Every certified server renews every year
A certified process server in Miami-Dade is on the approved list of the Chief Judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit. Under section 48.29 of the Florida Statutes, each server on that list is subject to annual recertification and reappointment. The way that renewal works has changed.
No more court-run seminar
For years, renewing servers attended a recertification seminar run by the 11th Circuit’s Certified Civil Process Server Program. The program no longer holds those seminars. It has adopted the education course of the Florida Association of Professional Process Servers (FAPPS) as its approved training.
- Renewing servers complete the FAPPS 4-hour continuing education course and submit the certificate of completion with the renewal.
- New applicants complete the FAPPS 16-hour course, then the written exam, a background check, a $5,000 performance bond and the oath.
A lower renewal fee
With the change, the program lowered the recertification fee to $200.
A new administrative order
The program rules were reissued in a new administrative order that supersedes AO 24-08. The updated sections cover the education requirements and how certified servers must respond to complaints. Applications and renewals go through the court’s online Civil Process Servers portal.
What it means if you hire a process server
- Ask for the server’s CPS number and check it on the Chief Judge’s approved list on the 11th Circuit website.
- A server whose bond lapses, or who does not recertify, is removed from the list.
- Certification is per circuit. A Miami-Dade (11th Circuit) server is not automatically certified in Broward (17th Circuit) or in Citrus, Hernando and Marion (5th Circuit).
How Agera handles it
Our Miami-Dade jobs are served by a process server certified in the 11th Judicial Circuit (CPS #10098). Broward jobs go to servers certified in the 17th Circuit, and Citrus, Hernando and Marion jobs to our 5th Circuit server. Standard $75, rush $95, same day $120. Order online or call (786) 241-4146.
Sources: 11th Judicial Circuit, FAQ for Certified Civil Process Servers; Florida Statutes sections 48.25 to 48.31 (Florida Certified Process Servers Act); program notices to certified servers, August and October 2026.