The short answer
In Miami-Dade a routine serve on one person at one address runs $75 to $200 depending on how fast you need it. At Agera Legal Services the prices are flat: $75 standard (first attempt within 72 hours, completed within 10 service days), $95 rush (first attempt within 24 hours, completed within 5 service days), $120 same day (first attempt the same day, completed within 4 service days) and $200 same day + (2 attempts the same day, at different times, completed within 2 service days). Service days are Monday to Saturday, counted from when we have the paid order and the papers. Completed means served, or all included attempts made. Eviction notices are $85, a court filing run is $65 and mobile notary is $10 per notarial act plus $5 per mile travel. Every serve includes up to 4 attempts at different times of day within your level's time, with a Saturday attempt when that time includes a Saturday, and the notarized affidavit of service.
What should be included in the price
- Multiple attempts. A single attempt is not service. Agera makes up to 4 attempts at different times of day within your level's time, with a Saturday attempt when that time includes a Saturday, before a job is closed as non-service.
- The affidavit. The notarized affidavit or return of service is the document the court needs. It should never be an add-on.
- Proof. GPS coordinates, time stamps and photos on every attempt. If a defendant later claims they were never served, that record is what protects your case.
- Status updates. You should not have to call to find out what happened. Our clients watch each attempt appear in the client portal.
Extras to ask about before you order
- Second address. If the person is not at the first address and you supply another, most servers charge a new fee. Ours is simple: attempts at a new address, or attempts beyond those your level includes, are billed at the same rate as the original service ($75 standard, $95 rush, $120 same day, $200 same day +).
- Mileage. Some companies add mileage for Homestead, the Redland or Miami Beach. We do not; all twelve of our service areas are the same flat rate.
- Waiting time and stakeouts. Sitting on an address for an evasive defendant is billed hourly, $80 per hour with us, and only with your approval.
Standard, rush or same day?
Standard (completed within 10 service days) is right for most civil matters with weeks before a deadline. Rush (completed within 5 service days) is for a hearing next week or a deadline under ten days. Same day (completed within 4 service days) is for the papers that need a first attempt today: an injunction, a subpoena for tomorrow's deposition, an eviction where every day is rent lost. Same day + makes 2 attempts that day, at different times and is completed within 2 service days. In our system every job carries a first-attempt clock for its level (72 hours, 24 hours or the same day), so the times are real, not just a label.
What drives the price of a serve
Three things set what a serve costs: how fast you need the first attempt, how many attempts are included, and what proof comes back. Distance matters less in Miami-Dade than people expect, because a server who works the county every day is usually already nearby. What adds real cost is time: a same-day serve means the server reorganizes the day around your papers, which is why it costs more than standard.
Process server or the sheriff?
In Florida, papers can be served by the sheriff or by a certified process server. The sheriff's office charges a statutory fee set in section 30.231 of the Florida Statutes, and its deputies serve on their own schedule. A private process server costs more per serve but sets a first-attempt time, varies the hours, and reports each attempt as it happens. For a deadline, a hearing date or a defendant who is hard to find, most attorneys choose a private server.
Court costs are separate
The process server's fee is not the court's fee. Filing a case and issuing a summons are paid to the Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court, and the clerk publishes its current fee schedule. If you are representing yourself, check the filing fee and the summons fee with the clerk before you order service, so the papers are ready to go when the server picks them up.
Why the cheapest serve is often the most expensive
A $40 serve that makes one attempt, produces a vague affidavit and gets challenged costs you a continuance, a re-serve and weeks. Service of process is the foundation of the case. Pay for the attempts, the proof and the affidavit, and you pay once.