Serving papers in Southwest Florida
Lee and Collier counties, from Cape Coral and Fort Myers down through Bonita Springs and Estero to Naples and Marco Island.
Lee and Collier are both in the 20th Judicial Circuit. Lee County's seat is Fort Myers and Collier County's seat is East Naples. We send every job to the process server on our team who covers that county, and we check the county of every address before the first attempt, because Bonita Springs and Estero addresses sit close to the Collier line.
Gated golf communities
A large share of homes between Fort Myers and Naples are in gated golf and country club communities with a guard house. Florida Statutes section 48.031(7) requires a gated residential community, including a condominium association or a cooperative, to grant a process server unannounced entry to serve a resident. We give the guard the resident's name and address, and log the gate, the time and the guard's answer on every attempt.
Seasonal residents
Many people here live in Southwest Florida only for the winter. A seasonal home can still be someone's usual place of abode while they live in it, but in the summer it may be empty or rented out. Under Florida Statutes 48.031(1)(a), papers can be left at the person's usual place of abode with someone 15 or older who lives there, after telling them what the papers are. We check whether anyone is living at the address, tell you right away if the home looks closed for the season, and use any other address you have for the person.
Areas we cover
Lee County cases are heard at the Lee County Justice Center in downtown Fort Myers, the county seat. Collier County cases are heard at the Collier County courthouse in East Naples, the county seat. Tell us the court and case number with the papers and we write the affidavit for that court.