In a world where people are constantly on the move, finding someone who doesn’t want to be found can be a daunting task. Whether you’re trying to locate a long-lost relative, a debtor, or a crucial witness for legal proceedings, traditional search methods may not always yield the desired results. That’s where Accurate Serve® of Sarasota & Bradenton comes in. Our skip tracing and diligent search services are designed to help you find anyone, no matter how elusive they may seem. Read on to discover some little-known tricks that can make all the difference in your search.

Harness the Power of Skip Tracing

Skip tracing is a specialized technique used to locate individuals who have intentionally skipped town or are evading detection. At Accurate Serve® of Sarasota & Bradenton, we have a team of experienced professionals trained in skip tracing methodologies. By accessing various databases, conducting comprehensive research, and utilizing advanced techniques, we can uncover valuable information about the person you’re looking for. From previous addresses and phone numbers to employment records and social media profiles, our skip-tracing service leaves no stone unturned. Continue reading →

Process serving is a critical component of the legal system, and it is essential to have a basic understanding of the process. Here at Accurate Serve® of Sarasota, we’ve noticed that people have a lot of questions about who we are and what we do. In this post, we’ll go over some of the most common questions we get asked about the process serving here in Florida.

 What is Process Serving?

Process serving is the procedure by which legal documents are delivered to individuals who are involved in a legal proceeding. These documents may include subpoenas, summons, complaints, and other court orders. The purpose of service of process is to notify individuals of their involvement in a legal case and to provide them with the opportunity to respond to the allegations against them. Continue reading →

Process servers play a crucial role in the legal system, ensuring that legal documents are properly served to the appropriate party. In Florida, process servers are responsible for serving a wide range of legal papers, including summons, complaints, subpoenas, and others. Let’s look into all the different kinds of papers that are served by process servers in Florida:

Summons and Complaints

Summons and complaints are legal documents that initiate a civil lawsuit and are probably the most common types of process a process server delivers. The summons is a notice to the defendant that they are being sued and provides instructions on how to respond to the lawsuit. The complaint outlines the plaintiff’s claims against the defendant and the relief sought. Continue reading →

Avoiding a process server may seem like a good idea at first, especially if you are facing legal troubles. However, in reality, it is a huge mistake that can result in severe consequences. At Accurate Serve of Sarasota and Bradenton, we have seen many defendants make this mistake, only to face even more significant problems down the road. In this blog post, we will discuss the reasons why avoiding a process server is a huge mistake.

Reason #1: It Can Result in Default Judgment

If you avoid a process server, the court can still proceed with your case without your knowledge or consent. This means that a judgment can be made against you without you even knowing it. This is known as a default judgment. A default judgment can result in wage garnishment, property liens, or even bank account seizures. Continue reading →

If you know anything about process servers in Florida, you know that they all must be certified by the judicial circuit or local Sheriff governing the county where they plan to work. Here in Sarasota, process servers are certified by Florida’s 12th Judicial Circuit, which covers Desoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties. But what exactly does a person need to do to be certified as a process server in the 12th circuit? In this post, we’ll go over the exact requirements to work as a process server in Sarasota, Bradenton, and surrounding areas.

Process Server Requirements

According to Florida’s 2022 Statutes, Chapter 48, and an Administrative Order issued by the 12th Judicial Circuit, process servers must: Continue reading →

No doubt about it, evictions are messy. No one wants to get kicked out of their home or place of business, but neither does anyone really ever want to kick someone out. However, it is sometimes necessary. Failure to pay rent is a common reason, but engaging in criminal activity, housing unauthorized tenants, and other reasons can also cause a tenant to be evicted.

Evictions are also difficult for landlords because they must occur in a specific order to be lawful. Not adhering to this chain of events can lead to devastating financial consequences for the landlord. This is why we never recommend that landlords handle delivering their own eviction notices…trust this vital part of the eviction process to a reputable process server instead.

Private process servers offer the following benefits for eviction proceedings: Continue reading →

Most process recipients are fairly easy to find, but every once in a while, one will give us a run for our money. When someone is obviously avoiding being found, we have a few tools we can use to help us in the search:

Public Records

There are tons of information available publicly, including property records, tax records, vehicle records, employment history, and more. We search multiple public sources for additional addresses and known associates we can contact during our search. Continue reading →

Now that you’ve filed your civil case with the appropriate Florida court, it’s time to serve the summons, complaint, and any other case documents on the case defendant(s). If you are calling witnesses in the case, you’ll also need to serve them with subpoenas. While defendants and witnesses are easy to find most of the time, it isn’t unheard of to need to serve someone who actively avoids being found. Those cases could drag on indefinitely if there were no deadlines for serving the process. However, here in Florida, the process must be served within a certain time limit.

In the state of Florida, the process in all cases must be served within 120 days of the initial filing.

What happens if the process is not served in time?

If the process for your case is not served within 120 days of the initial filing, a motion to dismiss without prejudice can be filed. The case may be refiled as long as the statute of limitations has not run out. If the statute of limitation has expired, there will likely be legal consequences for whoever didn’t ensure the process was promptly served. Continue reading →

Process recipients aren’t usually too hard to find, but occasionally we’ll get one that just disappears like a ghost. To find recipients like this, we really have to dig in our heels and use all the tools in our belts. Some techniques we use to find extra difficult process recipients are outlined below:

Skip Trace

If the regular tactics for locating process recipients don’t work, then we’ll escalate up to a skip trace. A skip trace provides many details about a person’s background and can be a great jumping-off point to finding someone evasive. Some of the information discovered in a skip trace includes contact information, criminal reports, known associates, real estate holdings, asset holdings, and more. Continue reading →

Are you trying to hire a process server in the Sarasota area? Most civil court matters in Florida require a certified process server by state law. Using an illegitimate process server can have big consequences for your cases. When looking for a process server to hire, be sure to check on the following qualities to avoid issues in the future:

Proper Certification

All process servers in Sarasota, DeSoto, and Manatee counties must be certified by Florida’s 12th Judicial Circuit. To be certified, process servers must: Continue reading →