English
EspañolStep 4: Service of process
In order to serve the papers on the respondent, the clerk will give a copy of the petition, notice of hearing, and temporary injunction to the sheriff or a law enforcement agency in the county where the respondent lives or where s/he can be found. Then the sheriff or other law enforcement officer will serve it upon the respondent as soon as possible, any day of the week and at any time of the day or night.1
Another option for service, if you request it in court, is that you can give a certified copy of the order to law enforcement yourself and accompany/assist the officer who serves it on the respondent.2 To find contact information for your local sheriff, go to our FL Sheriff Departments page.
Note: The clerk of the court should give you two certified copies of the order of injunction and there will be a paper that explains what the procedure is for serving (and enforcing) the order.3
You can find more information about service of process in our Preparing for Court – By Yourself section, in the question called What is service of process and how do I accomplish it?
1 Fla. Stat. § 784.0485(8)(a)(1)
2 Fla. Stat. § 784.0485(8)(a)(2)
3 Fla. Stat. § 784.0485(2)(c)(4)
