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Florida Statutes (Last Updated: April 21, 2021) |
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TITLE VI. CIVIL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE |
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CHAPTER 48. PROCESS AND SERVICE OF PROCESS |
Latest version.
- 1(1) 2Process against any private corporation, domestic or foreign, may be served:13(a) 14On the president or vice president, or other head of the corporation;26(b) 27In the absence of any person described in paragraph (a), on the cashier, treasurer, secretary, or general manager;45(c) 46In the absence of any person described in paragraph (a) or paragraph (b), on any director; or63(d) 64In the absence of any person described in paragraph (a), paragraph (b), or paragraph (c), on any officer or business agent residing in the state.89(2) 90If a foreign corporation has none of the foregoing officers or agents in this state, service may be made on any agent transacting business for it in this state.119(3)(a) 120As an alternative to all of the foregoing, process may be served on the agent designated by the corporation under s. 14148.091142. However, if service cannot be made on a registered agent because of failure to comply with s. 16048.091, 161service of process shall be permitted on any employee at the corporation’s principal place of business or on any employee of the registered agent. A person attempting to serve process pursuant to this paragraph may serve the process on any employee of the registered agent during the first attempt at service even if the registered agent is temporarily absent from his or her office.225(b) 226If the address for the registered agent, officer, director, or principal place of business is a residence, a private mailbox, a virtual office, or an executive office or mini suite, service on the corporation may be made by serving the registered agent, officer, or director in accordance with s. 27548.031276.277(4) 278This section does not apply to service of process on insurance companies.290(5) 291When a corporation engages in substantial and not isolated activities within this state, or has a business office within the state and is actually engaged in the transaction of business therefrom, service upon any officer or business agent while on corporate business within this state may personally be made, pursuant to this section, and it is not necessary in such case that the action, suit, or proceeding against the corporation shall have arisen out of any transaction or operation connected with or incidental to the business being transacted within the state.
History.-s. 8, Nov. 21, 1829; s. 2, Feb. 11, 1834; s. 1, ch. 3590, 1885; RS 1019; GS 1406; s. 1, ch. 6908, 1915; s. 1, ch. 7752, 1918; RGS 2604; CGL 4251; s. 1, ch. 57-97; ss. 1, 2, 3, ch. 59-46; s. 4, ch. 67-254; s. 1, ch. 67-399; s. 6, ch. 79-396; s. 7, ch. 83-216; s. 1, ch. 84-2; s. 2, ch. 2004-273; s. 3, ch. 2011-159; s. 3, ch. 2014-207; s. 3, ch. 2016-207.
Note
Note.-Former s. 47.17.
