance with Chapter 48 — personal or substitute service, documented attempt by attempt.
Subpoena Service
Witness subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum served anywhere in Florida, including rush service ahead of deposition and hearing dates.
Eviction Service
Three-day notices, seven-day notices, and eviction summons for landlords and property managers statewide.
Skip Tracing
In-house locates for evasive or missing defendants, plus Affidavits of Diligent Search to support service by publication under Chapter 49.
Also available statewide: court filing and retrieval and divorce process service. Something else? Contact Golden Process Service.
Frequently Asked Questions — Florida Process Server
How much does a process server cost anywhere in Florida?
Golden Process Service uses flat-rate pricing statewide — the rate includes multiple attempts and a signed affidavit of service, whether the address is in Fort Lauderdale or the Panhandle. Routine, rush, and same-day tiers are published on our rates page, so you know the cost before you send the job.
How fast can you serve papers in different parts of Florida?
In Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Martin, and Leon counties, our own servers offer same-day and next-day dispatch. In network-covered counties, first attempts typically happen within one to two business days of assignment, faster on rush jobs. Tell us your deadline at intake and we route accordingly.
How do you handle a serve in a county where you don't have staff?
We assign it to a vetted network server in that county who works under our attempt standards, then manage the job from our office: attempt-by-attempt updates, GPS-logged records, and a signed affidavit returned to you. You deal with one company regardless of where in Florida the serve happens.
What if the defendant is avoiding service in Florida?
We vary attempt times across mornings, evenings, and weekends, and run in-house skip tracing to confirm or replace a bad address. If the defendant still cannot be found, we prepare the Affidavit of Diligent Search that supports service by publication under Chapter 49, Florida Statutes.
Who is legally allowed to serve process in Florida?
Under Chapter 48, Florida Statutes, process may be served by the sheriff of the county where the person is found, or by a certified, appointed, or special process server authorized in that judicial circuit. Golden Process Service uses certified servers appointed in the circuits we work, so every serve is valid and documented.
Can Golden Process Service handle serves outside Florida?
Yes. Beyond all 67 Florida counties, we coordinate service in all 50 states through our national partner network — useful when a Florida case involves an out-of-state defendant or witness. See our guide to serving out-of-state defendants in Florida cases.
Can't Find the Defendant?
Golden Process Service locates evasive parties anywhere in Florida and prepares Affidavits of Diligent Search for service by publication.