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34 verbatim mandatory provisions from AO 2020-009.
Third Judicial Circuit (Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor). Check the order's own effective and rescission dates before relying on it. Procedural information only; not legal advice.
Verbatim from the order's own text layer, harvested 2026-07-25; whitespace normalised only. No OCR. Only sentences carrying mandatory language are reproduced — the full order is in custody and is the controlling text. • Individuals seeking certification must submit a completed application packet with the required processing fee to Court Administration. • That background investigation, at the applicant's expense, will be requested by the applicant and certified results must be sent from FDLE to Court Administration; • The bond shall name "Administrative Office of the Courts, Third Judicial Circuit" as the Obligee. • The applicant must file with Court Administration a certified copy of this bond. • An applicant who completes the requirements set forth m this Administrative Order, as adopted from Florida Statutes section 48.29, shall be eligible to be placed on the approved list of certified process servers. • Successful applicants must also provide a passport photo to be used on their identification card. 2 -- 2 of 9 -- II. • If the Chief Judge is satisfied that the conditions have been met, the Chief Judge shall issue an order placing the applicant on the list of certified process servers and provide a copy of the order to the Court Administrator and the Clerk of Court for each cOlmty in the Third Judicial Circuit. • Certified process servers must, while serving process, carry the official certified process server identification card issued to them and display it to 3 -- 3 of 9 -- anyone who requests information on the process server's authority to serve process. • Each identification card shall be renewable annually upon the timely filing of an application for renewal with Comi Administration and approval by the Chief Judge following proof of good standing, proof of current bond, successful completion of the yearly background investigation, payment of the renewal and yearly background investigation fee (current fee amounts available on the Court Administration website), and submission of an updated passport photo. • Certified process servers shall comply with all rules, case law, and statutes pertaining to service of process and will be expected to keep up to date with any new provisions within said rules, case law, and statutes. • (1) In the event that any process server of the Third Judicial Circuit is arrested or charged with a misdemeanor or felony in any jurisdiction, the process server must report the arrest and/or charge( s) to Court Administration in writing within five days of the arrest or charge. • If the Chief Judge detennines that a temporary suspension is warranted, the Chief Judge shall enter an order effectuating the 4 -- 4 of 9 -- temporary suspension. • (2) In the event that any certified process server of the Third Judicial Circuit is the subject of any sanction or penalty with respect to his or her certification to serve process in another circuit, the process server must report the sanction or penalty to Court Administration in writing within five days. • If the Chief Judge determines that a temporary suspension is warranted, the Chief Judge shall enter an order effectuating the temporary suspension. • Certification of a process server is for a period of one year at which time the certification shall expire unless extended temporarily as set forth herein or by order of the Chief Judge. • The renewal materials should be filed (actually received by Court Administration) no sooner than ninety days prior to expiration and no later than sixty days prior to expiration to allow sufficient time for processing of the renewal materials. • Individuals are wamed that renewal materials filed less than sixty days prior to 5 -- 5 of 9 -- expiration may, under certain circumstances, not be fully processed by the expiration date and, if not, will be deemed expired pending approval and shall not be permitted to serve process unless and until recertification is approved. • Materials for recertification filed after the annual expiration date but within ninety-days ("grace period") after that expiration date shall still be considered for renewal but the individual will not be permitted to serve process unless and until there is approval of the application for renewal as provided herein. • Failure to properly and timely file the necessary materials for renewal with Court Administration and/or failure to keep his or her bond current will cause the name of the certified process server to be automatically removed from the approved list and such person shall lose all standing as a certified process server until such time as standing is re- established. • Any request for renewal or reinstatement filed after the grace period and/or lapse of bond will be treated as an original application and must comply with section I of this Administrative Order. • To renew, a certified process server must submit the current renewal fee to Court Administration (the amount of the renewal fee is available on the Court Administration website). • In addition to the renewal fee, the certified process server must submit himself or herself to a limited background investigation, at his or her expense, to ensure that he or she has not acquired a criminal record in the preceding year. • The process server must also provide proof of the $5,000.00 surety bond that he or she is required to carry. • If any of the information provided by the process server has changed in the preceding year (for example, address, telephone number, 6 -- 6 of 9 -- email address), the process server must provide the updated information to the designated employee in Court Administration. • The process server must also provide an updated passport photo for his or her new identification card. • The Clerks of Court shall make the list available to the public, and the list shall also be published on the Court Administration website. • Good cause shall include, but is not limited to, the following: • If a process server engages in conduct prohibited by law or this Order or if a complaint against a process server cannot be resolved by an order by the Chief Judge, then the Chief Judge shall issue an order to show cause to the process server setting f01ih the grounds for the suggested removal, which will be served by ordinary U.S. mail to the process server's address. • This order to show cause will provide a date, time, and location that the process server shall appear before the Chief Judge and show cause as to why the process server should not be removed from the approved list. • The Chief Judge shall conduct a hearing at which the process server may appear and offer evidence. • If, from the evidence, the Chief Judge finds the process server guilty of malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, incompetence, or other unsuitable behavior by a process server, the Chief Judge shall order that the process server be removed from the approved list. • The order shall indicate whether the removal is permanent or for a limited period. • If the removal is for a limited period, the order shall indicate the length of the suspension. • The person seeking certification fo llowing a suspension must comp ly with the application requirements for persons seeking initial certification, that is, comply with section 1.
Individuals seeking certification must submit a completed application packet with the required processing fee to Court Administration.
Reviewer note: Document sha256: 49d4227169fc3e0bdcaf049e87201023e6f3051efcc91c2618323cd856abf366 (426771 bytes).
25 verbatim mandatory provisions from AO 2022-004.
10 verbatim mandatory provisions from AO 2014-025.
The 17th Circuit's circuit-wide AI disclosure/certification mandate (Jan 2026, twice amended) was VACATED in its entirety effective June 15, 2026 by Chief Judge Phillips's AO 2026-19-Gen, expressly citing the statewide framework (AOSC26-12; Rule 2.515(d)(2), SC2026-0673). Several division procedure pages still cite the vacated order.