The bill amends Florida Statutes concerning the service of process, particularly focusing on the roles and procedures involving registered agents. It mandates that registered agents maintain office hours for service of process from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and allows for service on employees present at the office if the agent is unavailable. Additionally, it introduces provisions for serving process on receivers of domestic entities in receivership and specifies that substituted service must be issued in the name of the party to be served in care of the Secretary of State. The bill also clarifies the conditions for utilizing substituted service, including the requirement to send notice and a copy of the process to the last known addresses of the parties involved.

Moreover, the bill establishes that any service of process conducted between January 2, 2023, and October 1, 2025, will be deemed valid if it complies with either the updated chapter 48 of the Florida Statutes or the previous laws, as long as it has not been invalidated by a court. The amendments will apply to all service of process conducted on or after October 1, 2025, regardless of when the cause of action arose. Importantly, the bill clarifies that it does not extend or modify the time for challenging the validity of any service of process and does not revive previously waived challenges. The act will take effect upon becoming law, ensuring prompt implementation of these new provisions.

Statutes affected:
H 157 Filed: 48.101, 48.161
H 157 c1: 48.101, 48.161
H 157 er: 48.101, 48.161