When it comes to legal proceedings, the importance of properly serving legal documents cannot be overstated. In Tampa Bay, if law enforcement is not utilized, state law requires the use of a certified or otherwise approved process server. Let’s discuss why choosing a professional process server, such as Accurate Serve of Tampa Bay, is crucial. Process servers ease the burden on overworked law enforcement, are experts in the field, and can minimize the risk of errors and liability in your legal case. Continue reading →

At Accurate Serve®, a leading process service agency serving Tampa Bay, we have witnessed individuals and businesses make a critical mistake: rejecting the process being served to them. In this post, we will discuss the potential consequences of ignoring or avoiding legal processes, emphasizing costly delays, default judgments, and the possibility of facing criminal charges of contempt. It is essential to understand the importance of accepting and responding to legal processes promptly.

Costly Delays

Rejecting the process being served to you can result in significant delays in legal proceedings. By doing so, you prolong the resolution of the case, causing both parties involved to experience unnecessary expenses and time-consuming procedures. Additionally, refusing to accept service may not make the underlying issue go away. Instead, it could escalate matters further and increase the potential financial burden on you. Continue reading →

Serving process is a critical part of the legal process in Florida. Process servers play an important role in ensuring that legal documents are properly delivered to the correct party, notifying them of impending legal action. There are many benefits to using a private process server to handle your Florida process needs, including:

Experience and Expertise

Hiring a professional process server in Florida provides a level of experience and expertise that is invaluable in the legal process. All private process servers in Florida must be certified or otherwise approved to work in each county or judicial circuit in the state. Private process servers must demonstrate robust knowledge of the legal requirements for the serving process in Florida and can ensure that the papers are served correctly and legally. Additionally, a process server has experience in dealing with difficult or evasive individuals, ensuring that the papers are served in a timely manner. Continue reading →

At Accurate Serve of Tampa Bay, we understand the importance of serving legal papers in a timely and efficient manner. One of the most common questions we receive from our clients is, “How many attempts will a process server make to serve my process?” In this blog post, we will discuss the answer to this question and the factors that affect the number of attempts.

How Many Attempts Will a Process Server Make?

The answer to how many attempts a process server will make depends on several factors, including the type of case being served, the location in which the papers are being served, and the specific requirements of the case. In Florida, process servers may need to make from 1 up to 3 service attempts before they can request to use alternative methods of service. These attempts must be made at different times of the day and on different days of the week. Continue reading →

We all know that being served with court papers means that we’re expected to appear in court at some point in the future, but what happens if you were improperly served those papers? While it’s a hard case to prove, improper service has given some defendants grounds for dismissal of the entire case. If you believe you’ve been served court papers incorrectly, follow these steps to find out what to do next:

Call Accurate Serve®

At Accurate Serve of Tampa Bay, there’s one thing we know – proper service of process. We’ve been serving legally valid process here in Florida since 2009, so there isn’t much we haven’t seen. We can answer your questions about what was and was not illegal when you were served with court papers. Just give us a call at 813-544-6900 to find out more. Continue reading →

Let’s say you hear through the grapevine that someone has filed a civil lawsuit against you. You’ll probably be on pins and needles, waiting for a Sheriff’s deputy or process server to show up with the dreaded news. But what if you wait and wait and wait, just for nothing to come? Should you be worried about a lawsuit against you if you were never served with the court papers?

No, if you have not been served with a court summons within 120 days of the summons being issued, then you DO NOT have to go to court and the case will likely be dismissed.

BUT…

There is a catch. If the plaintiff can convince the court that they had “good cause” to miss the 120-day deadline, then a judge may extend the service period to accommodate the plaintiff’s situation. In that case, the plaintiff would have more time to serve you with the process. However, if you are never served with the process, you never have to go to court. Continue reading →

Once your civil case is filed, your next step is to find a legitimate process server to serve the defendants and witnesses in your case. But how can you tell a reputable server from a scammer? Ask yourself the following questions to make sure you’re choosing a credible server who won’t derail your case:

Are They Certified?

Process servers working in Tampa Bay must be certified by Florida’s 13th Judicial Circuit. Certification involves training, passing an examination, posting a surety bond, and more. If the process server you are considering cannot prove certification, then no process that they serve will be considered valid by a Florida court. Continue reading →

In a world where it seems like violent crime is on the rise, many people have begun protecting themselves by recording video and audio of their surroundings at all times. Law enforcement officers often wear body cameras while on the job to keep an accurate and indisputable record of their actions and the actions of those around them. But can process servers also legally use body cameras while working?

Advantages of Body Cameras

It’s no secret that the serving process can be a dangerous job, so anything a process server can do to make their job safer is great. Wearing a body camera while the serving process has two distinct advantages – it provides indisputable evidence that the process was served to the correct person on the date and time the server indicates, and it can also deter violent or aggressive behavior by a process recipient. This means body cameras can protect a process server’s reputation and prevent physical harm. Continue reading →

Why would someone pretend to be a process server? To scam you out of your hard-earned cash! Scammers have seeped into literally every aspect of our lives these days, and the process serving industry is no exception. We frequently get calls from people who trusted a cut-rate server with their case’s process, only to have them disappear with the money and the paperwork, never serving it as promised. Not that it would matter if they did, because uncertified process servers are not allowed in Hillsborough County at all. Any process an uncertified process server delivers is not valid and can be grounds for dismissal of an entire case.

Wondering how you can tell if a process server is legit? Use our guide below to vet candidates, and if any don’t check all the boxes, make it a hard pass. Continue reading →

A process server is a person who delivers documents to a specific recipient, typically legal documents. If you’ve initiated any type of court filing in Tampa Bay, you may be wondering if you should use a process server to deliver the related documents. In almost all cases, the answer is yes.

Process servers can be helpful in virtually any type of legal case. Process servers ensure there is no question about whether a defendant or witness has been made aware of the upcoming case.

Process servers can also help in non-legal matters, such as helping locate a missing person or retrieving documents.

Here are a few examples of different legal issues that can benefit from using a process server: Continue reading →